A Trojan Strategy
It was late that night when the news reached Valen's ears.
Upon receiving reports from his men that Raygan and Brock, a collateral branch member, had vanished without a trace, Valen scowled.
"Desertion? Those absolute fools..."
Even if he was the son-in-law handpicked by the patriarch himself, this was a complete collapse of discipline.
Valen dispatched men to search for the two, and it wasn't long before their whereabouts were reported back to him.
"Brock has been spotted in the mercenary district, sir."
"Bring him in immediately."
"No, sir. The thing is... he requested that you come find them yourself..."
"What...?"
Valen's face contorted in anger.
A mere recruit telling the vice-captain where to go? There was a limit to crossing the line. No matter how lenient he wanted to be, this demanded a harsh reprimand.
Valen immediately gathered his close aides and headed toward the mercenary district.
A lavish stone building. The moment Valen stepped inside, he was taken aback.
"...What in the world is this?"
"It appears Lord Raygan and Brock... have subdued them, sir."
On the first floor, the mercenaries sat lined up against the wall, bound tightly with ropes. Judging by the deep despair etched onto their faces, this was clearly no mere drunken brawl.
Did that mean just two people had subdued an entire mercenary group?
"...What on earth happened here?"
Valen clicked his tongue and climbed the stairs. The moment he flung open the tightly shut door to the third-floor office, the metallic stench of blood assaulted his nose, making his brow furrow.
"..."
Two corpses lay in the office. One had an icicle driven deep into the back of his neck, while the other's throat was half-severed.
And in the middle of this gruesome scene, Raygan sat calmly on a sofa, wiping blood from his blade. Brock, on the other hand, was pressed flat against the wall, his face pale as a ghost.
"...Raygan."
Valen looked back and forth between the corpses and Raygan, piecing together what had transpired.
"Don't tell me... you killed them?"
"You saw right."
"And the ones downstairs?"
"Subdued. Ah, of course, I didn't use any unnecessary violence. Once I showed them their dead leader, they surrendered quite peacefully."
"..."
Valen grimaced.
Raygan had killed the leader of a mercenary group in Rodel.
He had executed a civilian—and the leader of a mercenary group, no less—without the family's authorization.
This alone was a massive incident. But what Raygan said next was even more shocking.
"So, you are saying this mercenary group was hired by the black mages stationed in the Mist Valley, and they've been kidnapping people to deliver to them every single week?"
"Precisely."
Valen let out a low groan as he absorbed Raygan's explanation.
The Black Fang Mercenary Group had been on the black mages' payroll, and their basement dungeon was currently holding victims referred to as 'merchandise.'
Furthermore, they had been planning to transport them to the black mages' stronghold every week.
It was hard to believe. But once Valen saw the basement dungeon with his own eyes, he had no choice but to accept the grim reality.
"Vile bastards. How dare they... commit such atrocities on imperial soil..."
Dozens of people were locked behind the iron bars. Most of them were young children or youths.
They were undoubtedly meant to be used as test subjects and vessels for black magic.
Valen gritted his teeth. The mercenaries had crossed the line by a mile, to say nothing of the black mages.
This was information that even the Benheim intelligence network had failed to uncover.
"Raygan. Brock."
Valen called out to them. While Raygan remained perfectly composed, Brock shrank back, terrified of the scolding he was about to receive.
"This matter... cannot be dismissed as a simple misdemeanor. Bypassing the family's chain of command to exercise unauthorized force is a clear abuse of authority and a violation of our laws."
"I am aware. If you wish to punish us, I will gladly accept it."
"...However,"
Valen let out a soft sigh.
"Considering the exceptional circumstances, I will overlook this for now. Do not mistake this for forgiveness, however. You will be held accountable once the operation is over and we return to the estate. I don't care if you are the son-in-law of Benheim—I will handle this strictly by the book."
"Then I suppose I'll just have to achieve a grand exploit during this operation."
"Sly bastard."
Valen snorted, but he didn't entirely dislike Raygan's sheer audacity. He hardened his expression as he looked over the tragic sight inside the cages once more.
"First, we must handle the situation here. We will free these people and transport them to safety. After that, we will rendezvous with the main force."
It was a textbook decision. However, Raygan immediately objected.
"That will be too late. We must strike the black mages right now. We don't have the luxury of waiting five days."
"And why is that?"
"I interrogated the mercenary leader. According to him, they are absolutely expecting this 'merchandise' to arrive tomorrow morning."
Raygan led Valen and the Rune Sentinels to the loading dock.
A single carriage sat parked there. Inside were dozens of shackles, and its only window was blocked by thick iron bars. Even a slave transport carriage would have looked more humane.
"If the cargo doesn't arrive by tomorrow morning, they will immediately grow suspicious. With their contact with the mercenaries severed, those sharp-witted black mages will either pack up and flee or heavily reinforce their defenses."
"..."
"If that happens, we lose the element of surprise. Moreover, they might use the hostages as shields or simply dispose of them. Executing the operation will become infinitely more difficult."
Valen fell silent. There wasn't a single flaw in Raygan's logic.
It was only a matter of time before word got out that the mercenary group had been neutralized.
The longer they dragged their feet, the slimmer their chances of success became.
"Above all... there are likely other victims who have already been taken to their stronghold. During the five days we wait, the number of innocent casualties will only multiply."
"...Mmm."
"If the patriarch is the man I believe him to be, he will understand our independent action. In fact, he would reprimand us more for dragging our feet and allowing more victims to suffer."
"...I cannot argue with that."
It was the absolute truth.
Before he was a mage of Benheim, Valen was a human being. Turning a blind eye to the atrocities unfolding before him and allowing young children to be sacrificed went against everything he stood for.
