Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Byproduct of the Nobility 1
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Azadin was continuing the march even in his exhausted and tired state. Midiam and Ismail caught up to him and asked.
“But, with ogres and the kin of the King of Teeth appearing, doesn’t that mean maybe an army of monsters is continuously coming from the central inland?”
“There’s that possibility.”
“Then….”
“From what I saw, there were magic-using goblins with the ogre, and hobgoblins as squad leaders, so it felt like a regular army.”
Azadin said, recalling that they were after the copy of the New King Array.
Scouts sent by monsters to find the New King Array copy. That seemed reasonable.
‘Does that mean the wand I got today—there are a bunch of them?’
Curious, Azadin pulled out the wand.
“By the way, Midiam, can you tell what this is?”
“Hmm, a magic wand?”
Midiam took the bone wand Azadin had pulled out.
“I think I need to concentrate properly for this. I’m tired right now too. Oh, but if you’re asking me to do this, does that mean you acknowledge me as your servant?”
“No, aren’t you a compatriot I met from a thousand miles away? Can’t I ask that much?”
“Mm. You’re still like that. Then, can I make a request too?”
“What?”
“Hmm. Well, now that I think about it, besides asking to be accepted as a servant, I don’t have anything else worth requesting?”
“Right?”
“Then I’ll request it later when I think of something.”
“That’s a bit much.”
“Anyway, to inspect this wand, I need some concentration. Can I do it after sleeping?”
“Yeah, I just fought a battle, so I’m fatigued. And we’ve been walking nonstop.”
“Then shall we rest here?”
“No, let’s hurry. The feed for the goats costs quite a bit, so let’s not delay too much.”
When they arrived at the pass pretending to be blind pilgrims, they fed the goats porridge at the inn outside and bought food for themselves. Travel is ultimately a series of expenses, expenses, expenses.
“Follow me. Oh, before that, I need to change disguise again.”
Azadin began changing back into the blind pilgrim outfit. By turning his clothes inside out and hunching his body, he looked a foot shorter, with his arm and leg lengths appearing shorter too.
His body was so flexible that just changing his posture made his entire impression look completely different.
Back in the blind pilgrim guise, Azadin followed the evacuating people right away. Since there were so many of them and it was night, he found them soon.
“Ah, you’re safe.”
“That’s a relief.”
They were glad that Azadin’s group was unharmed.
“Yes. I have good ears, so I heard the cheers of victory from the village.”
“Yes?”
“You could probably head back to the village. Do you have a way to signal with lanterns or something?”
“That’s….”
“If there’s a spot where you can see the village, you could check.”
“…….”
The evacuees were half-doubting Azadin’s words, but they saw the lanterns lit atop the pass village on the mountain and knew the village was safe.
“For now, send a few people back to confirm, then move after that.”
The people thought Azadin’s suggestion made sense. Fleeing a monster invasion was important, but having the elderly, weak, and women leave the village for the rugged mountain path was no small hardship.
Margrave Count Kazel of Salasma wasn’t particularly merciful to his subjects, so he wouldn’t generously accept refugees who had abandoned their village and fled.
Thus, everyone wanted to return to the village if it was safe.
“Y-yes, you’re right.”
The people halted their evacuation and selected the fastest runners to go back and check the village. Soon, they met people sent from the village midway.
“The Herald Clan appeared and repelled the ogres?”
“Yeah. The ogre wasn’t even the problem. Honey! A huge monster showed up—what do you call it? Anyway, someone in the village must have called the Herald Clan. So we need the outsiders to keep quiet….”
“Outsiders—you mean the merchants? Or that pilgrim?”
“Yeah. Where did those pilgrims go?”
“Huh? Ah? Where?”
“Come to think of it?”
The people were flustered by the pilgrim group that had vanished before they knew it.
*********
Slipping away under cover of night wasn’t difficult. Azadin changed outfits again and grumbled.
“I’m doing it myself, but it’s really annoying.”
“Still impressive. Just a disguise and your impression changes so drastically?”
“Well, the clothes are still oversized, so plenty of room to conceal things. Can’t do it in hot regions. Have to be careful.”
Azadin said that and headed down the mountain path.
“With ogres possibly attacking again, did we have to send the people back to that village? It seems dangerous.”
“No, we had to. They’re families. If they’re abandoning the village entirely, it’s better if families evacuate together. Scattered like that, when and where would they reunite?”
