Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Out Into the World (2)

The next morning.

"Time's up. Everyone get up."

At Beard's shout, who stood the last watch, everyone woke up groggily.

The first and last watches are the sweet spots of guard duty. One of these was fixed as the captain's share. If one is the captain even of a small organization, such benefits are natural.

A group of eight is a scale that can at least minimize accumulated fatigue. If the number is smaller than that, night watch duty becomes rapidly troublesome.

"Captain, the squire is nowhere to be seen."

"I don't know either. She was sleeping next to Sir Knight when I switched, but she disappeared at some point."

Men who were far older spoke respectfully to a girl whose appearance was in her late teens.

The fact that she was a knight's squire was the first reason, the large crossbow she carried on her back was the second, and finally, the intimidation given by her tall stature and faint aura of wildness was the third reason.

"No, it's not like someone came in from outside; you missed someone leaving from right nearby? Did you stand watch properly?"

Owl, the mercenary vice-captain and the only archer, sneered.

"Even if I saw her, so what? Should I have stopped the squire as she was leaving and asked for a reason? Stop talking nonsense and prepare to depart."

Owl was also someone who used a nickname instead of his real name for various reasons.

Befitting his nickname 'Owl', he had good night vision and, being a former hunter, he would catch squirrels or wild birds during travel to boil meat stews.

Since he was an irreplaceable workforce in both combat and non-combat situations, Beard tolerated him acting up a bit.

Furthermore, Homi returned a moment later, holding two limp rabbits in both hands.

"Wow, as expected!"

"We'll finally get some meat soup after a while."

The two novice mercenaries swallowed their saliva. At that sight, Beard's eyebrows twitched.

"Hey, you idiots. Sir Knight isn't even thinking of it, so what delusions are you having? Shut up and chew on your dry rations."

Owl raised a fist and gave a noogie to the two whose heads were full of flowerbeds.

Beard nodded with satisfaction. As expected, having a foul-tempered veteran makes managing military discipline easy.

"Ow, why are you hitting me? They shared good things yesterday too, so I can have expectations."

"Shut up."

The grumbling novice immediately became silent.

Meanwhile, Homi was skillfully skinning the rabbits and preparing to roast them on skewers.

At that sight, the novices gave up their lingering attachments. If she's roasting only two rabbits, there wouldn't be anything left for them.

Watching with a 'That figures' attitude, Owl glared.

"You idiots. The opponent is not a commoner, nor a fellow mercenary or adventurer. He is a noble knight."

"And?"

Owl sighed. It seemed that to the novices who didn't know the ways of the world and feared nothing, it was incomprehensible.

"If he curses, fall face down and beg desperately; if he praises, flatter him as if you'd pluck out your liver and gallbladder for him. Even if he hands you moldy bread, eat it while being tearfully thankful, and never demand anything from this side. No, just don't talk to him first! Don't even stare pointlessly! That's how you conduct yourself toward a noble knight. Got it?"

"D-Do we have to go that far?"

The other novice nearby glanced at Eugene.

Smiling warmly while stroking Homi's hair, he looked like a clergyman.

Though his dependable physique, charisma, and equipment corrected that to 'This man is a knight!' in an instant.

"Then would I speak so servilely if I were a pride-less idiot?"

"No."

"Definitely not."

The two novices shook their heads.

Because they had seen Owl fighting a small group of bandits.

Seeing how cruelly he tortured one of those who surrendered, they were so frightened their legs shook despite being on the same side.

After seeing a hunter's fur-skinning technique being used on a human, they couldn't eat anything for that entire day.

Naturally, the veteran soldiers liked it. Because the survival rate of a mercenary troop goes up the more harshly military discipline is maintained.

"Any other questions?"

"None!"

"Right."

But a moment later, Owl felt embarrassed.

Because Homi was smiling while holding a pot of stew with rabbit meat in it.

The reason for roasting the rabbits over the fire was not for a roast, but to extract fat to use for maintenance of weapons.

Since there's no guarantee of obtaining maintenance consumables at the right time, one must utilize what can be procured locally as much as possible.

"Beard."

"Yes! Sir Knight!"

Beard, who was sitting, jumped up at Eugene's call.

Even considering he was a knight, he was very well-armed for a physique that even the large Beard had to look up to. On top of that, he was the successor to the Prophetic Knight and an invitee of the city.

Even Beard, who acted superior in front of his subordinates, had to stay sharp.

"I am boiling meat stew; would you care to add a few potatoes? Since we are making it, let's boil it properly and have it together. We have our own salt, so that's fine."

