Chapter 286: ?????????????????? (4)


    The rogues of the mountain were a group formed by rugged tribes, and it was not easy to y the role of leader among them.


    Only the strong, vicious and cautious could take on the role of leader.


    Among them, Lamar had served as a captain of the Eastern Empire’s Ten Captains. Thanks to that, he did notck any of the virtues a warrior should have, such as spearmanship, swordsmanship, archery and horsemanship.


    However. . .


    ‘???????? ???? ????????. . .?’


    The moment Lamar crossed weapons with the duke, he felt like he had be a young child. No matter how much strength he put in to push back, his opponent did not budge at all. It seemed it would have been better even if he was wielding weapons against a giant.


    Soon the duke pushed his weapon strongly. Lamar then helplessly tumbled off his horse. Lamar’s face flushed deep red with humiliation.


    “A b*stard who made a pact with such a demon!!”


    “Yes, I heard a lot on my way here.”Without changing his expression, Johan took out a riding crop and whipped Lamar. Although the riding crop with its blunt and fast tip was quite a destructive weapon, it was decently endurable if it hit sturdy and thick armor.


    . . .Unless wielded by Johan, that is.


    A sound that could not be made by human strength rang out, and Lamar flew away screaming. The impact was so great that he could not even tell what he had been hit by.


    “Catch him. We need to take him hostage.”


    “As expected of Your Highness! We do not need to humor the tricks of these rogues!”


    From the moment Johan had brought the centaurs with him, the gang of rogues should have realized something was off.


    For the centaurs, who lived in the eastern ins by customs different from thews of civilization, deceiving tricks like this in negotiations with gangs of rogues was no big deal.


    Rather, this was proof of a clever leader with the head of a fox.


    “Haa, haha, Y-Your Highness! Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?! Your god is watching!”


    As the regained Lamar shouted, Johanzily waved his hand in annoyance.


    “Ah, I said I’ll atone.”


    “What do you. . .”


    “I said I’ll atone! Shut your mouth!”


    The centaurs immediately silenced Lamar’s mouth. Lamar’s face flushed red again. The shock of being captured was one thing, but the bigger shock was being toyed with so easily by the young duke he had looked down upon.


    Now that he saw him, far from being devout, he seemed to have the level of faith of a bandit!


    “I wonder if they’ll agree to exchange him for the pilgrims since he’s the boss. What do you think?”


    “That kind of guy tends to cherish those of the same tribe, so it may be possible, Your Highness.”


    “Is that so?”


    “Yes. I rmend severing some fingers and sending them over first. Then they’ll grasp the situation as well.”


    “. . . . . .”


    The captured rogues rolled their eyes in horror at the centaurs’ conversation.


    Just because they were of the Eastern Empire, the centaurs did not have a good image. The nomadic centaurs, who woulde rushing in like a storm from afar, ravage thend, and disappear were an object of fear to all civilizations.


    “Do you have something to say?”


    “Leave him be until he loses his strength. He’ll just spout nonsense like sphemy anyway.”


    “He must think he’s some priest! Hahaha!”


    Seeing the prisoners loaded onto horses and chatting away, they looked more like the rogues rather than the captives. Lamar and his men were dragged away feeling dreadful.


    ????????????


    More people than Johan had expected were heading east. Numerous monks and pdin orders had joined the journey, both to protect the people and to make the pilgrimage themselves.


    Among them were Halzedel and the Three Brothers Order of chivalry, gathered before the ck Mountains.


    “We must rescue the captured pilgrims, by all means.”


    “O. . . Over there?”


    “Yes. Halzedel-nim.”


    ‘????????’?? ???????? ???????????’


    Halzedel felt very ufortable with the attention he was receiving.


    Of all the monotheists gathered here, Halzedel was the one with the highest status, at least in terms of the Empire’s hierarchy. He had yet to be a baron, but he at least had the title of feudal lord of the Empire.


    That’s why the monks in the Three Brothers Order of chivalry, as well as the other pilgrims, respected Halzedel.


