The Demon They Hired
No mercenary kept clinging to a fight after nearly dying. Mercenary work was a trade of lending out your life to begin with.
Above all, they had watched Johan cut the city's soldiers to pieces right in front of them. Not one of them was reckless enough to keep standing against that.
Right now he was treating the mercenaries with courtesy and even kindness, but who could say when that hand might pick up a sword instead, if things went sour?
If Johan wanted to keep that mad wizard alive, he could keep him alive. The mercenaries had no complaints about it. And any complaints they did have melted away the moment they laid eyes on him.
I got too complacent this time.
Johan admitted it to himself, if only slightly. Even if the mercenaries had flown into a frenzy, he should have been the one to hold them back. He had never known how terrifying rampaging magic could be until now.
Kaenerna's flame magic in particular had been vicious beyond measure.
"Make sure the mercenaries who came in are properly restrained so they don't do anything reckless."
"Yes, sir. We whipped them and put them on the pillory for show, so none of them will dare act up. Though, sir — we still haven't found the captain of the guard..."
After breaking into the city and raising hell, they had succeeded in seizing the chief magistrate. Several councilmen loyal to the crown faction had been taken along with him.
The captain of the guard, however, had bolted like lightning. They'd had to go after the magistrate first, so there was nothing to be done about it.
The mercenaries were combing the city for him, but word had yet to come.
"It won't matter. That captain was never one of us, anyhow."
Gurelric wasn't particularly worried about the man's escape. They might have missed the captain, but every centurion was already in irons. With all the effective commanders in custody, what could the man even do?
By now, surely, the captain was running hard for the south with every coin of his hoarded fortune in hand.
"No need for needless fright, but keep the watch thorough. Post soldiers in every quarter and set sentries."
Johan's voice was hard. If only his own men had come in, he might have let it slide — but with the Wilago mercenary company inside the walls as well, the work had to be divided carefully.
The problem was that while he could trust the subordinates who had marched with him, he could not trust the Wilago mercenaries.
There were plenty of hardened veterans among them, but just as many green recruits, easy to spot by their lack of equipment. Nothing was more dangerous than an ally's mistake.
Which was exactly why he had to speak with force.
When Johan spoke with force, it meant he packed killing intent and pressure into his voice.
The centurions felt their mouths go dry with tension. Wiping sweat from their palms, they nodded.
"Sir Knight."
"?"
"I gathered these for you. This is the sort of thing a man is supposed to collect for himself, you know."
Aclada beamed as he moved to hang a golden necklace around Johan's neck.
They hadn't sacked the city, but the property of the crown-faction and city-faction councilmen and the magistrates had already been confiscated.
And whoever got in first split that loot amicably among themselves. There was a reason the mercenaries were in such high spirits.
"Thanks for the necklace... So, did you gather what I asked you to gather? Properly?"
"I gathered it, though I can't say I looked at it properly."
Johan had ordered Aclada to set aside all the documents and maps in the magistrate's possession — in other words, everything written in black ink on white paper.
Such things could burn or vanish in the chaos of a sack.
Looking at the quantity that had been collected, Johan was satisfied.
"Good work. Much appreciated."
"You seem happier over this than over the golden necklace."
Aclada pulled a long face. It had been the most splendid, most beautiful piece in the entire magistrate's mansion — the one the others had been drooling over until he'd hammered his way to it first...
"No, no — I'm grateful for this too. Genuinely pleased."
"You really are an unusual man, sir knight."
Regardless of Aclada's sulking, Johan set apart the map and the fief registry concerning Dorak and Palmon — the villages he'd been promised.
He had guessed such a registry would exist, and sure enough, there it was. A detailed ledger recording assets and income, the residences and names of freefolk, serfs, and slaves, even the land records.
Village priests were the ones who usually drew up these documents, and Johan had learned the craft working alongside a priest, so he knew them well. Whoever had kept this one was meticulous; the entries were thorough.
