Chapter 62. The Tenant (3)
Numbers were certainly like a certified check on the battlefield.
Just by increasing our numbers tenfold, many problems were solved.
First was supply.
Naturally, the Count's army operated a separate supply unit that traveled to and from Maenenwood.
This ant we no longer had to visit a village every other day to purchase our daily rations.
The quality and quantity of the supplies were also far superior to what we could obtain from rural villages.
‘Mmm… this is the taste. Jerky without the chewiness and saltiness would be a corpse, wouldn’t it? Ah, I suppose this is a piece of a corpse too.’
“……”
Although, the number of freeloaders had also increased by one.
The statue I nad Kkumteuli was a sacred relic of the Theocracy, or to be precise, a limited manifestation of an Outer God served by the Theocracy through the sacred relic.
For reference, its movents were visible only to .
To others, it apparently just looked like a grotesquely shaped statue.
‘Are there any more snacks?’
“There are none.”
‘Aww.’
“?”
‘Ahem. Give more jerky. If you don't have teeth, you make do with your gums. I refuse any rebuttal. I am also aware that this is not the original use for this proverb.’
For a transcendent being that was disaster itself, he was a bit of a screw-loose fellow… but it seed he was indeed an Outer God.
The power he showed on the day I confronted Chincharina was literally capable of stopping ti itself.
The fortunate thing was that the amount he ate wasn't large.
The problem was that he only picked out the special treats.
In any case, even if we didn't need supplies, we had to stop by a few villages.
“Is this Drywood Trail Village?”
“We-we greet the Count. This is indeed the Drywood Trail Village you ntioned.”
“I am not the Count. I am his nephew, leading the army in his stead. Count Maenenwood is defending the city. In any case, you are the chief of this village.”
These were villages considered to be strategic points.
Places like the only village located in the middle of a vast forest.
Or a village on a plateau with a panoramic view of the surroundings.
It went without saying, but a rcenary band and a real army received completely different treatnt in the villages.
Just by bringing our troops, the residents voluntarily offered up grain, salted at, and straw or leather for warmth.
“Here. This is a reward for your dedication.”
Of course, we paid a proper price.
We didn't take too much either.
lburn had followed my opinion.
The eyes of the peasants who saw the shiny gold coins naturally widened.
“Thank you, Count, no, Sir lburn! Thank you!”
Unlike the villages, we planted our flag in every single city and fortress near our line of march.
Fortunately, most of these were also bloodless entries.
Half of them surrendered upon seeing the overwhelming difference in numbers.
Boom! Craaash!
[[Warrior’s Binding] is being deployed.]
[An enemy has been bound upon defeat.]
[Imperial Mortar (1)]
The other half raised the white flag as soon as they saw their artillery explode from the reflected cannonballs.
“Magic that deflects cannonballs. I can’t believe it. Just like those fake Indika soldiers from before. Where on earth did you learn such magic?”
lburn marveled.
For reference, I had explained the ability of ‘Kashutal’s Amulet’ as so kind of magic.
The amulet itself had to be hidden as a treasure of the church, but there was no need to hide its ability.
The Imperial Church didn't know the amulet's ability anyway.
Even if soone beca suspicious, like now, I had a ready answer.
“It is a grace bestowed by Luark.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes, I believe Luark granted this miracle so I could protect his people.”
It wasn't a complete lie either.
‘Kashutal’s Amulet’ was originally an item owned by the Imperial Church.
I considered it a reward of sorts for saving Gunterburk.
So, this too was part of a divine plan.
A god wouldn't have his own item stolen without realizing it, would he?
Anyway, despite the feat of the cheat item that reflected cannonballs, only two fortresses refused to raise the white flag until the very end.
One was a mountain fortress called Sorn Fortress.
This fortress, situated on the mountainside, was filled one hundred percent with the private soldiers of an Anti-Imperial Faction noble.
Their numbers were around fifteen hundred.
“Artillery, fire!”
For the first ti since the Count’s army set out, a battle broke out.
***
It was an easy battle.
After dealing with their artillery by reflecting their cannonballs, we unleashed a one-sided barrage of our own.
Craash! Boom!!
After giving them a gunpowder massage for several hours, our army advanced.
Our rcenary band was also in charge of one flank of the assault.
It was the eastern wall.
