Chapter 41: What It Means to Be a Commander (4)
Chapter 41: What It Means to Be a Commander (4)
To gain one thing, another must be cast aside. Having chosen to stand with Morad, Duran was now the enemy.
The mercenaries had no family to pay their ransom anyway. Eugene swept away even those who threw down their weapons and surrendered, showing no distinction.
"You sons of bitches! I said I surrender—"
A mercenary who had been reaching back for his weapon in a fit of rage was hacked to death.
"Spoils come later. Send scouts to the front and rear and prioritize tending to the Morad family's wounded."
"Yes! Gamdin, Oconnel, to the south! Kevin, Smoke, to the north!"
At the mercenary captain's command, his subordinates dispersed with flawless discipline.
Fweeeet!
At the clear whistle, the masterless horses that had scattered and the donkeys huddled together at a safe distance began gathering at the battlefield one by one.
Snort!
Some of the more skittish horses stopped halfway, frightened by the reeking smell of blood.
Fweeeet!
But when Homi urged them on again, they soon gave in and came over.
"How in the world does she do that?"
Eugene marveled at his squire's uncanny skill as he dismounted.
"Are you... are you Sir Eugene?"
As he approached the survivors, an older scribe among them recognized Eugene.
"How did you know?"
"Sir Benjamin spoke of you in detail. Not only your martial prowess but your cunning in lulling the Duran scoundrels into complacency before striking them down. His praise was clearly not the least bit exaggerated."
The faces of Morad's survivors were filled with emotion at this utterly unexpected rescue. Their wrists were bound behind their backs with iron shackles.
"Sir Knight. We'll need to find the key."
The mercenary who had rushed over first to assess the situation looked over the corpses strewn about.
"How long would it take to rummage through all that? Step aside."
"Excuse me?"
Kneeling on one knee, Eugene took hold of the iron shackles.
CRACK!
RIIIP!
Everyone stared in shock as the shackles tore apart like rotten stalks.
"So it was true that you bested Volks in a contest of strength."
"This is beyond even a strongman. I don't think it belongs in the realm of comparison with ordinary people."
The envoys murmured with dazed expressions.
After finishing the first aid and cleanup, Eugene hurriedly set out. He had no way of knowing how large an ambush force House Duran had mobilized.
The equipment of the enemy mercenaries was taken by his subordinates, but the arms, armor, and horses of the knights and squires fell to Eugene's share.
'The caliber of spoils is different from when I cleaned out the village raiders. Should I just aim for nobles after all?'
When he converted his share of the spoils into money, the length of time he could keep the mercenaries employed jumped considerably.
"To think they would launch a despicable attack without even a declaration of war. They are beasts."
The old scribe spoke with a somber face.
"That's a shame. If I'd arrived just a little sooner, perhaps everyone could have survived."
"Who could have predicted such villainy? You came swiftly enough, Sir. I am rather concerned whether the chaos in the surrounding area caused you any discomfort on your journey."
"There was a minor incident. A village belonging to Morad was being plundered by mercenaries, so I dealt with them on the way as well."
"We've already incurred two debts to you before we could even host you properly. How embarrassing."
Having received only aid without even the chance to entertain the knight who had come from afar, the scribe bowed his head even lower.
Duran's ambushes were carried out in multiple locations. However, not all of them met with success.
There were those who had charged in, counting on numerical superiority and the element of surprise, only to be repulsed in turn.
"AAAAAARGH!"
The knight leading the attackers screamed.
He was tied up beside a flower-decorated carriage and being tortured. The Morad soldiers surrounding him glared fiercely.
"Sir Knight, could you stop barking already?"
"You're still alive, aren't ya? Bet those lackeys dying behind you are jealous as hell."
Behind the knight, the captured enemy mercenaries were being beheaded.
"You've been through a lot, my lady."
A middle-aged chief maid wiped the sweat from the woman's face with a handkerchief.
Her name was Roxane. She was the second child of the Morad family and had been returning from diplomatic duties in a neighboring domain to prepare for war.
The fine dress Roxane wore was torn all over and soaked in blood from Duran's ambush.
"You don't have to examine me like you're licking me clean. I dodged all the vitals. Better to trade sword blows with bastards trying to kill me than play guessing games grinning at some sly lord."
