The elf knights who joined this time totaled five. One might wonder if a mere five people could become a significant force, but they were, first and foremost, knights.
A properly trained knight was worth ten infantrymen.
It was an even different story if they were elf knights, who were bellicose and possessed superior combat power.
Furthermore, knights never traveled alone.
They brought three or four squires along under their command.
Those squires were also practitioners training under the knights, and their skills were superior to most veteran mercenaries.
As they followed under knights, they naturally knew how to ride horses as well.
Therefore, the joining of five elf knights did not simply end at five people.
‘I have secured approximately 20 cavalry forces.’
If he returned to the Mercenary Office, selected mercenaries who knew how to ride, and trained them separately, he would be able to build a fairly plausible cavalry force.
Especially so if he put the elf knights at the vanguard.
‘Hmmmm. Good. I can breathe a sigh of relief.’
Thanks to this, Shatien wore a satisfied smile.
He had agonized over how to fill the cavalry force, but it felt as if a stroke of luck had rolled right into his lap.
Of course....
“Hahahaha. Sir! Is the weather not wonderful today? It is the kind of weather that makes one want to turn enemies into skewers with this lance right now.”
“Is there a fight somewhere? It is perfect for boasting of one's martial prowess, is it not?”
“…….”
The problem was that these joined elf knights continuously made insane remarks that made his mind grow distant.
Shatien's heart throbbed with the fear that the clergymen, who had joined to go down to the southern Order, might hear them.
“Relax your expression, Sir Shatien. You got what you wanted thanks to them, did you not? You were grumbling about the lack of cavalry since last time anyway.”
“Ugh... but is that not a bit much?”
“Oh, come on. It is not like the elf knights being like that is a day or two old. Everyone will understand. And since the elf knights joined, they have been quite helpful so far, have they not?”
“Yes. Yes. Helpful.... They were somewhat helpful indeed. Branch Manager Marhen.”
They were still nobles by title.
Although they were knights, the families behind them were not there for show.
By nature, nobles tended to flock together, treat each other, and boast to one another.
Thanks to that, Shatien's party was able to travel comfortably from the north down to Sauerland while receiving lavish treatment from the surrounding nobles.
“Hehe. Of course, the truth is you would have received that lavish treatment even without the elf knights.”
Considering the reputation Shatien had built up and the clergymen traveling with them, it was certainly so.
Shatien alone now had enough reputation for nobles to treat him well.
Hearing that, Shatien was startled and waved his hands.
“You must not say such things. I don't wish to see those friends looking dejected. Branch Manager Marhen.”
He never wanted to see the faces of those elf knights again, drooping their long ears with those fierce faces and making pitiful expressions.
Should he call it cognitive dissonance?
Branch Manager Marhen nodded her head.
“Good grief. I get it. I get it. So, just brighten up your face.”
“Ugh....”
Since she replied like that with a bright smile, it was difficult to say anything.
Shatien gave the annoying elf knights a quick glare and tightened the reins.
Free City Loren was now right before their noses.
No matter how much they had marched while receiving moderate treatment from nobles, traveling for a long period was still tiring.
It was necessary to maintain moderate tension and management to ensure the soldiers, excited at the sight of the city, did not cause trouble.
And as he was thinking that.
-Neighhh.
-Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Several horses from the distant city gate approached while kicking up a dust cloud and stopped before the party.
“Welcome, Branch Manager Marhen. Sir Shatien! And great knights. The Council of Free City Loren welcomes your visit!”
* * *
-Uhahahaha! I am first this time.
-Damn it. I should have picked the one next to it.
-Be quiet! If you are done picking, move quickly. Can you not see the people waiting behind you?
The Council of Free City Loren granted Shatien's party quite a large privilege.
Originally, bringing weapons into the city was a taboo, but they specially granted Shatien and some of his party the right to enter while carrying weapons.
Furthermore, they allowed the mercenaries under his command to stay in a camp outside the city and permitted them to enter the city.
Of course, the number of mercenaries who could enter at once was limited, but even that was something.
Everyone was grinning with anticipation at the thought of enjoying the city's wealth after a long time.
“You rascals! If you go in and cause a riot, I will discipline you with the whip immediately!”
“Whoa, whoa. Miles. Calm down. Would they really do that? Right, boys?”
“Yes!”
“That is right, Captain. Vice Captain Miles worries too much.”
Then, Centurion Jenga, who was commanding the unit alongside him, shouted.
“Worries too much my ass! It’s not just one or two days you lot cause trouble!”
“Boooo. Centurion Jenga, you have caused far more trouble.”
“Wh-What?! You rascals.”
It was very noisy.
They were laughing and chatting among themselves.
Although insults and shouts occasionally flew back and forth, Shatien knew well that this was the tight-knit camaraderie they had built up.
“Then shall we head in first? Sir Shatien.”
The elf knights and clergymen had long since gone to enjoy a banquet at the invitation of the council members.
Shatien was still remaining with Branch Manager Marhen to wrap things up.
Shatien nodded at Branch Manager Marhen's words.