“But if they stay in the village pointlessly and meet with mishap….”
“The vigilante leader was a seasoned hunter. He’ll grasp the situation well enough.”
“That’s fortunate, then. But you fought, didn’t you? Aren’t you tired?”
“Tired, but I need travel funds.”
“Travel funds?”
“That.”
Azadin pointed down the mountain. In view was the campsite where the margrave’s bastard son—who had plundered the village—and his subordinate mercenaries were encamped.
“As an imperial herald, I shouldn’t commit robbery, but taking some pocket money as alms from the ones who plundered the village should be fine.”
“Alms… you say.”
Ismail clicked his tongue.
The margrave’s bastard and his forces numbered around twenty. Seasoned mercenaries all, so from a Herald Clan perspective, they could be tougher opponents than ogres. Especially with Azadin fatigued.
‘Even if I can beat them at full strength, that doesn’t guarantee victory.’
Facing numbers alone is always risky. All the more when tired and focus waning. In truth, most Heralds died not to mighty foes or great perils, but to lesser things.
“You won’t get in big trouble from letting your guard down?”
“It’s fine. Watch closely. Ah.”
Azadin clicked his tongue. He’d almost said he’d show them the ropes. Even though they weren’t his servants.
*********
Tarky and his mercenaries were encamped, worn out.
Fatigue had piled up from carrying plunder down the mountain path from the village. Still, aware of mountain perils, they had posted sentries and were resting in good order.
The sentries chatted idly on watch.
“Ogres coming south in a drought. Margrave ditches border defense for New King Array nonsense—looks like this place is done for?”
“We score big and bail. Easy.”
“But can we bail? Not much worth taking. Employer hasn’t found the New King Array yet—won’t quit here.”
“Longer gig means better pay.”
“But danger feels proportional?”
Even as they spoke, they stood vigilant at attention.
Someone watched them from the darkness.
‘Pretty skilled mercenaries. Armor not as good as the ones Kozel’s young master brought, but no pushovers. And I’m tired too.’
It was Azadin, who had sneaked into their campsite. He counted heads and scouted infiltration paths.
‘Don’t push it—put a few to sleep?’
He hooked a cord on a branch and tugged from afar.
-Swish.
Tree friction made a sound.
“Hm?”
“What?”
Two sentries approached this way. Azadin hid amid the brush, then clamped their neck pressure points as they neared.
“Gah?!”
“Urk?!”
The two grown men crumpled limply. Good thing they wore no plate on their necks.
‘Nice. Now quickly loot valuables?’
He approached the mercenaries’ wagon and rummaged the crates. Locks on them, but he picked them easily.
Plundered treasures inside: bulky silver candelabras and platters. Valuable, but huge compared to gold.
‘Kozel’s young master took the gold first? Hmm, his crew didn’t look that loaded. Ah, sold to pass merchants, shipped some home probably.’
Azadin grabbed the candelabras and platters, eyed the rest.
Carpets and tapestries too. Fancy aromatic-wood chests, vanities, small silver-leafed bookshelves.
Valuable, sure, but too big and heavy. Plus, distinctive shapes—anyone’d spot them as stolen. Recognize your own bookshelves or vanity?
‘Candelabras best price-to-weight anyway. Loot’s done—now their supplies?’
Azadin moved to the mercenaries’ baggage and dug in. Beans and oats for horse fodder, arrowheads.
‘Oh, sweet. Arrowheads. Real steel—not cheap leaf-spring crap?’
Azadin gleefully took those too.
Now he was weighed down. Superhuman strength or not, even Azadin had limits.
To leave no traces, slip out undetected—greed was the enemy. Moderation. But as he rummaged the baggage, Azadin spotted something odd.
‘Huh? Why this?’
A bone wand.
Identical to the one from the goblin shaman earlier—in the mercenaries’ baggage.
‘Here means not loot—they brought it themselves….’
Azadin froze in surprise.
“Ah! These bastards!”
A shout came suddenly from behind.
*********
Tarky woke from sleep, crawled out of his bedroll, and headed to the brush to relieve himself.
“Ah, damn. That pre-bed drink must’ve been off. Woke up freezing. High altitude….”
Grumbling, he finished up, turned toward camp—and saw the sentries gone. Two-man shifts, but nowhere in sight.