[The 2nd Company deploys [Volley].]
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Swoooosh-
The 2nd Company, commanded by Karen, provided supporting fire from a distance.
While arrows and bullets struck the battlents of the wall, the 4th Company, including Olif, climbed the walls using ladders.
“They’re coming up! They’re comin—Gahk-”
The shouting commander’s neck was severed by a blue aura.
Stepping over the corpse that collapsed with a deflating sound, Olif was the first to set foot on the wall.
“4th Company! Follow ! Let’s capture the gate!”
Olif shouted to the knights following him.
After consuming Yuma’s Elixir and the Golden Leaf, his mana problem was practically resolved.
In truth, he had always been talented.
The trajectory of his life, starting as a rank-and-file soldier and rising to a high-ranking knight, was a testant to his talent.
Even now, he had surpassed the level of a typical high-ranking knight of the 4th tier and was aiming for the next level from the edge of the 5th tier, where the knights of the knightly orders were distributed.
Even now, he was practically breaking through the top of the wall almost by himself.
Slice-!
“Hiek, a monster!”
“It’s a knight! Watch out for the white-haired knight!”
His aura, reaching nearly two ters, cut through shields and armor, splitting the person behind them.
There were not many who could stop such a human weapon on the narrow wall.
[The 4th Company deploys [Dismounted Charge].]
[The knights of the 4th Company deploy [Aura].]
Of course, the 4th Company following him was just as outstanding.
For reference, the mbers of the 4th Company were personally selected by Olif during the rcenary recruitnt process.
They were not a simple cavalry unit.
70 light cavalryn.
16 knights.
A total of 86 n were recruited with the goal of one day training knights within the rcenary band.
“The gate has been breached!”
“Spearn, advance!”
“3rd Company, cover the flank!”
Soon, the 4th Company, having seized control of the wall, opened the gate, and the 1st and 3rd Companies entered to secure the barracks and the well inside the walls.
Around that ti, the Count’s army also captured the western area.
It was the result of attacking the sewer system as I had advised.
The sewer system, built along the valley, was wide but undefended against intruders, making it Sorn Fortress' greatest weakness.
“Commander Ash! You are a genius! How did you think of infiltrating along the sewer?”
After the battle ended, lburn Maenenwood embraced .
Personally, I was giving him as much advice as possible during this operation.
Perhaps because he was a nephew and not the direct heir, lburn knew how to mingle with people regardless of rank and listen to advice.
There was no reason to refuse the opportunity to build trust with him, the heir to Count Maenenwood.
His cooperation, and that of other nobles like him, would be essential for to expand my influence within the Empire in the direction I wanted in the future.
‘If I’m lucky, I might also earn a good reputation among other nobles.’
It was true that my na was already quite well-known among rcenaries.
However, no matter how high my reputation in the rcenary industry rose, its influence on my reputation among the nobles was not very significant.
This was because nobles tended to trust the words that ca from the mouths of other nobles more.
“I surrender.”
Anyway, with the commander’s surrender, the siege of Sorn Fortress ended before half a day had passed.
The real problem was the other fortress.
“…No response.”
Even though over ten thousand troops had approached, there was no reaction from the fortress.
Its exterior looked fine.
There were no signs of an attack either.
“Commander, doesn’t this scene look familiar?”
Old man Brol said sothing ominous.
“Quiet. There’s not a single sign of life. It’s almost as similar as Wolfskrig.”
Karen, with her sharp ears, also added a word.
“They’ve disappeared. The entire garrison of the fortress.”
That evening.
lburn Maenenwood delivered the ominous report from the scouts who had gone over the walls.
The next day, a few units broke down the gate and went inside, and it was just as the scouts had said.
There was no one there.
It wasn't just the people.
Weapons, armor, cannons and gunpowder, supplies like food and clothing were all gone.
Traces of battle, such as bloodstains, footprints, and marks of sothing being dragged, remained here and there, but that was all.
“Commander, could this be…”
“Yes. I think so too.”
Olif, who had spent his childhood in a respectable noble family, albeit as an illegitimate son, would know what these traces ant.
It was not a story commonly known to commoners or lower-ranking nobles.
While walking around the fortress with him, I discovered a collapsed passage.
[[Earth Flow Reversal] is deployed.]