“Yes. I shall escort you.”
It had been a while since he was in Free City Loren, so it felt somewhat unfamiliar, but his memories remained the same.
How many times had he rolled around here while learning swordsmanship from his master?
Shatien skillfully led the way and guided Branch Manager Marhen to the merchant company branch.
But that was only for a moment.
They could not move forward.
“Oh! It has been a long time, Branch Manager!”
“Dear me. There are many matters that have piled up. Branch Manager Marhen, please authorize these.”
“Did the deputy manager not handle everything in the meantime?”
“Even so, we cannot do things outside our authority. We need the Branch Manager's approval.”
“Sigh....”
As soon as they entered, the executives had sought out Branch Manager Marhen with various documents.
Branch Manager Marhen knitted her fine brows, saying it was troublesome, but the executives did not back down.
How many months had it been since she left the branch for the north?
In a situation without a final decision-maker, it was inevitable that the branch would be partially paralyzed.
“Phew. Alright. I get it. Step back for now. A guest has arrived.”
“Hmm? I am not exactly a guest....”
Branch Manager Marhen ignored Shatien's words and continued.
“I am not going anywhere else, so step back. I will talk with the guest in the office for a moment and process them immediately when finished.”
“Ahem. If you say so....”
“Understood, Branch Manager.”
Only then did the branch executives smile awkwardly and slink back.
They also had information networks at the northern merchant headquarters.
They knew what kind of relationship existed between Branch Manager Marhen, the daughter of the merchant guild master, and this young knight beside her.
Of course, this was a misunderstanding, but how could they know such details?
“Ahahaha. Our apologies.”
“We were being meddlesome. Have a good time.”
“We will seek you out later. Just in case, I will have the surroundings cleared. Hohoho.”
“?”
“???”
The laughing expressions and attitudes were not exactly pleasing, but that was as far as it went.
Branch Manager Marhen and Shatien watched them withdraw for a moment before moving toward the office again.
“I am sorry. Things are bursting out because it has been a while.”
“That can happen. I also cannot estimate how things will be when I arrive in Sauerland. I might be held up all day because there is so much I have started.”
It likely would be so.
No matter how much Captain Mordo, no, Baron Mordo, had worked as the final decision-maker, Shatien had started so many things on the ground in the north.
He had to give various reports and delicately coordinate the matters between the allied nobles and the northern merchant company again.
In the middle of all that, even the unit had to be reorganized for the upcoming great war, so he was literally drowning in work.
‘Hmm?’
Then, Shatien, who was about to open the office door, paused for a moment.
“Wait.... Please step back for a moment. Branch Manager Marhen.”
-Prickle, prickle.
A chilly sensation was stinging his skin like a warning through the crack of the slightly opened office door.
-Creeeeeeeak.
Then, the office door suddenly opened on its own.
In the center of the office, where darkness sat heavily because the windows were all blocked with curtains, an unidentified swordsman was standing.
“My... your senses are sharper than I thought huh?”
The man said while pointing the tip of his sword at Shatien.
* * *
“Go down and call for people!”
Simultaneously with shouting at Branch Manager Marhen, Shatien's sword was already drawn from its scabbard.
“Oh! Quite fast I see!”
“Silence. Reveal your identity, bastard.”
While saying that, Shatien quickly turned his mind.
‘Whose instigation is this?’
There was no particular force that would be hostile toward him.
Was it not too trivial for the Emperor to target him personally?
Then it was about Branch Manager Marhen....
‘Did the other siblings of that family send him?’
If so, it might have been a dangerous action for Shatien to send Branch Manager Marhen down alone.
‘Dear me.... I must go down quickly.’
Shatien clicked his tongue inwardly and slowly looked at the swordsman in the room.
This unidentified swordsman, standing firmly with both feet on the ground, seemed to be holding the sword loosely, but in reality, he was not.
‘This guy is a master!’
He was maintaining a solid posture to the point where there was no space to pierce through.
Moreover.
‘He is exquisitely on the boundary of the darkness.’
The boundary between the office room where darkness had fallen and the hallway which was bright with incoming light.
Just as one's eyes sting when going from a dark place to a bright one, the reverse was also true.
If he entered recklessly, his vision would be temporarily obscured.
This enemy before his eyes was certainly not an easy opponent.
“My, how long do you intend to just watch? Are you not coming?”
“Why should I? You are the one for whom it will be bad if time is dragged out, no?”
“Hohoho. Well, now. You have become quite seasoned. Seasoned indeed.”
The swordsman clicked his tongue as if he had been outmaneuvered.
A hot-blooded knight would usually just rush in, but Shatien did not.
“An honorable knight would avoid a fight?”
“There is nothing more foolish than recklessly rushing into a disadvantageous battlefield.”
“That is.... Content that would make other knights gasp. But it is also a wise judgment.”
The swordsman in the darkness chuckled.
Then he soon stopped laughing and.
“Then shall I see if your skill has improved as much as that judgment?”
The man raised his sword.
Chapter 143: To the South Again (3)
10 min read