Chapter 108

Chapter 108 - Distress (2)

No matter how crazy about money and pragmatic mercenaries are, there is at least a minimal sense of pride.

However, the Condor Mercenary Group is a faction that has thrown away even that shred of pride.

Those with some experience, including the captain, did not even partake in the customary temple donations or atonements done about once every few years.

-You son of a bitch. Rot in hell!

-Haha! Even I think that will be the case.

Because they believed they wouldn't go to a good place when they die anyway after committing so many sins.

Even such vicious bastards had to yield a step to the Dark Elf female warriors guarding the abandoned temple.

"Such vicious bitches."

Jericho, the mercenary captain, spat out curses while looking at the stone walls of the temple.

Battles in this era can be expressed in one word: 'chaos'. Complex tactical maneuvers are things only found in stories.

Once a fight starts, one cannot even gauge who is winning. Surging after enemies visible right in front of them, falling back in terror when warriors on both sides fall and causing formations to collapse.

There is no luxury to calmly assess the surroundings in the face of swords and bolts threatening one's very own life right now.

Even nobles wearing good armor and receiving escorts are like that, so there is no need to mention a mere warrior.

However, the defending female warriors didn't have that problem. Even the rank-and-file viewed the battlefield broadly.

-You bastards! Focus on the right side immediately... Urgh!

-Crossbowmen, over there... Aaagh!

If any mercenary seemed to be even slightly giving commands amidst the chaotic battle, snipes immediately poured down.

"Cough."

"Ugggh."

As a result, decurions and centurions who should be leading their subordinates were groaning everywhere.

They were not weaklings to die from a single arrow, but the problem was that there was poison applied to them.

"Captain. There is no answer to this."

The medic examining the wounded shook his head.

Although he dropped out, having learned medicine at the Roman Academy made him a precious talent treated well within the mercenary group.

"This is an exponentially more potent poison than expected."

"Can't you do something about it? We also have plenty of this and that when it comes to antidotes, don't we?"

The Condor Mercenary Group is even willing to feed drugs to new recruits and force them to charge when push comes to shove.

Befitting those from Samur, they didn't hesitate to use poison and carried around various poisons and antidotes.

"They would have lived if treated immediately early on, or at least if we excised the struck area. It is too late now."

"Damn it."

Cunningly, the female warriors used ordinary arrows on regular mercenaries. Then, whenever a middle management level leader was spotted, they switched to poisoned arrows and sniped them.

-Vice-captain!

-It's fine, you guys. It just grazed me.

Seeing their subordinates recovering soon after avoiding vital spots, the superiors didn't think of poisoned arrows either.

As a result, they collapsed one after another by only treating the wounds and failing to detoxify in time.

If they were ordinary subordinates, they would have been abandoned, but losing so many veterans meant to act as the backbone of the mercenary group made the aftermath difficult.

"What kind of temple is this ridiculously sturdy?"

"It was probably expanded during the late turbulent period of the ancient kingdom. Temple looting was rampant nationwide back then. The minority believers fortified their bases."

"I was just complaining. You dense bastard. No need to explain every single thing."

"Ah, yes."

At Jericho's scolding, the medic shut his mouth.

The temple grounds were as expansive as a village and took a terraced form ascending upwards.

The surrounding stone walls were merely 3 meters high, but they were walls nonetheless. With Dark Elf female warriors stationed there, the difficulty skyrocketed as much as a considerable siege warfare.

"Show them mercy."

Jericho commanded with a sigh.

"S-spare..."

"Ugggh."

Half of the dying mercenaries wore expressions begging for their lives, while the other half looked relieved that the pain would end.

The subordinates dragged the poisoned ones away and cleanly cut off their heads with single strikes.

"Captain. We must never give up."

Seeing Jericho watching that scene with a complicated expression, one centurion said.

"Do you think I'm crazy? Go back empty-handed from here? There is no need to actively attack. Just thoroughly maintain the siege."