"My lady! Watch your language, please!"
Roxane laughed as she twirled the sword in her hand. The chief maid inspecting her body looked aggrieved.
"Oh heavens, a wound on this fair skin! Those wretches deserve to be torn apart and killed."
"Wouldn't the ones who died by my sword feel wronged to hear you say that?"
The chief maid, who sighed over the shallow wounds, was from Gord. Even after serving the family for years, she had never adjusted to Roman culture, where men and women alike could become knights.
"Sir Roxane! This bastard looks about ready to croak. Better get your cut in!"
"What? You wore him out that much already? Go a little easy."
"Hahaha! We all got rather worked up because of the insolent drivel he spouted to you, my lady."
The soldiers, intending to tenderly look after their lord, had instead tenderly looked after the knight who had charged her.
"You... monstrous... bitch!"
The knight shouted toward Roxane, who stood in her blood-soaked dress.
Before the battle, the forces and circumstances on both sides had clearly favored Duran. Had the mercenaries been told to place bets, all but a handful hardened gamblers would have wagered on themselves.
The reason they had suffered such a reversal was because of Roxane, who had burst out of the carriage and rampaged like a madwoman.
THUD!
"Has this knight lost his mind?"
The soldier's fist, wiped clean of his smile, drew a pained groan from the knight.
"Hey, hey, he might really die at this rate."
"The last blow should be given by the lady."
"Lady Roxane! Quickly!"
Roxane turned her back on the urging soldiers and waved her hand.
"I'm fine. You lot take care of it among yourselves."
"What? Really?"
The Roxane they knew never let anyone who threw the first punch or insulted her go easily. This knight qualified on both counts.
"My makeup got completely wiped off from fighting!"
"Lady Roxane, you are beautiful even with a bare face!"
"I know that. But my eye makeup smeared and made me look like a pierrot."
"Wahahahaha!"
While her subordinates roared with laughter, the knight spat out bloody foam and expired. Darkness was already beginning to fall.
"Our schedule will be delayed, but we'll lodge in the nearby village. Abandon the carriage. It's too wrecked to use."
Roxane approached the horse that had been unharnessed from the carriage.
SQUEAK! SQUEAK!
She tore off the bottom of her dress without the slightest hesitation, exposing the bare flesh of her thighs above the knees. They were pale but well-trained, the legs of a knight.
"My laaady!"
The head maid shrieked at that untamed display.
"The carriage is wrecked, so I can't ride a horse in a trailing gown, can I?"
Roxane paid no mind and swung herself up onto the horse. The young soldier who had been holding the reins lowered his flushed face.
"Now, let's go!"
At Roxane's call, the soldiers who had finished emergency treatment followed behind her. Though victorious, the surrounding area remained dangerous. They had to reach the village before nightfall.
"The village will appear soon. It's a place frequented by travelers and merchant caravans, so it's quite sizeable. They'll treat us well, too."
At the scribe's words, Eugene's mercenaries rejoiced.
No matter how long they had lived as mercenaries, they could never get used to sleeping outdoors. Resting in a village was far better than sleeping on the hard ground beneath the dew.
A village visit was also essential to turn the spoils of victory into money. Plunder was both property and a cumbersome burden. They had to unload it quickly to lighten their loads and be ready to seize whatever came next.
"It seems someone has already arrived, though?"
At Eugene's remark, the mercenaries reflexively moved their hands toward their weapons. It was because these were no merchant caravan but well-armed individuals. However, the scribe hurriedly stopped them.
"It's all right. They are people of our family."
"You're alive, old man? I was worried your group had been ambushed as well."
A woman whose face was beautiful yet fierce-looking greeted them, waving her hand.
"This is Lady Roxane, the second child of the Morad family."
The scribe, having introduced her to Eugene, dismounted and offered a salute.
"We suffered a dishonorable ambush by the Duran scoundrels."
"Same here. But..."
Roxane's eyes narrowed.
The people following behind the scribe were all unfamiliar faces. She had assumed they had repelled the attack without significant damage like she had, but that did not appear to be the case.
"Most of those who set out together, including Sir Gaus, were killed in action."
"Ahh. He was a good man."
Roxane scratched her head irritably. Her long, tightly curled black hair shook wildly.