If the villages nearby knelt to Umdim, then of course they'd have handed over registries just like this.
"Sir Knight! The main force has arrived!"
"Good timing. Now I can finally breathe easy."
Holding the city with nothing but his own army and the Wilago company had been nerve-wracking work.
The mercenaries were beaming with pure delight, but Johan was the sort who prepared for the worst in exactly these situations.
Worrywarts always end up paying the price for it.
Unlike Johan, the mercenaries groaned in disappointment at the news that the main force had arrived.
"N-not a surrender, you say — you took the city by s-surprise attack? The w-word 'master of sieges' would be too little for you."
"You flatter me."
"N-no, I mean it. I'm truly astonished. I sh-shall be sure to convey this feat to His Grace the Duke myself."
Count Ganelwood's face was brimming with satisfaction. Others might not notice, but Sir Carpati could see it clearly.
He really does like that young man.
Ganelwood was not an evil man, but neither was he a kind one. He belonged firmly in the fussy, eccentric camp. And yet here he was, looking at a person with eyes that fairly dripped affection.
Then again, it made sense. Had Sir Carpati been a few decades younger, he might have let his own delight show a bit more openly.
The city's garrison was small, but a city was still a city. Dig in behind the walls, and the attacking side would soon find itself with a migraine. Yet Johan had finished the whole affair at a stroke...
"H-how does the city fare?"
"A few of the townsfolk are frightened, but on the whole it is calm. The magistrate, the councilmen, and the centurions have been arrested and locked away."
"A-and the sack?"
"Nothing was touched except the residences of the magistrate and the councilmen."
"...!"
Ganelwood was more astonished by that than by the fall of the city. That Johan himself had shown restraint was remarkable enough — but he'd kept the other mercenaries and warriors in line too?
What in the world had he done to manage it? It was a control that bordered on the chilling.
Ganelwood felt cold sweat running down his back. The valor was valor, but how could a man so young hold his followers in check that firmly?
"Is something the matter?"
"N-no, no."
At Johan's puzzled question, the count pulled himself together and nodded. This was no time to gawk. There was business to attend to, and every hour counted.
"If the m-magistrate's mansion was looted, I imagine many documents were lost. A p-pity, that."
"The documents were set aside in advance. I judged them likely to matter, so I gave the order."
"...You — j-just who are you...? Why on earth did you only appear now?"
Count Ganelwood looked up at Johan with shining eyes.
If there had been knights like Johan — even a single one — how much easier his labors would have been?
Thinking of all the cleanup he'd been left to handle after every battle he had ever known, his voice could not help but tremble.
Rest was granted to Johan and his soldiers. Even with the main force arrived, they could not send every soldier into the city — the place would have ended up a shambles if they had.
Privileges for those who had shown valor as the vanguard were only natural.
Even after taking the city and wrapping up the immediate business, the tiresome tasks remained.
Things like making an example of the villages still holding out to the south, now that their master had changed. Johan hardly needed to handle such work personally.
But I should inspect the villages I'm receiving.
He wanted to see with his own eyes, at least once, the villages the Duke had promised him. Of course, once he'd installed an administrator there, he'd have to come back this way regardless...
"Perfect timing. Come take a walk with me."
"Are you looking for something, my lord?"
"Sharp as ever, aren't you? Yes, I am. Umdim may not be so large a city, but its position is excellent. Poke around and you find interesting things."
The city itself was not especially big, but the river running through it flowed on to the Edene Sea, and so trade of every kind bustled through its streets.
It was only natural that Suetelg, most of whose life had been spent in the Empire, would go looking for curiosities.
"Speaking of which — I hear Kaenerna went berserk?"
"Yes. She was hurling flame in every direction."
"And she somehow didn't kill anyone?"
"A promise was made beforehand..."
"Few are the people who keep their promises. Good work. Truthfully, I was a little worried you'd come to think of magic as something too convenient..."
