Chapter 122: The Days Toward the Rostingia Marcher Lordship (6)
“Huh??? I an, what kind of ss is this.”
“Isn't this basically blackmail? Do you really plan to follow through with it?”
Miles and Centurion Jenga grumbled after hearing the story.
Even though rcenaries were specialists in fighting, they didn't enjoy stepping into battles that weren't necessary. That was the behavior of a brain-dead murderer, not a rcenary working for pay.
But now they were being dragged into an unwanted battle by force. Even though it wasn't even their fault.
Shatien understood their sharp reactions to so extent.
“Honestly, don't we have the moral high ground? Why don't you talk to Branch Manager Marhen and just tell her to ignore it?”
“Branch Manager Marhen has already negotiated with Count Joberham. There's no reversing the matter.”
“Ughhh.... Dammit.”
“Our Shatien surely thought it through before speaking. Don't be so presumptuous, hmph.”
“Hmph! You're a Centurion, so you should give proper advice! You can't just say 'yes, yes' every ti.”
“Look at you. If you're so unhappy, how about we take off our rank insignias and settle this? Huh?”
“Oh? You want to go? Hmm?”
“…….”
It was a ss, just a total ss. Why did the subject suddenly go there? Shatien let out a sigh. These idiots made his head throb if he left them alone for even a second.
“Stop. That's enough.”
“B-But this guy....”
“What do you an, 'this guy'? Centurion Jenga is technically your senior and elder.”
“Tsk.”
“Exactly! Our Captain Shatien knows all about the chain of command! You brat! Listen to the advice this elder gives you and follow it. Stop just nodding your head every ti and give so proper advice!”
Centurion Jenga shouted triumphantly at Shatien's words.
“...Centurion Jenga, you should calm down too. Isn't Miles a fellow Centurion regardless? Show him so respect. He might even receive a knighthood soon if things go well.”
“W-What? A knighthood?”
“Ahem. From then on, I'll expect you to treat with proper courtesy, Centurion Jenga.”
This ti, Miles's nose went up in the air.
“That's impossible!”
“It's true. Several nobles have already made contact. Honestly, Miles's skills are good enough that receiving a knighthood wouldn't be out of place.”
“Aww, hell. To think I'd live to see that guy get a title. The world's gone to the dogs, I tell you! Hmph!”
While so people struggled for a lifeti on the battlefield without getting a title, this guy had just followed Shatien around and was already being discussed for one.
It was truly a frustrating turn of events.
I should've stuck close to Shatien earlier!
Centurion Jenga regretted it inwardly. Of course... regardless of Jenga's thoughts, Shatien had so doubts about whether the man actually had the skills to be a knight.
‘Well, he plays it too safe to be called a knight.’
Centurion Jenga, who prioritized self-preservation and greed, was far from the traditional role of a knight.
He was more suited for a role like a captain of the guard for a city or an estate.
Jenga's innate temperant was holding back his qualifications to be a knight.
“Stop, stop it. You're being too noisy. That's not what's important right now, is it?”
“Ahem.”
“Cough, ahem.”
“Miles. Are you sure you dealt with them completely? We need the bodies and equipnt of that son and the knights.”
“Hmm. Didn't you say the son died while fighting you?”
“Ah! Right. Then the son... won't be a big problem. Co to think of it, I set the equipnt aside separately too.”
“Sniff. Fine. Just give a few n. Tight-lipped ones. We'll have to dig them up secretly at night and get them ready.”
Miles shuddered as he spoke, perhaps already imagining the foul sll of the corpses.
Shatien felt a bit sorry seeing that, but it wasn't like he was the one doing it.
‘Hehe... suffer a little for , Miles.’
Then, Centurion Jenga, who had been listening quietly, pointed to himself and asked.
“What about ? Do I just sit still?”
“As if that would happen.”
“Should I put the rcenaries on standby just in case? If Count Joberham secretly orders his soldiers at night....”
Shatien shook his head.
“We are currently acting as proxies for Viscount Ragnarsson. Attacking us in that way would an insulting Viscount Ragnarsson's honor. Even for soone like Count Joberham, the consequences would be unmanageable.”
Furthermore, many interests were currently entangled in this trade route restoration. He was fed up with his troublemaker youngest son, but he was still blood. There was a reason for burying the death of a blood relative and helping with the trade route.
Of course.... it wasn't a complete impossibility. It was slim, but soone could suddenly lose their mind and do sothing crazy.
“I'll manage that part. Centurion Jenga, take so n and do so scouting.”
“Scouting?”
“Yes. Gather so information about the region where the curse broke out. He said he'd help... but it's hard to trust Count Joberham completely. Our eting wasn't exactly a pleasant one, was it?”
“Fair enough.... Got it, Shatien. I'll send five quick-footed guys to the village to look into it. And while I'm at it, I'll check on that crazy wife too. That's fine, right?”
“The wife... you say?”
“Yeah. If they're open enough to say she's cursed, the lady of the house must be involved sohow. So important information might be linked there.”
“Hmm... it's the business of a noble house, so approach with caution.”
At that, Centurion Jenga gave a hearty laugh.
