Chapter 177 – Hardeon (9)

At the company commander’s command, the transport convoy came to a halt all at once.

From the front, two horses were galloping, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Their armored appearance was that of soldiers of the 3rd Legion, just like us.

Both men wore the rank insignia of common soldiers.

They stopped their horses at a slight distance in response to the signal from our side.

“I am Karen, the company commander of the supply corps. What business brings you this way?”

The two men only looked at each other for a moment, and then one of them finally spoke.

“We are messengers sent by the Legion Commander.”

“Messengers?”

At the fiend’s answer, the company commander looked at me.

It was because I had asserted that they were definitely not messengers.

“For now, let’s hear what they have to say.”

At my words, the company commander nodded.

“Before delivering the Legion Commander’s message, I would like to ask you one thing, Company Commander.”

One of the two fiends asked in a dry voice.

No matter how different their affiliations were, it was not the typical attitude for addressing a superior officer.

“Very well. Speak.”

“By any chance, did anything happen in the supply unit today?”

Moreover, it was an out-of-the-blue question.

It was only natural for the company commander to be puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

“For example, whether the transport preparations went smoothly, or if there were any unexpected commotions, things like that.”

The fiend was questioning the company commander as if interrogating him.

The feeling the question gave was also somewhat strange.

It carried the nuance that something was supposed to have happened.

“There was a brief commotion, but it was nothing serious.”

“Could you be more specific?”

“But why are you two curious about such things?”

The company commander was also slightly displeased by the fiends’ consecutive questions.

“The supply corps is also part of the 3rd Legion, and we have a duty to report everything that happens there when we return.”

“I see.”

The company commander made a serious face for a moment, then continued to answer.

“While preparing for transport, there was an incident where two horses that were supposed to pull the carriages went berserk. It’s not something that needs to be reported to the Legion Commander.”

“…But was it easily suppressed?”

“Are you saying our supply corps should have been in chaos over just two horses?”

The company commander immediately flared up.

“No, sir.”

“There’s a limit to looking down on the supply corps. If you show that kind of attitude one more time, I won’t let you off, even if you are messengers!”

The company commander furrowed his brow and glared at the two men.

“That was not my intention, but if you were offended, I apologize.”

But their expressions and tone of voice were anything but apologetic.

There were certainly many suspicious things about these two.

Starting with the fact that they were common soldiers despite possessing this much mana.

To the point of persistently asking questions related to the zombie horses.

“Then now, tell me the Legion Commander’s message.”

“To put it bluntly, the front lines no longer require supplies from the supply corps.”

“What did you say?”

“Also, there was a message for the supply corps to wait at the base until further notice. So please turn your horses around and return to the base immediately.”

At the fiend’s absurd words, the company commander’s pupils wavered.

“What’s the reason?”

“It’s because our unit has made it possible to procure supplies locally by capturing a Barbarian settlement.”

This made no sense.

It was the moment it became clear that those two already suspicious fiends were now playing tricks.

“I will go to the front lines and confirm it myself!”

The company commander also sensed that something was amiss.

“You cannot.”

“Cannot?”

“We don’t know the reason either, but it was the Legion Commander’s direct order.”

“That’s why I’m going to go and confirm it myself!”

“You are about to disobey an order, Company Commander.”

In an instant, the two men’s demeanor turned cold.

“You insolent bastards! You’re just common soldiers, do you have no sense of propriety!”

CLANG!

The company commander immediately drew his sword.

The fiends’ mana also stirred at the same time.

“If you wish to pass here, you will have to defeat us.”

“You crazy fools! Did you think the two of you were enough to stop the entire supply corps!”

The company commander shouted in excitement.

To be honest, I felt sorry for the company commander, but those two fiends would have been more than enough.

That is, if Shin Ah-yeon and I were not here.

“Company Commander. There is no need for everyone to go against just two people. I will handle it myself.”

“S, you will?”

“To be precise, this one will.”

With that, I ordered Shin Ah-yeon to attack.

“Ah-yeon. Take care of it.”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation at my command, Shin Ah-yeon drew her sword and rushed towards the two men.

Of course, the fiends only scoffed.

“The only one you send out is a single wench?”

But that was only for a moment.

CRASH!!

The sound of her powerful sword strike filled the surroundings.

Just by facing her sword once, the fiends must have felt a surge of tension.

CRASH!!

And the attack that followed.

All the two fiends could do against her was to barely block her sword.

“Hey, S! What on earth is that girl!”

The company commander asked in a trembling voice.

Even to a layman in swordsmanship, it seemed impressive.

“In our hometown, her skills are known to be quite decent.”

“I-I don’t think it’s at that level!”

Shin Ah-yeon’s sword unfolded relentlessly, giving the fiends no room to breathe.

A joint attack could only provide a numerical advantage when the opponents were on a somewhat similar level.

Against her, it was impossible.

‘Still, they’re much more skilled than I thought.’

In fact, even on Earth, there were not many who could exchange a few blows with Shin Ah-yeon.

