Chapter : 81

After receiving a grand reception and resting in the City of Tulung, my army and I headed for the forest to subjugate the band of thieves.

The Tulung City Council praised my actions and promised their support, sending me a vast sum of money and a portion of the mercenary company that protected their city.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Excellency. I am Bastes, the Mercenary Captain.”

“Oh…?”

The mercenary captain was, unusually, a woman. A cat beastman, at that.

The two ears perched atop her head, like something out of a Japanese anime, felt quite out of place.

Moreover, the tail swaying gently behind her looked quite magnificent.

“Huhu, why do you stare so? Is there something you wish to say?”

“Ah-! My apologies. It’s my first time seeing a cat beastman.”

“I can see that. I understand, Your Excellency the Margrave.”

I let out a dry cough at her coy remark.

Shall I call it a feeling-like feeling, where I thought I understood why modern people loved cat beastman characters so much?

“Ahem. Are you the one responsible for guiding this subjugation force?”

“That is correct, Your Excellency. I look forward to working with you.”

“I apologize for my rudeness. I look forward to our future cooperation.”

Along with my apology, I gave orders to accommodate Mercenary Captain Bastes as much as possible.

Then, Magician Agpiel approached and asked.

“Are you perhaps interested?”

“Pardon?”

“That cat beastman. Cat beastmen are quite popular among the nobility. It is said that their muscles are very elastic and soft. They also have a culture of revering their husbands’ words as if they were heaven, making them excellent spouses.”

“……”

As we were entering an unfamiliar forest, the role of a guide was crucial. That was why I had shown consideration to the mercenary captain.

“I had no such thoughts at all… Magician Agpiel.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Of course. Well, I was a little swayed? No, flustered at first… Ahem, I like humans. My own species.”

“Hmmm. Well, if you say so, then I suppose it is so. Hahaha. I thought it was something else.”

Magician Agpiel showed no sign of believing my words. He just smiled with a “hahaha,” as if he knew everything about my excuse-like words.

‘Ugh. Better to die than to suffer.’

It was unfair, but how could I convince him otherwise? In the end, I could only let out a sigh.

“My lord. The troops have finished assembling.”

While I was bickering with Magician Agpiel, the army finished its deployment near the forest.

The 5,000 infantrymen I had brought, 100 cavalry from the Elf Knights and the Knights of the Holy Order of Saint Maria, and the 200 mercenaries provided by the City of Tulung.

For a mere bandit subjugation, it was an immense number of troops that had gathered.

“Bishop Marco!”

“Meee. Did you call? My lord.”

“You and Sir Biden will take charge here. I will give you 2,000 soldiers. Your job is to encircle them and deal with any bandits who try to flee.”

“Meheheheh. Do not worry, my lord! Just trust me. Mer.”

The damned goat beastman laughed with joy, hearing that he wouldn’t have to go up and fight directly. I wondered when he would ever grow up. I sighed inwardly and whispered to Biden.

“If he does anything strange, you must stop him. Understood?”

“Do not worry, my lord.”

Sir Biden was indeed reliable. A dependable knight who always followed any order without complaint.

“Yes, good.”

I nodded and looked at Captain Konrad.

“Then you will take the right wing. Along with the mercenaries led by Bastes. I will take the center, and the Knights of the Holy Order will take the left wing.”

“Do not worry, human lord.”

The plan was simple.

With our large numbers, 2,000 soldiers would remain outside the forest to block any potential escape routes, while the main force would be split into three to push through like sweeping fallen leaves, giving them no time to react.

To have annihilated 500 of Tulung’s soldiers, they had to be quite a large group, but there was no way that many people would be gathered in one place.

They were surely scattered in campsites throughout the forest, so I planned to push through and deal with them quickly.

Just then, the elf knights approached, their eyes sparkling as they asked.

“Your Excellency! What should we do then? Your orders!!”

“Hmm…”

I pondered for a moment. What to do with these troublemakers who didn’t follow orders well. Then, a good idea came to mind.

If they are hard to control, then let them run wild to their hearts’ content-!

“You will take the vanguard. When the scouts investigate the locations of each encampment, I want you to charge. What do you say? Isn’t that what you elves do best?”

“Ahhh! As expected of Your Excellency. To understand the heart of an elf so well-!”

“As expected of the one acknowledged by the Elf King!”

“Just trust in us!”

Fortunately, the elf knights accepted with satisfied expressions.

* * *

Before long, the soldiers sent out as scouts returned with information.

“They say they’ve found a small enemy encampment not far from here. They’re brazenly lighting a fire to eat… How should we deal with them?”

As expected of the support from the City of Tulung, their work was very fast.

According to Captain Bastes, the number of people at the bandit encampment was about 100.

Not a particularly burdensome number.

“If you just give the order, we will handle it.”

The cat beastman, Captain Bastes, approached with her tail swaying and asked cautiously.

“No. It’s fine.”

It seemed she wanted to avenge her previous defeat. But I shook my head.

I had no desire to foolishly deploy infantry and suffer losses. Especially since the mercenaries of Tulung had failed in the previous subjugation attempt.

‘For this kind of small-scale engagement, there are specialists.’

Thinking so, I gestured behind me.

There stood the elf knights, their eyes sparkling, quietly listening to the conversation.

“The time has come to show your honor. As promised, I ask you to take the vanguard.”