“Puhahaha. Look here, look here. Who do you think you're talking to? I'm Jenga. Jenga, the stealer of won's hearts! I'll show you a magic that Miles can't show. Just trust , Shatien!”
He made such a grand boast... and Shatien was confused whether he should believe it or not.
‘Well, everyone seems to be doing their part. That's a relief.’
Now all that remained was to organize the collected information and wait for the mage. Shatien was very excited about the fact that he was finally eting a proper mage.
Would that mage be able to see the mysterious power entwined in his bloodline? And would he be able to get advice on how to handle that mysterious power?
* * *
Fortunately, the body of the youngest son was found quickly.
The equipnt too.
His nutritional status was too different from that of regular commoners, and because he died instantly from a spear strike during the first engagent, the body was very clean.
The equipnt was also of high quality and had been kept separately by the rcenaries, making it even easier to find.
Thanks to that, Shatien brought the bodies of the youngest son and his subordinate knights into the rcenary camp without much trouble. He called a priest from a distance to offer comfort to the deceased and properly prepared the bodies to be placed in coffins.
They couldn't go into a grave imdiately, but it was at least a minimum show of respect for the dead.
Except for the fact that Count Joberham, who visited secretly the next day, looked at his youngest son's face with a complex expression and left after saying a single “thank you,” nothing particularly special happened.
Oh! Correction.
There was another very special event.
“How about this? Hehehe.”
It was the fact that Centurion Jenga had brought back so incredible information.
Shatien thought the man might get a beating while clumsily poking into a noble house, but instead, Centurion Jenga had collected stories about Count Joberham's lady secretly without being reprimanded by anyone.
“So.... it's madness?”
“Yeah. I heard she was visited by a curse after stopping at a pagan temple to comfort her dead son. They say she runs around naked at night, or scratches herself raw saying her body is on fire.... And she even acts like a child, as if she's regressed.”
“It's definitely madness then.”
“It doesn't seem like the kind of thing the Church would stay quiet about, so I guess they're donating quite a bit of money. Hehe.”
There was a confidence in Centurion Jenga's face as he joked, unlike his usual self. Well, with this much achievent, it had to be acknowledged.
Of course, Miles seed unable to contain his curiosity.
“Ugh, damn it, what on earth did you do? You didn't kidnap and secretly threaten soone, did you?”
“Now, now! You brat. Threatening people of a noble house? Even if they look like that, they aren't commoners but blood of the local elites. It's a disaster if you treat them poorly.”
“No, I know that, which is why I'm asking. What did you do?”
“Hehehe... well, I just smoothly seduced them.”
“?”
“Seduced? With that face?”
Wasn't this an even more absurd story? But Centurion Jenga didn't care.
“Won are naturally enchanted by this strong masculinity. Right? Miles.”
“Ha... hell. I can't even say no because there's a result. Truly amazing with that mug of yours.”
It was really a sight to behold.
Just as Miles said, seducing a woman with that face. It was the perfect example of the saying that even a slug has a trick of its own.
“By the way, what about those cursed regions?”
“It seems those places are in the sa situation as the lady. People are caught in a similar madness, seeing things and running around without clothes. The Church is trying to stop it sohow, but it's not looking easy.”
“Hmm....”
“Especially since that first pagan temple was discovered, it's been spreading to the nearby villages. And because it's not being managed, goblins are swarming the area, and it's basically a total ss.”
It was indeed not an easy situation.
What Count Joberham requested of them was to act as guards while the forest mage resolved this incident and to suppress the surrounding monsters.
If those words were true, it wasn't sothing that would end in a short ti.
Once goblins settled in, they bred countless offspring, so they'd have to suppress them endlessly until every last one was annihilated.
“It's going to be quite a tireso job.”
“Phew. What can you do. But I heard Branch Manager Marhen got so pretty big conditions?”
“Yes, that's right. The Joberham side agreed to expand parts of the trade route. And they also said they'd set up post stations and send road patrols regularly.”
This was a pretty good condition from Branch Manager Marhen's perspective too.
Building a road doesn't cost a penny or two, and Count Joberham was going to foot the entire bill.
Of course, this was the best for Marhen or Viscount Ragnarsson who were trying to restore the trade network, but it wasn't particularly attractive for Shatien's rcenary unit who would be doing the actual fighting.
“Still, let's try to soothe them as much as possible. Who knows? So incredible treasures might co out of that pagan temple. Hehehe.”
“Oh boy. You greedy and lecherous Centurion Jenga? You'll get cursed. What if you get erectile dysfunction or sothing?”
“Ugh, I swear you are—!”
“Calm down. That could really happen. Pagan curses are scary.”
“S-Still, shouldn't it be fine since we have the forest mage?”
“Hmm....”
I wonder if that'll be the case.
I don't know.
Shatien had never had a proper encounter with a mage yet. It was because it was hard to gauge what kind of power the mysterious power they displayed actually held.
They say one is coming soon.... I wonder what they'll be like. I'm looking forward to it.
And a short while later.
“The Sage of the Forest has arrived!”
The mage they had been waiting for so much finally arrived.
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