"You are right. They are lacking food, and they have no water, so they will collapse on their own if we just hold out a bit longer."

The waterways inside the temple lost their function after being neglected for a long time. Repairs during combat were impossible. Regardless of food, an army without water can never hold out.

Being outnumbered as well, the fatigue accumulated from the skirmishes and night guard duties up until now must be substantial.

"Condor's name will weep if we back down here."

"Stripping all those bitches naked and dragging them by their hair will be the only way I'll feel satisfied."

Jericho felt relieved looking at his subordinates grinding their teeth, their faces mixed with anger, greed, and lust. At least their dissatisfaction was turned toward the enemy in front of them rather than him.

'If there are no results here, my position will also be in danger.'

Since this is a mercenary group composed only of bad apples, even the captain can easily die from a knife in the back with a single misstep. With sacrifices to this extent occurring, this operation had to succeed without fail.

* * *

Just as the Condor Mercenary Group thought, the situation of the defending female warriors was the worst.

Befitting the grand title of the Race of Beauty, their appearance, which used to captivate many mercenaries even on the battlefield, had faded.

Their hair was all frizzy and dry, and their lips were severely cracked due to dehydration.

Gurgle.

Rumble.

The sounds of beggar's foghorns ringing from all sides filled the area.

However, not a single one wore a face contemplating surrender. The more their situation deteriorated, the stronger the venom in their eyes became.

"Do not spill a single drop!"

Cassandra, the centurion of the opposition faction, ordered her subordinates.

It would be fortunate if it were water, but it had already been two days since even the drinking water they had conserved ran out.

Trickle.

The only thing they could collect was urine. But even this reached its limit.

They had used up all the medicine with purification effects, and their urine had become highly concentrated from not drinking water for a long time. It was a situation where they could no longer force it down out of sheer spite.

She recalled the conversation she had with Rex before leaving Roman.

-Entrust the future of our clan to a human? Vice Chieftain Rex, are you out of your mind right now?

-I am perfectly sane. Are you not the one trying to set off on a grand expedition to the deserts and jungles of Samur?

-It is better than entrusting our destiny to an unidentified magical castle. A leader who follows emotion over reason will lead the clan to ruin.

-The attitude of seeking a breakthrough in a reality we can comprehend is not bad.

-Then just what is the problem?

-Because sometimes the path of reality is more unrealistic.

The only thing stronger than Cassandra's martial prowess and pride is her ambition.

When the clan's opinions were divided over the interpretation of the prophecy, she considered this an opportunity.

As the youngest centurion, Cassandra aimed to increase her followers using the prophecy. In order to build an even greater faction within the clan in the future.

When the always level-headed Vice Chieftain Rex held hands with the old man Marbas and went on about the Moving Castle like he was possessed, she cheered inwardly.

However, when the ancient castle they believed to be merely a legend actually appeared in the world, the clan's atmosphere changed in an instant.

"Damn it."

Once left alone, Cassandra softly cursed.

'I shouldn't have come here.'

Although she maintained a dignified posture in front of her subordinates, inwardly Cassandra cursed her past self. Because she knew this was a situation with absolutely no answer.

* * *

"If it wasn't for the Moving Castle, we wouldn't have been able to mount a rescue in time."

"Because we would have had to cross the vast jungles and deserts. Given the structure of this place, it is impossible to travel unless it's on an established path."

Rex and Eugene clicked their tongues at Samur's terrain, which they had only heard about in words.

"Being able to move while ignoring water sources is the dream of every cavalry commander."

Hind also marveled at the situation that defied the common sense he learned during his knight lessons.

Cavalry is a powerful weapon but has just as many restrictions. The outstanding mobility one usually associates with cavalry can surprisingly only be demonstrated in limited areas.

While infantry can break through rugged terrains with water stored in canteens, cavalry cannot do the same. Warhorses, which drink more than ten times the amount of water as humans, must absolutely travel near water sources.

Historically, in battles where infantry commanders won great victories against cavalry, the fact that their advance routes were easy to predict played a significant role.

"Centurion Cassandra is an individual our clan cannot abandon. Thank you once again."

"Is she that competent?"

"Aside from her abilities, her status is a bigger factor. Being born of mixed blood with outside high-ranking figures, she herself is a symbol of an alliance."

Blood mixing between Dark Elf tribes was not a rare occurrence.

"If your clan considers them to that extent, it must be a large tribe?"

"To be exact, it is a kingdom. They are the most powerful group among the factions that chose to settle in the mountains instead of a nomadic life."

Eugene was surprised.

"I have known you guys for quite some time now, but I have never heard there was a Dark Elf kingdom."

"Because it is a self-proclaimed kingdom. If evaluating only their actual influence, they barely qualify as a minor kingdom. Still, solely looking at population, they constitute the most among all tribes."

Rex showed the composite bow he was holding to Eugene.

"The materials for this composite bow were also bought from them. Since they are a sedentary tribe, their combat strength falls short, but they are irreplaceable individuals when it comes to raw material production or processing techniques."

"So that was the secret to how a mere centurion could lead her subordinates all the way down here."

"Because of that, her personality is also fierce. There has been more than one or two times I held back from wanting to punch her."

Perhaps because it was a famous temper, the nearby tribal warriors also offered bitter smiles.

"The chieftain also completely threw her hands up."

"It would have been better if she were just incompetent..."

"However, since her popularity is high among the female warriors, many follow her."

Bringing his horse closer, Rex whispered.

"To be honest, I hoped Cassandra would fail in this operation. Because her stubbornness and standing would weaken to that extent. However, I did not wish for a form like this."

Dark Elf society is already low in numbers. Throwing away nearly a hundred female warriors for internal political squabbles within the clan was a nonsensical act.

The picture Rex desired was welcoming Cassandra back after she returned trudging like beggars.

"Is that the temple? It certainly is large in scale. The defenses look sturdy, too."

"Fortunately, there does not seem to be any casualties."

From afar, a large-scale old temple and the mercenaries surrounding it came into view. It seemed they were maintaining the siege in a lull state without engaging in combat.

"Let's see just how fierce of a lady she is like you said."

"If it is you, Sir Knight, I think you could handle her without much difficulty."

"Hmm? Why is that?"

"While I have to walk on eggshells because of her background, you don't have to do so, right, Sir Knight?"

"I also walk on eggshells a lot around people in power, though?"

"Even if it isn't necessarily that, it is just a gut feeling. Since there's such a thing as compatibility between people."

They could see the enemy rear line, which had begun to notice the approach of the cavalry, screaming and scrambling.

As Eugene lifted the composite bow formed in an X-shape, everyone focused and watched. Because it was an incredibly strong bow with exceptionally heavy draw weight, its range was longer than anyone else's.

An arrow was fired at the only commander-level mercenary shouting from horseback in the rear line.

Whoosh!

Struck by the arrow flying with an abnormal piercing sound, his torso penetrated, a corpse collapsed over the horse.

"Waaahhh!"

"Charge! Charge!"

With morale skyrocketing at the excellent flare signaling the start of the battle, the rescue force struck from the enemy's rear.

* * *

Jericho frowned as the wandering knight who went out to scout did not return.

"Why is this bastard Theon so late?"

"Could he have just run away instead?"

"That is absolutely not the case."

Even if given favorable treatment by calling him a wandering knight, Theon was actually a bandit knight who had his knight title revoked and was banished.

Anyway, his skills were on a different level from other mercenaries, and as birds of a feather, it was easy to do dirty deeds together with him, so they clicked quite well.

"There's no way a guy who used to prattle on about fairies all the time would miss this opportunity."

"Well, he is an entertaining friend to listen to."

Even within the mercenary group where there were many lechers, he was uniquely crazy about women.