Johan winced, just slightly, at Suetelg's words. The wizard spoke sternly.
"Never, ever permit yourself pride where magic is concerned. As you saw with Kaenerna — even the most brilliant, most practiced mage can be devoured by his own art."
"I will keep it in mind."
"Good. Hmm..."
The moment Suetelg and Johan came to a stop, staff from the trading house came hurrying out. They had eyes and ears like anyone else — how could they fail to know who had taken the city?
"Is this a sapphire? I'd rather have a beryl, if you had one."
"We have a single rare piece imported from the East."
"Bring it out. I'll pay a fair price."
When the alternative was having it simply taken, being spoken to like that was a mercy. The staff brought the piece out with trembling care.
Johan had little interest in gems, so he wandered the shop rummaging through one thing and another while the staff watched him with anxious faces.
They couldn't very well stop the knight from rummaging, but letting him be made them nervous all the same...
"Is there something you're looking for?"
"I have to meet Governor Lepiata this evening, and I'm hoping to find a gift worth offering."
"Ah — for that, best to prepare well in advance. What about a sword? I see a fair number of Eastern goods here; Eastern blades are no poor thing."
Among the works of Eastern smiths, one would occasionally find a sword sharper and colder than anything the Empire's own forges produced.
They would curse the East as heathen and wicked to a man's face — yet no noble alive scorned the treasures that had crossed over from it.
"Though I'm... not sure I know how to handle a sword?"
"You'll learn, growing up. It's the thought that carries. Now this one's fine — you can almost hear running water inside the steel."
"You're not just saying that because you're busy eyeing the gems, are you?"
Suetelg did not answer. His mind was clearly elsewhere. Johan clicked his tongue and turned his gaze aside.
He understood why Lepiata had invited him. Bringing the expedition to a successful end was praiseworthy, of course.
Besides, rumor had it that Umdim was to be granted to one of Duke Brudhe's children. Of all the Duke's children, only Lepiata had joined the campaign — which meant the city's governance would fall to Lepiata.
A whole city gained without lifting a finger — a man could be summoned a dozen times over and it wouldn't be enough.
Taking the city and then showing up empty-handed would look shabby, though... better to bring something.
A knight couldn't simply walk in as he pleased. Nobody would scold him for arriving empty-handed, but it was best to keep to custom.
Maybe I should just pick out a decent piece of spoils instead.
"Ah — that reminds me. I hear Governor Lepiata is fond of books."
"Is he?"
Johan brightened. If one was going to offer a gift at all, better it be something the recipient loved. He turned to the merchant.
"If you have any serviceable books, bring them out."
"One — one moment, please. I shall fetch someone who can read the Ancient Imperial tongue."
"I can read it. No need."
"The Duke hired a demon, I tell you!"
"How many times must I say it — not a demon. It was a man!"
"If that thing wasn't a demon, you can pluck my eyes out, damn you!"
The captain of the guard sighed. Who would have thought such fierce, rough mercenaries could be frightened like this?
Truthfully, he couldn't quite blame them. The enemies that had come bursting out of the dark had been truly horrific.
No — the others who'd sprung the ambush had been, at the end of the day, ordinary mercenaries. Only the knight standing at their very head had been singularly monstrous.
An ambush! Ambush! Call the soldiers — bring the spears—
The knight had seized a spear shaft with one hand, snapped it apart, then taken the man by the throat and hurled him sideways. A fully armored soldier, handled like a rag doll.
The terrified soldiers had sprinted rearward, slammed the heavy door shut, and scrambled to bar it — but the knight hewed the door to splinters, swinging until his axe came apart, and walked in.
Fire roaring up on every side, the war cries swelling louder and louder, the situation beyond all understanding — and a demon of a knight bearing down on them from the front. The soldiers went mad with terror. They cast away the oaths they had sworn, threw down their weapons, and fled.