“Ooh-!”

“Finally!”

“Just trust in us! Your Excellency. We will show you the power of the elf knights.”

At my words, the elf knights kicked up a fuss in excitement.

They pestered their squires in the back to prepare their arms, and in an instant, they were holding long lances, finished with their preparations to charge.

And then.

“Now, follow me!”

“Don’t fall behind. Keep your distance! If you fall behind, I’ll give you a whipping after the battle.”

Leading their heavily armed squires, they began to ride towards the location mentioned by the cat beastman, Captain Bastes.

“Kiiyaaah-ha!”

“Follow me-!”

“Charge! Honor calls to us!”

The group of about 50 cavalry instantly broke through the military formation and charged forward.

Although I had assigned them to the vanguard, one would expect them to move with the other infantry, but such thoughts were nonexistent in the minds of the elf knights.

I, the supreme commander, had given my permission.

Therefore, in accordance with that, they would show the greatest meritorious service as the vanguard.

Only this mechanism existed.

“Um, will it be alright for just the knights to go?”

Seeing this, the cat beastman, Captain Bastes, asked in surprise.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a forest, and we don’t know what traps they might have set. It’s unlikely, but if the knights were to be seriously injured…”

At her words, I chuckled.

Truthfully, if I hadn’t seen the previous battle, I might have been worried too.

But hadn’t I seen it clearly with my own two eyes? The fact that unprepared infantry could never stop cavalry, especially not elf knights.

“Didn’t you just say they were lighting a fire to eat? Are you telling me the information you gave me was wrong?”

“!!”

Only then did the cat beastman, Captain Bastes, startle and bow her head.

“My, my apologies, Your Excellency.”

She trembled as if she had committed a grave offense, and the two fluffy ears protruding from the top of her head were particularly impressive.

‘Oh?’

I felt an urge to play a mischievous prank. But I forced myself to suppress that desire and spoke in a voice mixed with laughter.

“I’m joking. Raise your head.”

“Eh, yes?”

“They are all on horseback, so they should be able to escape any traps just fine. Of course, I don’t think a mere band of thieves could stop them anyway.”

“Ah… I see.”

It was questionable if they could beat cavalry even if they fought clustered together; there was no way a band of thieves composed of defeated soldiers could. They would surely be routed in a single charge.

Besides, what if they got a little injured?

‘Well, they’re not my soldiers.’

They wanted me to use them like bullets, so I was just using them accordingly.

Of course, I didn’t think for a moment that they would fall into a trap and be defeated.

Sure enough, not long after.

“Your Excellency! Look at this! We have brought the head of their leader!”

“We offer this to the honorable Your Excellency. You fools, raise your arms higher-! So that His Excellency can see with his own two eyes.”

The blood-splattered elf knights returned, their faces filled with excitement.

With the head of someone unknown impaled on a half-broken lance.

Indeed, worrying about those ignorant and barbaric elf knights was a foolish thing to do.

“G-good heavens…”

The cat beastman, Captain Bastes, seemed quite shocked by the elf knights’ actions.

Some mercenaries did behave in such a rough manner, but that was truly only a few, and only the most uneducated ones at that.

But for knights, elves at that, to do so?

Captain Bastes looked back and forth between me and the elf knights with a horrified expression.

‘Hmm… It is a bit much.’

They weren’t nomads of the great plains, to act like that.

Thanks to them, my own face was turning red for no reason. I cleared my throat and spoke as if making an excuse.

“A-ahem. Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t order them to do that.”

“Ah, yes…”

Though it seemed she believed me even less now.

‘Damn it.’

* * *

Still, the skills of the elf knights were spectacular.

Every time the scouts brought back information, they charged and destroyed the scattered encampments of the thieves.

The lance charge of knights was difficult for even disciplined regular armies to withstand. It was not something a mere band of defeated soldiers, especially a band of thieves with lax discipline, could endure.

However.

“Hmm…”

Watching the smoothly progressing subjugation operation, I was filled with a strange sense of unease.

Why on earth did the City of Tulung lose to guys like these?

Surely, the City of Tulung wouldn’t have sent a sloppy mercenary company. A mercenary company hired on a large scale by the city would surely have strict discipline and decent combat power.

And yet, they said 500 soldiers were annihilated in this forest.

“They must have been careless.”

Hearing my thoughts, Magician Agpiel spoke as if it were no big deal.

“They probably thought of them as a simple band of thieves. People who prepare for battle as meticulously as you, even sending out scouts, are truly rare.”

“Still, they said 500 soldiers were annihilated. Don’t you think they might have a hidden trump card, Magician Agpiel?”

“It’s good that you are cautious, but on the other hand, it seems that very caution makes you overestimate people.”

Magician Agpiel shook his head and pointed to the city mercenaries resting in the rear.

“Look. They’re already on a winning streak, and they’ve already become lax and spread out. Maintaining military discipline with a knife’s edge like you do is a very difficult thing. Mercenaries can collapse in an instant if they’re suddenly ambushed while drinking and playing on a dark night in a forest like this. Don’t read too much into it.”

“Hmm… I understand.”

His words made a lot of sense, so I nodded. But still, a nagging feeling in a corner of my heart would not leave.

‘Well, I can just push through with force.’

Wasn’t that why I brought this massive army?

Overwhelming power.

If anything stood in my way, I would just crush it to pieces.

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