Clearing the debris in the collapsed basent corridor revealed a hole.
The hole, large enough for about two people to pass through, was blocked with more rocks, piles of dirt, and discarded lumber.
We left it alone as it would be difficult to break through without risking the collapse of the nearby ground, but what the hole signified was clear.
“…Ratn.”
The troubleso rats had begun their activities.
***
Ratn.
Literally, rat-people.
In fact, the public perception of Ratn was sothing like ‘the weakest race among the beastn.’
Even looking at the price for subjugation requests, they tended to be treated on par with goblins.
Well, it wasn't wrong.
In reality, wild Ratn or Ratn slave-warriors were just about that strong.
However, that was only a part of them.
They also ford a civilization.
The crazy developers had piled all sorts of privileges onto this race, which was modeled after sewer rats.
Tenacious adaptability.
Powerful reproductive ability.
Unpredictable mutations resulting from a fast life cycle and sheer numbers.
And a thorough class-based social structure centered around exceptionally intelligent individuals.
Imagine it.
A scene where rat bastards, breeding at the speed of cockroaches, build cities underground and expand their power.
Adorned with all sorts of contraptions made by the hands of insane Ratn-researchers.
It might have been natural for them to firmly hold the position of the final boss until the appearance of the Theocracy.
‘It got so bad that the developers were even nicknad ‘rat-lovers.’’
Anyway, to prevent the populace from falling into panic, the Empire kept information about them classified.
However, it was a sowhat open secret that anyone with a keen ear would know at least vaguely.
“It really is the rat-people.”
lburn Maenenwood rubbed his forehead.
After receiving my report, he sent his own subordinates once more to reconfirm the truth.
It wasn't that he didn't trust , but rather that this issue was that serious.
He had just received a report from his n.
Naturally, the content was identical to what I had reported.
“Do you know about the Ratn?”
“A little.”
“They have appeared whenever the Empire was in turmoil. During Duke Zarhill’s rebellion. When the Holy Emperor Tatetus repelled the orc invasion. And during the Northern War, when the very existence of the Empire was at stake.”
The Count’s heir stroked his smooth chin.
“It seems they’ve noticed Ricardo’s rebellion this ti and are crawling out of their burrows. Those rat bastards are always after the Empire. Only the Empire.”
To add a fact he wasn't well aware of, the Ratn didn't only tornt the Empire.
This beastman race, a disgusting mix of rat and human, attacked by targeting the weaknesses of almost every intelligent civilization.
The Theocracy, the City Alliance, the Vampire Archduchy, and the Dwarven Federation were no exceptions.
They even frequently attacked other beastn tribes, devouring everything without leaving even bones behind.
The only ones they didn't touch were the elves living in the paradise in the northwest of the continent.
It was natural, as the elves’ paradise was impossible to infiltrate by normal ans.
“What do you think should be done?”
Anyway, it seed certain that their target this ti was the Empire.
In fact, a war with the Ratn after the Empire's civil war was a crisis scenario that was guaranteed with a high probability.
Of course, it felt a bit rushed.
However, like the subjugation of the Vampire Archduke or the Empire’s civil war, it had to be seen as the aftermath of the World Scenario update.
After all, there were two nad heroes belonging to the Theocracy among the Ratn.
In that context, the answer to that question was already decided.
“We must increase our marching speed and suppress the rebel army more quickly.”
“Why is that?”
“Because creating a two-front war is a poor strategy. Especially against the Ratn.”
“I think so too.”
Thus, the direction was set.
After four days of forced marching, the Count’s army finally reached the Jilber River basin.
It was exactly twenty-one days after leaving the city.
“Welco.”
Archduke Gabir greeted us.
On the plains south of the Jilber River, where Marquis Ricardo’s rebel army had been encamped, the Emperor’s flag was already flying.
The Imperial army had already won the battle before we even arrived.
“Where is Marquis Ricardo?”
Inside the conference tent, gathered for a report after roughly organizing the camp.
lburn, who ca as the Count’s deputy, asked.
“It seems he has decided to lock the gates and hold a siege.”
“Then the Imperial army’s victory…”
“No, it was not our one-sided victory. Rather, we were forced to suffer one-sided damage.”
The story went back to about a month ago.
To the ti when the two armies began their full-scale confrontation.
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