The bawdy talk he relentlessly chattered away unreservedly during meals or marches was a specialty of the Condor Mercenary Group.

However, there was just one thing missing from his repertoire: fairy race women.

He was the guy who enthusiastically devised the scheme the most, from buying off the adventurer they serendipitously met to brokering with slave traders.

"But he is too late. Did he perhaps lose his way?"

"Or maybe he ran into some monsters."

Those who coincidentally drew very close to the right answer soon realized the real reason.

"It is an ambush!"

"Spears and shields! Spears and shields!"

With urgent shouts heard from the rear, a commotion erupted.

"Has a rescue force arrived?"

"How is that even possible? Are you saying they already crossed that desert and jungle?"

Jericho and the centurions were all flustered. The battle taking place here right now was supposed to be the most secretive fight in the world.

By the time the Blackhand Mercenary Group grasped the situation, everything should have already ended.

"I-It's a mixed unit of humans and Dark Elves!"

However, at the report of the messenger who hurriedly ran over, they could no longer deny reality.

"Numbers?"

"Close to 200. All of them are cavalry!"

"What?!"

But they simply could not believe the subsequent report alone. This was an area where one could not field that much cavalry.

However, a moment later, tearing screams, horse hooves, and the gruesome sounds of people breaking were heard, so they had no choice but to accept it.

* * *

The battle ended shortly.

It was a situation where they were facing sturdy stone walls, and they couldn't even imagine that they would be ambushed from the rear by cavalry.

As the knight and heavy cavalry charged into the defenseless rear line and arrows showered down, the result was disastrous.

"There goes another one crawling over there."

Eugene's subordinates glared fiercely among the corpses scattered everywhere.

"No! Please! Pleeaase!"

The Condor mercenary begging while lying face down soon became silent with the sound of tearing flesh.

"We surrender!"

"Please just spare our lives! We will do whatever you order us to do!"

Mercenaries with arrows stuck all over their bodies begged, kneeling or collapsed with their hands clasped together. Expectedly, it was probably the first time they prayed since joining the Condor Mercenary Group.

"Seeing them act like this makes us look like the villains."

The heavy infantrymen holding bloody swords shrugged their shoulders looking at each other.

"Please..."

A mercenary who approached without them noticing clung to their pant legs and begged.

"Hey. Do you see that over there?"

The heavy infantryman, squatting down, grabbed the mercenary by his hair and turned his head in one direction.

It was the side of the temple where even just this morning, they were cheerfully imagining the fruit soon to fall.

The iron bars and arrows aiming outward disappeared, and the tightly closed entrance swung wide open.

Cassandra and the female warriors, certain of their rescue, were undoing their fortifications and coming down.

"Even if our knight, or rather our lord, is generous, taking care of his own people comes first."

"If those ladies ask to hand you guys over, there is no way he would decline. It might be different if you were children of noble families who could pay a ransom, but you aren't."

The appearance of the female warriors coming down with faces like evil spirits carried a force that overwhelmed even their allies.

"Wouldn't it be better to just die cleanly by our hands? No matter how I look at it, they don't seem like they'll kill you gently."

"..."

The Condor mercenary who had been begging for his life so much was instantly at a loss for words. Because this was a situation that couldn't be taken as a joke or mockery.

The anecdotes intertwined with the Blackhand Mercenary Group's harsh ways are diverse and famous. The mercenaries making a living in this field all knew one or two as tidbits to talk about over drinks.

However, human psychology is wanting to live even a second longer. The words 'Please kill us quickly' still couldn't come out of his throat.

"Waaahhh."

"Boohoooo."

Ultimately, what came out was merely cries of deep sorrow. Tears and wailing stemming from the realization that they were well and truly fucked.

"No one has succeeded in escaping."

"Good work."

Eugene nodded at Hind's report, who had commanded the detached force and even completed the pursuit.

Around that time, he locked eyes with Cassandra, who had come out of the temple to greet them.