No. It would be a sha to throw away 2,3 thousand troops. Its not that far anyway.
Bringing all the troops here up north and checking it out would be too conspicuous. It was better to check it out himself rather than keep sending envoys that didnt co back.
I will prepare the elites.
Leave out the centaurs. I think it would stand out too much. Leave out the eastern tribes too. . . Just pick those who are good at horsemanship among the rcenaries.
Reconnaissance could be sent out but Johan preferred to take the lead whenever possible. Hadnt he kept coming to the forefront in the fight against the pirates?
At first glance, it seed like dangerous behavior, but for a nobleman it was an honorable and valiant act. There was a reason why incompetent feudal lords bothered to put on armor and take the lead.
For the nobility, honor and fa were much more important than thought, and the rumor of being a coward was fatal to their reputation.
In that regard, Johan was above reproach.
With the courage of a lions honor and the purity of white snow faith. That was sothing even vassals who had no choice but to surrender out of fear had to acknowledge.
Of course, Johan himself was not acting that way precisely because he was such a rogue knight. . .
.
. . .They didnt betray us after all.
Johan clicked his tongue. There were corpses around the destroyed town wearing the attire of rcenaries. It seed they had been attacked while staying in the town.
They were attacked by pirates?
Wouldnt that be the case?
Those a**holes?
Hearing Johans words, Goran suppressed his urge to laugh. Even though this young knight had beco a count, he still acted as reckless as ever.
While it was pleasing, he had to grasp the situation as a re rcenary. Goran straightened his posture and said,
There must have been a reason.
Guys who make a living like this got hit by pirates and couldnt do anything about it. . .
Judging by the traces, at least over a hundred pirates had charged in. For this scale, the rcenaries should have banded together to respond. But they just got hit without resisting.
Theres soone over there!
When one of the rcenaries shouted, Johan turned his head. A wounded rcenary who ca out from a collapsed house seed surprised.
Catch him.
Waaah!
The man seed to have mistaken Johans group as pirates and tried to flee. Even if they werent pirates, it was never good to encounter ard n in a place like this. There was no law saying they wouldnt stab a fellow rcenary.
However, the wounded man was slow due to his injury and got caught right away. The kneeling rcenary looked at Johan with trembling eyes.
Greet Count Yeats properly, you fool.
Si-Sir Knight. . . No. Are you Count. . .
Only after hearing the rcenaries words did the man realize Johans identity. No wonder he looked so damn intimidating. He was the Sir Knight who led the soldiers at the forefront whenever the Order marched out.
He had heard rumors of that Sir Knight becoming a Count but never expected to see him here like this. It was surprising but rather assuring given the current situation.
What happened?
The man was a rcenary belonging to a small rcenary group called the Walgyesu rcenary Group. During this expedition, he had made quite a profit and was staying in this town, being treated by his colleagues.
However, pirates had shown up. The rcenaries panicked and tried to fight but were vastly outnumbered. In the end, he alone survived by hiding.
Where are the other rcenaries? You should be thinking about fighting back against the pirates rather than partying by yourselves when theyve co this far.
At Johans words, the other rcenaries nodded. Most of the pirates were gathered near the Marquis territory right now. They were preparing to target the Marquis.
With things as they were, the ones who ca here wouldnt be that strong either. To be defeated like this without stopping them. . .
Did you not hear, Count? The rcenary captains are cursed.
. . .What?
Theyre cursed, Count! An extrely cruel curse!
The man spoke with a shudder. While Johan was dumbfounded, the other rcenaries made holy signs and cowered in fear. No one was more obsessed with superstitions than rcenaries.
The atmosphere among the rcenaries was great when they advanced separately from Johan.
The enemies couldnt even defend properly and all sorts of fortunes piled up with each passing day.
But then, the captain of the Gorgale rcenary Group suddenly collapsed. Next was the captain leading the b*stards of Arkiten. Then the captain of the dusa rcenary Group collapsed. . .
After that, it was the sub-captains. Seeing the sub-captains writhing in pain, the rcenaries were stricken by fear.
By then, a rumor had spread. The captains leading the rcenary groups must have committed so sacrilegious acts and got cursed.
Naturally, the rcenaries couldnt do anything in that state.
So minor rcenary groups and quick-witted rcenaries who feared the curse swiftly deserted. The remaining rcenaries had to hold their positions as their commanders had collapsed.
Of course, morale hit rock bottom. No one knew when the curse might transfer to them.
?
The envoys must have either been attacked by pirates or went to the rcenaries camp and got infected by the curse.
Johan raised an obvious question.
Isnt it an epidemic?
The difference between these rcenaries and Johan was their mindset.
While they feared gods, superstitions, and everything in the world, Johan did not believe any of them at all.
Malevolent spirits feared those who did not fear them, and it was the sa for curses. Naturally, Johans soul was strong.
Its not an epidemic!
Count. It doesnt seem to be an epidemic. Theres no way the rcenaries couldnt distinguish that much, right?
The rcenaries agreed with the man. It was too suspicious compared to a normal epidemic.
Hmm. . . I need to take a look at their condition.
W-Wait, Count. What if the curse infects you once we get there. . .
While they were rcenaries willing to follow Johan and attack the pirates main force, they shuddered at the ntion of seeing the cursed rcenaries.
Curses are frightening!
Johan almost snapped at them but held it in. At least they were loyal when needed.
In situations like this, he had to adapt his words to his audience.
Look at . I, Johan of House Yeats, am a knight blessed by God. Have I not been certified in the Orders na?
Hearing Johans words, the rcenaries unconsciously nodded. Johans words certainly sounded convincing.
If this Count had not received blessings, then who else could have?
Just as the priests exorcise evil by anointing, divine power flows in my soul and bloodline blessed by God and praised by His Holiness the Pope and the bishops. No wicked curse would dare approach .
Ohh. . .
The rcenaries made holy signs. Maybe because the noon sun was especially hot, it felt like Johan had a halo behind him.
C-Could you hold my hand, Count?
. . .I dont mind but why?
When I was young, a priest told that just by touching the hands of those born from noble bloodlines, one could heal illnesses.
. . . ?
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