    However, Halzedel was not from a noble family with deep roots. He was an impoverished noble who had gotten lucky and earned his title during the recent serf rebellion in the south.


    During the rebellion, he had no fear and went around calling himself a duke, but as soon as the rebellion ended, he kept his mouth shut and paid close attention to the opinions of those around him.


    Thanks to this, he was able to save his own life, earn a title, and lead an expedition to the east. . .


    But he was no fool. He had led mercenaries into battle on several asions and had actualbat experience.


    ‘????’?? ?????????????????????? ?? ??????????. . .’


    On the way here, he had heard rumors that the bandits holding their ground in the ck Mountains hadn’t been subdued even by the sultan’s forces. When he saw it for himself, he understood why. The terrain itself served as a natural fortress.


    But the fanatical pdins didn’t care. They believed in their faith and their steel, and they were ready to charge up the mountain.


    From Halzedel’s point of view, it was a spine-chilling proposal.


    “Halzedel-nim. We absolutely cannot!”


    “I know that, wizard. But look at the atmosphere. If we refuse them outright, they’ll all leave.”


    Bolts, who had acted as Halzedel’s philosopher since the rebellion, whispered, but Halzedel couldn’t help it.


    A well-armed pdin who had trained at a monastery for a long time was worth ten mercenaries, at least.


    If he could travel with them, he needed to do whatever it took to keep them happy.


    The good news was that they had some acquaintance with Baron Serderdits, who was called a saint in the order.


    Thanks to that friendship, he had been able to get close to the order of chivalry and the pilgrims and travel with them. . .


    But if he didn’t participate in the attack this time, theirpanionship would surelye to an end.


    “Captain. How about we make an excuse and wait until the Saint arrives? We can stall for time, and things might change once he gets here.”


    “. . .No. That’s even more dangerous.”


    It was tempting, but Halzedel shook his head vehemently. He knew very well just how terrifying the Baron Julienne called the Saint could be.


    He seemed gentle and harmless on the surface, but when he received a revtion, he would charge forward without hesitation, even if it meant crawling through a pit of fire.


    Sometimes, when things worked out incredibly well, it seemed like he really was receiving divine revtions, but he was still human, and he couldn’t help but be afraid. Just being near him made him feel like he might die a horrible death.


    That’s why he had made up an excuse to get out of this expedition. . .


    “Given his abilities, he might arrive sooner than we think. We can say no now, but once he gets here, we won’t be able to.”


    “Why not? How many of your men will actually listen to you, Captain!”


    “You say that because you’ve never seen a baron. His charm is almost like that of a malevolent spirit.”


    At Halzedel’s words, Bolts nodded repeatedly. Even Bolts, who considered himself a wizard, had never seen anything like it.


    Those fierce and greedy mercenaries, bandits, wanderers, and beggars would nod their heads with possessed looks on their faces and do whatever the Saint told them to.


    It was a truly devout and terrifying sight.


    “Let’s just join them and y it by ear. They’ll take the lead!”


    “Wizard.”


    Bolts tensed up when Halzedel’s voice dropped.


    Had he gone too far with his suggestion, even for a master wizard?


    “That’s a wonderful idea!”


    “I knew you’d be pleased!”


    When Halzedel ryed the message, the pdins nodded eagerly.


    Preparations continued for several days, and once they wereplete, the attack began.


    The pdins of the Three Brothers Order of chivalry were truly fearsome. They wore twoyers of heavy chain mail and carried shields and swords in their hands, yet they moved with ease.


    They didn’t retreat, even when arrows rained down on them like a hailstorm. They ended up with more than ten arrows embedded in their bodies.


    Despite this, capturing the fortress was not easy.


    ‘???????? ???? ???????? ???????? ?????????????????? ???????? ?? ??????????????!’


    Halzedel gulped. Even from where he was standing at the back, he could sense how thorough their preparations were.


    “Lord!! Requesting reinforcements. They said to send them immediately!”