"Very well. I will accept your proposal. We will raid the black mages' camp at dawn tomorrow."
A murmur rippled through the Rune Sentinels at Valen's decisive command.
It was a natural reaction. They were deciding to face the black mages with only thirty Rune Sentinels, without proper reconnaissance or any support from the main force.
"However, the method is the issue. We do not know the exact number of black mages, but they will certainly outnumber us. We must maximize the advantage of a surprise attack."
"Their stronghold is likely the abandoned mine in the Mist Valley. From what I've heard, they have a barrier erected around it."
Hearing Raygan's words, Valen stroked his chin.
A barrier.
That made things incredibly difficult.
Attempting a frontal assault would inevitably cause a commotion, giving them ample time to prepare. A stealthy infiltration was an option, but the success rate of that was abysmally low. The enemy were mages as well; they would have established a specialized alarm system to guard against intruders.
As Valen pondered, Raygan smirked knowingly.
"Vice-Captain, I have a secret strategy. Care to hear it?"
"...A secret strategy?"
"Yes. A rather brilliant masterstroke, if I do say so myself. I'm sure you'll find it quite appealing."
Raygan's eyes shone with absolute confidence. His tone made it clear he already knew his plan would be accepted.
Valen let out a quiet sigh. He had completely lost control of the conversation. His opponent was a greenhorn half his age, yet the flow of the discussion was bending entirely to the boy's will.
But with no other options, he had no choice but to listen.
"Out with it, then. What is this strategy?"
"It's quite simple, really."
Raygan smiled slyly and pointed to the carriage.
"The 'merchandise' the black mages are expecting totals fifteen. All of them are children who have not yet reached adulthood."
"And?"
"As it happens, the number of collateral branch members accompanying us on this operation is seventeen. And naturally, none of them have reached adulthood either."
Hearing that much, Valen immediately realized what Raygan was implying.
"Raygan, don't tell me you..."
"Exactly."
Raygan tapped the iron bars of the carriage.
"The collateral mages and I will personally go in as the 'merchandise.'"
Brock's jaw dropped at the suggestion.
"W-What are you talking about?! We're going in as hostages?! That's a suicide mission!"
"Don't worry, you won't die. Once we start wreaking havoc right in the middle of their base, their external defenses will naturally crumble. That's when the Rune Sentinels strike from the outside."
Chaos from within.
And an assault from without.
Valen recalled an anecdote from the history books of the Empire.
A tale of soldiers hidden inside a massive wooden horse to bring down an impregnable fortress.
"What do you think? Isn't it a decent plan?"
Raygan grinned, driving the point home.
"We're going to give those black mages a taste of their own medicine."
A dark night, devoid of even a sliver of moonlight.
Kallus, a black mage, stamped his feet against the biting cold, muttering a stream of curses.
"Damn it. When is that mercenary bastard going to send them?"
The ritual was just around the corner.
The higher-ups had immense expectations for this particular ceremony.
If that greedy mercenary failed to make it on time, Kallus's own head would roll long before the mercenary's did.
Creak.
Just then, the rattling sound of a carriage echoing through the narrow tunnels of the abandoned mine reached his ears.
Soon, a carriage bearing the crest of the Black Fang Mercenary Group rolled into the cavernous chamber.
Kallus's face lit up as he stood.
"What took you so long?"
The man sitting on the driver's seat merely tipped his low-brimmed hat in response. The typical gruffness of mercenaries was hardly surprising at this point.
All that mattered to Kallus was whether the 'merchandise' had arrived intact.
"Let's see what we have here."
Kallus walked to the back of the carriage. With practiced movements, he unraveled the heavy chains securing the cargo hold and lifted the massive latch.
He then flung back the heavy canvas cover.
"Hm?"
Kallus tilted his head in confusion as he peered inside.
The state of the 'merchandise' within the carriage was rather peculiar.
Normally, they would be malnourished street urchins or sickly vagrants.
But the ones delivered this time were different. They were all young men in their late teens, and most of them possessed lustrous, healthy blonde hair.
"Looks like that bastard raided a wealthy orphanage for once."
Unlike the previous vessels, these ones were remarkably fresh.
Even the energy radiating from their bodies was extraordinary. At this rate, they would make far superior sacrifices than the girl brought in last time.
"Heh."
A chuckle escaped through his teeth.
The higher-ups would undoubtedly be pleased.
"Hey! Don't just stand there, start unloading them!"
Kallus ordered his subordinates to drag the cargo out.
"Excuse me... what is going to happen to us?"
As the lackeys approached the cargo hold, a boy sitting in the corner spoke up.
He was the only one with ash-gray hair. His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with deep terror of what lay ahead.
Kallus smiled. Since they were destined to be brutally dissected soon anyway, he figured it wouldn't hurt to show a tiny sliver of mercy.
Of course, that mercy did not mean hope.
"Don't you worry. Your body will be put to very precious use. Though every drop of life will be squeezed out of you until you don't even have the strength left to scream."
Kallus chuckled as he reached for his ring of keys to unlock the shackles.
Clink.
The moment he grabbed the keys, a sudden sense of incongruity washed over him. He didn't have to think long to realize why.
Wait. That kid... how did he just speak to me?
The boy had just spoken to him.
But they were supposed to be gagged.
No, it wasn't just the gag.
Were the ankles of the boys in the carriage even shackled in the first place?
"...!"
Kallus snapped his head up in a panic.
But the situation had already changed completely.
His subordinates were already sprawling on the ground, and right before Kallus's eyes was the tip of a sword, shimmering with a cold blue light.
"Well, that's convenient."
The ash-haired boy pointing the sword at him smiled coldly.
"Because squeezing things dry happens to be my specialty."