Furthermore, this Sir Knight kept having things 'fall' whenever he was nearby.

"Oh my, I am overwhelmed by Sir Knight's benevolence! Even my mother didn't treat me as kindly as Sir Knight. It seems luck is finally coming to me in the twilight years of my mercenary life."

The middle-aged man with a bushy beard beamed uncharacteristically.

Owl pointed at that scene with his finger.

"Did you see? That's how you treat a noble knight."

"Wow."

"T-To think Captain Beard would act like that."

Hearing that, a vein popped on Beard's forehead. Did they think he was doing this because he liked it?

* * *

The party, which had grown to 11 people, resumed their march.

Eugene and Sorin rode horses in the center having a conversation, while Homi and Owl, who had sensitive senses, acted as scouts at the front.

Wag, wag.

"Hmm."

"Mmm."

The mercenaries didn't show it, but they were pleased thanks to Homi's tail.

After being full of only sweaty guys, it felt like the scent of flowers was wafting just by a beautiful woman joining.

But seeing that thick and long white tail wagging so enticingly was a feast for the eyes.

Having seen Beastkin several times while living as a mercenary, a tail like Homi's was a first. It looked much softer and gentler than the fox fur worn by some noblewoman they'd seen in some territory.

Wag, wag.

"Ahem."

Since they couldn't stare openly, they pretended to be alert by looking around here and there, but Eugene, who didn't know the internal situation, was impressed.

"They are truly well-disciplined men. Even though marching can be boring, everyone is quiet and their perimeter security is thorough. Your discernment in identifying such a mercenary troop is also grand."

"Hahaha, I am pleased you say so, Sir Knight. The Beard mercenary troop is quite well-known in Bonyard."

Sorin also assumed the mercenaries were tense in front of a knight; he never imagined it was because of the tail.

Only the mercenaries, feeling unnecessarily guilty, stayed even more alert.

Looking around, a beautiful forest stretched around the narrow dirt road. It was different from the gloomy forest to the west of Kingdom's End.

"But is such an escort really necessary? Around here, at most it would be a few stray dogs, and even with bad luck, just one or two wandering wolves."

Fundamentally, it had been a peaceful village for decades. Merchants who visited occasionally would go back and forth in modest groups.

Though looking at the level of the mercenaries' equipment, the thought occurred that at least their numbers should be increased.

Their weapons were just ordinary spears or logging axes, and only Beard, the captain, held a metal sword. Their shields were at a level that would split from a few axe swings of a robust man.

Their defensive gear was unified with cloth armor, and only Beard and Owl protected their arms and chests with tanned leather.

"To host Sir Godfrey, we must at least have this much of a setup. Originally, even a knight under contract with the city was supposed to be included, but they are currently dispatched elsewhere."

It must be because of the reason mentioned yesterday—that the city's surroundings had become unsettled due to the threat from the Gord nobles.

"Dispatched? Did they go to repel some bandits or something?"

If they work in Bonyard, they must be a free knight without a lord. Since that could be his future self after accepting the invitation, he became curious.

"No. As far as I know, they went to escort an envoy to the Roman Kingdom."

"To have a knight mobilized for an envoy party, they must be intending to exchange some quite important talk."

The Roman Kingdom is a powerful nation in the center of the continent. Every country claimed to be the descendant of the Ancient Kingdom, but Roman took pride in being the real deal.

Not only for its national power but also because it inherited the ancient capital of the Ancient Kingdom as it was.

As it was a topic not good to talk about for long, Sorin changed the subject.

"Sir Eugene, your serving squire is indeed different. To serve with the virtues of silence and diligence simultaneously."

Was he curious about Homi, who hadn't said a single word? The underlying motive of asking indirectly disguised as praise was plain to see.

However, Eugene mimicked a knight who was clumsily pleased.

"Thank you for looking at her favorably. But Homi is congenitally unable to speak."

"Oh dear! I have spoken tactlessly."

"It's fine. It would be strange for a squire to be quiet."

A squire is not a mere servant. Maintenance of equipment is maintenance, but they are also comrades-in-arms who fight alongside the knight.

They also fulfilled the role of a trumpeter who praised the knight's achievements in his stead and showed them off to those around.

Naturally, a great inconvenience arises if one cannot speak.

"Still, I guarantee there is no better squire than Homi. I don't know how long my life as a knight will last, but she is a child I wish to be with until the end."

A white tail popped up with the force of making a 'Pop!' sound and then settled. Naturally, everyone in the party pretended not to see.