    “I. . . I know. I’ll be there soon.”


    “Lord. You need to give the order right now!”


    The pdin spoke in a forceful voice. His tone was polite, but it wasced with killing intent.


    Only a grand feudal lord known far and wide would make the monks pretend to die. A feudal lord who ruled some small town in the middle of nowhere in the Empire didn’t have much influence in these distant easternnds.


    Halzedel had a gut feeling that if he dyed any longer, the pdins might attack them first.


    “At. . . Attack! Attack! Sound the horn!”


    At Halzedel’smand, the soldiers of mercenary origin charged forward. At that moment, bandits with ck gs ambushed them from both sides, shouting. Halzedel felt his vision go ck.


    ‘????, ??????!’


    To be surrounded in this situation, of all times. Now he had to figure out how to escape.


    “Reinforcements are here!!”


    “Reinforcements? Where? Why??”


    Halzedel asked in confusion. There was nowhere reinforcements coulde from.


    And that’s the opposite direction. . .?


    ????????????


    After experiencing the various torture techniques of the Western Empire, Lamar from the Eastern Empire became very meek and cooperative.


    “Is that true?”


    “I swear on my name that it is, Your Highness!”


    The ragged Lamar spoke urgently. And what Johan had asked him was something he didn’t need to hide anyway.


    The fortresses throughout the ck Mountains couldn’t be captured just by knowing their locations. They were situated on such steep cliffs.


    “I’d like to exchange you for the pilgrims. What do you think?”


    “If you do that, Your Highness’s generous and merciful grace will spread throughout this region for all eternity!”


    A centaur who had been listening nearby eximed in admiration.


    “Wow. He’s really good with words. Why wasn’t he like that when we first captured him?”


    “. . . . . .”


    Lamar cursed the centaurs in his heart, but he kept his mouth shut on the outside. He had to stay alive, after all.


    “Very well. Go and demand negotiations.”


    “What if they refuse the exchange?”


    “Then let’s just execute him and go back. I don’t feel like climbing up that cliff to save the pilgrims.”


    Lamar almost screamed at Johan’s words. How was this devout believer acting?


    “Send a messenger and make them agree to negotiations.”


    The messenger ran off and quickly returned, looking resentful.


    “They’re telling us to get lost!”


    “???”


    “Ah, no! There’s a misunderstanding!”


    Lamar shouted hastily. Fortunately, the messenger continued speaking.


    “They’re in the middle of a battle, so they must be noisy!”


    Caenerna spoke up at his words.


    “Wouldn’t it be better to just take over now, while we have the chance?”


    “Now?”


    “They’re bandits, no matter how disciplined they are. They won’t be able to handle an attack from both sides. I’ll summon spirits and burn down the obstacles in our way.”


    “Hmm. . .”


    Johan looked at Caenerna with an unreadable expression. Caenerna spoke in a slightly irritated voice.


    “Surely you’re not worried that I won’t be able to do it, Your Highness?”


    “I was worried that you might overexert yourself and hurt yourself.”


    “. . .That’s. . .”


    Just as Caenerna was about to say thank you with an embarrassed expression, Suetlg cut her off.


    “Caenerna-gong, I’ll pour water on you if you go berserk, so go ahead. We can’t miss our chance to attack by surprise.”


    “Yes. Let’s do it.”


    “. . . . . .”


    Caenerna started to curse, but then she stopped. If she lost control of her spirits, the most reliable person was Suetlg.


    ????????????


    ‘????. ???????????? ??????. ?????? ??????????. . .’


    Lamar, who had been watching anxiously, felt the back of his neck stiffen with anger when he saw the duke’s g go up over the fortress.


    Even they wouldn’t be able to take a fortress, right?


    “What the hell are those good-for-nothing b*stards doing, getting caught in a surprise attack like that?!!”


    The centaurs, who had been guarding them in the Easternnguage, asked fiercely.


    “Hey, thief. What are you bbering about?”


    “L. . . Long live His Highness the duke.”