"Sir Eugene here rescued the few of us who remained and punished those lawless knaves."
"Eugene? Eugene Meyer? The All-Conquering Knight of Bonyard?"
"That is correct. He is an All-Conquering Knight and also the one who slew the magical beast."
"He looks younger than me, yet his record is nothing short of brilliant."
"You are the same age. Sir Eugene also came of age this year."
As Roxane looked over with eyes full of curiosity, Eugene tactfully stepped forward.
"I came at the invitation of the Morad family. I am Eugene Meyer. I offer my condolences for the unjust deaths of your honorable vassals."
"Thank you for avenging them. But the blood price of Morad and Duran is not equal, so this cannot be the end of it."
The emotion that surfaced on Roxane's face was not sorrow but a fighting spirit.
"I'm both pleased and regretful. If you had come much later, the Duran bastards might have made their way here by now. But I can't very well kill men who are already dead a second time."
Roxane spoke, gripping the handle of the sword at her waist.
This was the only village to stay at in the vicinity. Unless one meant to sleep outdoors, anyone would inevitably have come here.
"Sir Roxane. I killed all the mercenaries, but I brought the knights back alive."
"What? Truly?!"
Roxane's face brightened.
"I took them alive, thinking they would make a fine gift for the Morad family."
"Ahahaha! This is the most pleasing gift I've ever received. A thousand times better than some embroidery set that gives me the creeps just looking at it."
At Eugene's gesture, the mercenaries dragged forward the two knights they had captured.
Godrick had taken a punch to the face that caved in his nose and knocked out his front teeth, but his life was not in danger. The other knight had only broken a wrist.
"Their condition is better than I expected. I don't see any cuts or stab wounds either."
"Thanks to their complacency, there wasn't even any need to swing a blade. Truly pathetic specimens."
"Mmf! Mmf!"
"Mmmmff!"
The knights glared at Eugene with bloodshot eyes as he spoke calmly, but they were gagged and could do nothing more.
"Let me get a look at the faces of these sons of bitches. The Duran trash who killed Sir Gaus and his son."
Roxane glared at the knights with burning eyes. Her feline-predator gaze was even more striking with a beauty mark beneath each eye.
The aura she exuded suggested she could slit a man's throat with her nails alone.
"Sir Eugene. Will you hand these men over to me? I'll pay twice the usual ransom. I want to avenge Gaus and his son, who served our family for generations."
Prisoners did not necessarily have to be sold directly to their own family. Brokered transactions between third parties were common in this world too. Prices went up accordingly, naturally.
'At last!'
Eugene's heart pounded with excitement. A noble's ransom—the surest way to get his hands on money! And his very first one came with a double payout.
"If I hand them over, what do you intend to do with them?"
Though he had only just met Roxane, her expression and manner of speaking were enough for Eugene to size her up as ruthless. He could already guess what awaited the prisoners.
"Huup!"
"Mmf! Mm-mmf!"
The Duran knights, who had been glaring at Eugene just moments ago, now wore desperate expressions. Their eyes pleaded, 'Please, don't hand us over!'
"Huhuhu. You're curious?"
With her hands behind her back, Roxane trotted over and rose onto her toes. Her red lips whispered beside Eugene's ear. Perhaps she naturally ran warm; even her breath against his ear was very warm.
Eugene had been watching the prisoners calmly, but his expression gradually turned strange and then almost... pitying. Well, not quite. They had brought it on themselves.
"Understood. From this moment on, they belong to you, Sir Roxane."
"Mmf-mmf!"
"Huuuup!"
The two knights screamed desperately, but Homi, reading the mood, quickly gagged their mouths with thicker cloth.
Roxane grinned and gestured to Eugene's mercenaries.
"You fine men there? You must have grown a little attached to the prisoners in the brief time you've had them, so do bid your farewells. You won't be seeing them anymore from here on."
"Thank you!"
The mercenaries answered thunderously.
"You've got a real pretty head on your shoulders."
SMACK!
"Farewell, sir!"
THWACK!
Grinning, the mercenaries filed past the kneeling knights, each giving their heads a solid smack. When else would they ever get to take a swing at a noble's noggin!
There were plenty of advantages to working under Eugene. The food was good, the work was safe, the spoils were generous, and they even got special experiences like this.