At that moment, Homi, who was walking ahead, suddenly pulled out her crossbow and aimed. Owl also notched an arrow into his shortbow.

"What is it?"

"Well, I'm not sure myself..."

At Beard's question, Owl hesitated.

It wasn't because he discovered something and held his bow, but because he simply followed Homi.

Schwing.

But when Eugene pulled out his sword, everyone prepared to fight on their own.

The bushes to the right shook violently, and a large gray-furred beast jumped out.

"It's a wolf!"

"What bad luck."

The mercenaries skillfully formed a formation. During mercenary life, wolves were something seen as frequently as stray dogs.

However, merely observing from afar or accidentally seeing them tearing at a carcass was the extent of it; fighting them like this was surprisingly rare.

Two wolves charged straight at the party.

While Owl, holding his shortbow, waited for them to enter within range, Homi was already pulling the trigger.

Thwack!

Yelp—!

The wolf, with a bolt driven deep into its crown, collapsed while spewing blood-foam.

'Excellent skill.'

No matter if they charge head-on, accurately piercing a beast's vital point is not an easy task. The destructive power was also monstrous, befitting the size of the crossbow.

The remaining one flinched for a moment but continued to charge.

'Come on in, you mutt.'

Owl glared at the wolf while steadying his hand holding the string.

No matter how high-and-mighty a squire she was, Owl also had pride from having rolled around as a hunter and mercenary. He intended to handle this guy himself.

The moment it entered range, Owl released the string.

Woof—!

But the guy seemed to have prepared after seeing its companion's death, as it quickly threw its body to the side. The arrow missed by a hair's breadth, grazing its fur.

"Dammit!"

Thwack!

Owl's curse was buried under the sound of a second bolt flying.

Thud!

Howl—!

The wolf collapsed from a bolt that dug in diagonally from its left shoulder.

The guy tried to stand up and runaway for a few seconds, but it fell over after vomiting a bowlful of blood. Because the bolt's tip had pierced its heart.

'How much time has passed since she fired one shot?'

Certainly, in Owl's senses, there was no sign of Homi bending down to reload.

"No way."

Looking to the side, there was Homi reloading a third bolt by pulling the crossbow string with just the strength of her fingers while standing.

At that moment, a large cry was heard.

If one were to change a wolf's Awooo! howling into a bass range and then add the sound of phlegm boiling, it would be similar.

"Dammit! It's a Warg!"

Beard shouted.

"Warg? What is that?"

"No wonder the wolves were charging without fear."

"Everyone, stay sharp!"

Baffled novices and gritting veterans.

'Warg.'

It was a name Eugene had heard from Godfrey as well.

-Wild wolves are just big in size but are actually cowardly. Mercenaries aren't too afraid of them either. Wolves are sensitive to the smell of iron.

-It means they fear getting stabbed by a blade.

-Right. They won't be seen during the day, and even at night, they'll just observe from afar before eventually retreating. But if those guys charge like mad dogs, be careful. It means a Warg is behind them.

While werewolves are weaker but possess intelligence and are treated as Beastkin, Wargs were monsters that discarded intelligence in exchange for greater power.

They look similar to wolves, but their size is more than twice as large, and they perform diverse attacks by switching between bipedal and quadrupedal movement.

-Wargs wander alone, and when their mating season comes, they find a nearby wolf pack and attack. They kill and eat the leader, then take all the female wolves for themselves. They sow their seed and leave leisurely.

-That's quite an atrocious fellow. Then are many Warg cubs born?

-Hardly! If that were the case, several nations would have been shaken. Breeding between Wargs and wolves is impossible. It's just a way to vent slaughter and desire.

-Is there anything else I should know about the guy?

-Sometimes they settle down even after sowing their seed. To mobilize the wolves when there's delicious prey nearby. They are much more dangerous than typical bandit groups, so you must be careful.

Eugene faithfully followed his master's teaching. He sheathed his sword, pulled out his flail, and stepped forward.

Cling, cling.

"Whoa!"

One mercenary was startled. Because a metal club the size of his forearm, hanging from a chain, passed by his face.

The expression on that mercenary's face soon turned to relief.

A knight advancing while holding a fearsome polearm with one hand! There could be no more dependable existence before a Warg.

The bushes shook loudly, and well over 10 wolves jumped out. It seemed this Warg was a fellow who had integrated about two packs.

"It's 'do or die'! Trust only in Sir Knight and go!"

The mercenaries shouted as if responding to Beard's roar.