But these two were somehow holding on and barely managing to compete.

Before long, this fight had exceeded ten clashes.

And at that moment, something I had not even expected happened.

The fiends dropped their swords, and the nature of their mana changed all at once.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

And then they shot out wind like blades.

This was clearly magic.

“Hup!”

Shin Ah-yeon, who was caught by the sudden attack, let out a short groan.

WHOOSH!

WHOOSH!

And then the wind blades followed again.

The soldiers who were watching this all shouted at once.

“It’s magic!”

“Mages!”

In the current Hardeon, a mage was a traitor by their mere existence.

Nevertheless, to reveal their identity meant that they had staked their lives on this fight.

‘I thought something was suspicious.’

I had not even expected them to be mages.

Considering they were on a similar level to Miruel whom I had met a while ago, there was a high probability that they were White Codes.

‘I should at least keep them alive.’

I immediately expressed my intention to attack to the company commander.

“It seems I’ll have to step in.”

“Deal with them quickly! Aren’t they mages! They must be subdued!”

Even if I left it to Shin Ah-yeon, she would eventually be able to handle it on her own, but in order to keep those fiends alive, I needed to subdue them for sure.

At my glance, Shin Ah-yeon immediately backed away.

CRASH!

I instantly quelled the wind blades the fiends shot out with Bastian.

SWOOSH.

SWOOOSH.

And then two sword strokes followed.

The two fiends fell, spraying blood.

Of course, I knew that neither of them was dead.

The moment I stabbed, I had subtly withdrawn my strength, and I had also stabbed in a non-fatal location.

There was no way those who had competed with Shin Ah-yeon would die from an attack of this level.

I lowered my stance as I looked at the two who had fallen.

SLITHER.

And then I shot mana into their dantians so they could comfortably lose consciousness.

It was an act that caused immense pain, but they had passed out immediately, so they would not have actually felt it properly.

I calmly got up.

“Hey, S! Are those two dead?”

“Confirmed dead on the spot.”

“…I see.”

The company commander looked worried on the one hand.

He was concerned that they might have really been the legion commander’s messengers.

“There’s nothing to worry about, Company Commander. Even if they were real messengers, they were mages. Isn’t it possible to execute mages on the spot as soon as they are discovered?”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Also, I think it’s necessary to immediately send someone to the supply unit to report the mage attack.”

The company commander nodded at my words.

And so, I immediately pointed to Shin Ah-yeon.

“If it’s alright with you, I suggest we send this one. As you saw, her martial arts are outstanding, so we can be at ease even if she moves alone.”

“That’s a good idea! Let’s do that!”

Having gained the company commander’s trust, everything was wrapped up swiftly.

Shin Ah-yeon would be smuggling out the two mages who had attacked us.

It was highly probable that the fiends had information about the zombies.

‘I’m sure of it.’

I replayed the earlier scenes in my mind.

If these two had anticipated the zombie horse commotion, several pieces of the puzzle would fall into place.

The mages had tried to prevent the supplies from reaching the front lines.

It felt like the picture was slowly coming together.

***

After that, our transport convoy was able to reach its destination smoothly.

And the obvious truth we faced here.

The legion had never sent messengers to the supply corps.

“I knew it! But how could this happen!”

The company commander clenched his fists with a resentful look.

“But were they really mages?”

“Yes, they were clearly mages. All of our unit members saw it with their own two eyes.”

“Then we must report it to the Legion Commander immediately.”

“We must.”

“But how did you subdue the mages? Was it possible with just the strength of your transport convoy?”

The company commander’s fellow officer asked with a puzzled look.

“Well, it just happened one way or another.”

“Anyway, I envy you. If it’s true that you executed the mages on the spot, you’ll receive a considerable reward. Maybe even a promotion…”

The fellow officer looked genuinely envious.

“Don’t overdo it. A promotion for just catching two mages? They’ll probably just throw some reward money at me and be done with it.”

“You’re saying that because you don’t know! Do you have any idea how desperate the imperial family has been lately to root out the mages!”

“Is it that serious?”

“You should just be prepared to treat me to a meal. Anyway, wait here for a moment.”

The fellow officer left his seat to report this fact to the legion commander.

In the place he had left, the company commander smiled with satisfaction.

For soldiers, there was no sweeter reward than a promotion.

He placed his hand on my shoulder.

“S! Your contribution was truly great. I will be sure to report your merit to the higher-ups.”

“No, sir, Company Commander.”

“What?”

“I will give all the credit to you, Company Commander, and act as if my role did not exist.”

“No, why.”

It would be troublesome for me to attract attention here, a place that was not even the supply corps.

The mission I had to carry out here was the assassination of the legion commander.

This mission had to be carried out very secretly, so I thought it was not a good thing for things about me to be known here.

Naturally, the company commander reacted as if he welcomed this proposal of mine.

“Alright! With this, you and I are together for life!”

Eventually, he hugged me tightly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep