Something about it felt off to me. I wasn’t sure how powerful that first attack was supposed to be, but Dee and the others would definitely be in danger. Their chances of losing were still high.
That meant Esparda had something else planned.
“You’re going to stay and fight, aren’t you?”
He offered a casual nod. “But of course. If I don’t continue to serve as a decoy and launch attacks from behind the wall, Dee and his men will be slaughtered.”
“I get it. A pincer attack is most effective—I remember that from my studies. But this plan is no good. You’re going to die.” My tone was sharp, but Esparda’s face lit up with an unusually tender smile.
“Allow me one selfish request. Let these old bones show off for once.”
“In that case, I’ll be the decoy.”
Everyone gaped at me, flabbergasted.
“No! Absolutely not! I won’t allow it!” Till shouted.
I immediately feared the enemy would overhear us, but they were too far away, the din of combat too loud. Relief washed over me.
“If you’re going to be the decoy, then I’d rather confront the enemy myself. You all can attack while I distract them. If you take me out too, you can win!” Till grabbed my hand, tears streaming from her eyes.
Khamsin nodded, humble and determined. “I will accompany you. The two of us can distract the enemy together!”
Why would they volunteer to throw their lives away? I’m having none of this.
“Just to be clear, I’m the one in charge here. This is my territory, therefore it’s my problem. Ortho and his men agreed to guard me, not fight my battles. There’s no need for them to stick their necks out on my behalf.”
I glanced at Ortho, whose shoulders had leapt to his ears in surprise. That puzzled me, but I turned to Esparda next.
“And you. You have retired. There is no reason someone who has served my family for so long should die here.”
Esparda’s expression hardened. Perhaps I was too cold in my wording. Reflecting on that, I addressed Dee and his men.
“Dee, you and your knights belong to Father’s order. He is the one you serve, not me. You shouldn’t be risking your lives here.”
Dee and his knights wore harsh expressions, but perhaps they always did.
Finally, I faced Till and Khamsin. “Maybe this is selfish of me, but I’ve always thought of you as my big sister, Till. I don’t want to let someone so important to me become a victim in this battle. And Khamsin, even though you’re older than me, you’ve been like a little brother. If I die here, I want you to enjoy life to the fullest for me. You’re free.”
The dam broke, and tears flooded down my cheeks.
Forcing a smile, I explained my plan. “First, I’ll ride the carriage in on them from the front. I want you all to perform a pincer attack from the sides. Use ranged attacks, nothing too extreme. If it looks like the enemy isn’t backing down, please run. You can abandon my corpse. As long as I don’t announce my name, there shouldn’t be any problems for the marquis.”
I smiled self-deprecatingly, but nobody laughed. Whoops.
I drew my decorative sword and was about to march when a loud sigh rose up from the rear.
“Fine. Man, just this once! Our lives are in your hands!” Ortho said, stepping forward.
“Wait, Ortho!”
Flustered, I tried to turn him down, but he flashed me a troubled smile. “I’ve got a kid in front of me putting his life on the line in the name of responsibility. My party’s gonna tear me apart if I keep whining.” With that, he brought out his own blade.
The female mage in his party stepped up to join him. “Frankly, I didn’t think much of nobles and their so-called ‘readiness’ to do what needs to be done. Haven’t met many decent ones, y’know? But all that’s changed in the last two weeks.” She smiled shyly. “It’s thanks to you, Lord Van.”
“Gosh, Pluriel…”
She laughed. “I can’t believe you went and memorized the names of a ragtag group of adventurers like us. You really are a weird one, Lord Van. But that’s why we’re willing to step up for you.” Her voice tapered off to a whisper, and she drew her short sword adorned with magic seals.
I can’t tell her I only remember her name because she’s so cute!
My awkwardness grew as the other adventurers came forward. While I reeled, Dee and his men declared their support as well.
“We are proud knights who serve the marquis and his household. Needless to say, we serve Lord Van, who shoulders the future of that house. Protecting you here means protecting your family’s future.” Dee and his men brought out their blades and held them before their faces in a demonstration of their oath.
Man, he’s good at the whole sophistry thing.
I was weirdly impressed until Esparda stood next to him. “Once we have defeated the enemy, I will teach you the weight of being a successor to the marquis. Fear not—it will take only half a day.”
That’s way too long! He’s just being spiteful!
“Let me revise my earlier plan, my lord.” Esparda gave his orders in a low, powerful voice. “First, I will create a wall, then attack at range. Dee and his knights will charge in from the left flank. Ortho, you and yours will attack from the right. Anyone who can provide protection or first aid, be ready.”
“Got it!”
“Understood!”
Everyone moved at once. Esparda started chanting, activating his earth magic. An earthen wall burst forth from the ground about twenty meters ahead. He and the adventurers skilled in long-range attacks immediately headed toward it.
I watched everyone in amazement for a bit until Till and Khamsin latched on to me.
“Thank goodness… Thank goodness, Lord Van!”
“When the time comes, I will die as your shield, my lord!”
Both of them spoke to me through their tears, and I had to do my damnedest not to fall to pieces. They were more of a family to me than my own flesh and blood. I felt that strongly as I stroked their hair.
Much as I wanted to immerse myself in that feeling, we were about to go into battle. If there was something we could do, we had to do it.
“Okay, guys. Let’s take all the medicines and first aid supplies out of the carriages. If anyone looks like they need help, we gotta move. Be ready.”
I smiled, and both of them wiped their tears away.
“Got it!” they cried in unison.
The bandits had let their guard down.
When they first found out the territory had changed hands, they knew security would be at its lightest. Had the village been vital in some way, the new noble in charge would have been on top of things, but it wasn’t—just a no-name settlement in the middle of nowhere.
Getting a foothold in newly acquired territory took time. Initial tasks included dispatching the lord, determining the amount of taxes to collect, and figuring out the state things were in, not to mention maintaining the peace. It also took a while to put together a detachment of knights for protection, and if they didn’t adequately communicate with the previous guard, unwanted battles could break out.
Since tackling every town at the same time was too difficult, one always had to begin with the most important cities. After that came midsize towns and villages, then small towns and settlements. When nobles handled takeovers poorly, tiny towns on the fringes wouldn’t even know that their lord had changed. It spoke to the lengthy process involved in organizing information and managing personnel.
Thus, this group of bandits had aimed for this tiny village in the sticks knowing this was the time to do so. It would be an easy job. They’d shoot arrows over the walls to scare the villagers, get some coin and supplies, take the women and children, and split.
It was precisely this overconfidence that had lowered their guard. They fired round after round of arrows so the villagers couldn’t come out. Though the townsfolk had denied the bandits entrance, they were bound to surrender to the relentless assault.
“Been a while since we’ve had women.”
“Not since that merchant’s girls, huh?”
“There were only two of ’em too. They broke real quick.”
“Looks like we got at least ten this time.”
“Bwa ha ha ha ha!”