13 (48)

When Louis heard those words, he remembered the Holy Knight Commander who had been releasing killing intent because he wanted to interrogate him.

“The inquisitors would be delighted to hear that.”

Barbus Kenneth drank a cup of water and continued speaking.

“That was why he split with Marquis James. Marquis James found it rather distasteful, you see.”

“What about you?”

“I apologize. However, I only did what he ordered me to do and was absolutely not involved beyond that. If I had been, I would have deceived Your Highness to the very end. In any case, even so, the two are still allied. The reason is…”

“………”

“Because Your Highness Louis is far too strong.”

“I will hear the details as we proceed. Bud Norman, secretly summon every royal guard and every soldier you can gather.”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t I confirm for myself what kind of place it is?”

Barbus Kenneth, together with the old minister, urgently tried to stop Louis.

“You must wait until the troops stationed at the Rhine River are called back.”

However, Louis thought differently. He had dispersed the army he had mustered during the war across each city where red warning lights were lit. It was because it had been somewhat effective in stabilizing public order.

And some of them had been ordered to clean up what had happened at the Rhine River and establish a position there. The troops Barbus Kenneth was talking about were those forces, and he was saying they should wait until they could be summoned back to the capital.

However, if such a large-scale movement was made, it was obvious that the two would learn of it the moment the soldier carrying the message departed. So, considering a bit of unexpectedness, there was no better timing than now.

Several hours after Louis’s order was given, deep in the early dawn, 300 royal guards, 500 infantrymen, and three loyal armed retainers stood upright around Louis. Since each army had been dispersed, the armed retainers Louis had mobilized during the war were now stationed in other cities.

Those three armed retainers were Mihoff, who had little interest in the army; Mark Jay, who had fully satisfied Louis’s expectations; and Boromir, who was in charge of administrative work. In addition, three more armed men who met the usable standard were present, and Bud Norman, who had been accompanying Louis on his inspection, was also there.

The place Louis was leading his troops toward was the owner of a vast mansion slightly removed from the city: Fred Vesk. People opened their windows, wondering what was going on because of the regular sound of footsteps, but every single one of them let out a “Hik!” and quickly lowered their doors.

That was because a killing intent that made it seem as though something was about to happen that night was pouring out from Louis and the forces he led.

The place where Fred Vesk lived had such an enormous estate that there was even something like a small village attached inside it, where his private soldiers resided. It was not only him; Phillipeu James was the same, and among the marquises living in the capital, those who had some money lived with that kind of slight distance.

A long field stretched out, and here and there, regular soldiers spotted Louis and caused an uproar. After that happened several times, perhaps the district had now completely changed hands, because people in subtly different uniforms were lined up. Louis, naturally thinking they were about to salute, was suddenly met with a rain of arrows.

Thud-thud-thud. Groans burst out everywhere. Because the arrows fell far too suddenly, more than one or two infantrymen were struck absurdly.

“Are you all right?”

In front of Louis, Bud Norman, Mihoff, and Mark Jay had blocked most of the arrows from the front. The ground was full of arrows that had missed, and ahead, Vesk’s private soldiers were nocking their bows again.

“Wipe them out.”

When Louis gave the order, more than 800 infantrymen charged forward. It was like a current of water spreading out. Louis realized that their minds were contaminated. That was why they failed to recognize Louis and had attacked in response to the killing intent.

The soldiers became entangled, and Louis was no exception. After removing two or three infantrymen who had gotten chaotically entangled in the darkness, Louis realized they had no organization. And their numbers were nothing much compared to what he had heard beforehand. In a brief moment, Louis’s infantry, whose military quality was superior, cut down every last one of the hundred or so private soldiers, who were a mix of archers and assorted infantrymen.

To begin with, mercenaries were mixed among the private soldiers, so compared especially to the royal guards, their level was far too low. In the midst of that, they also had no organization, so breaking them down in an instant was not even difficult. The royal guards, who confirmed the deaths of each crawling private soldier still alive without even being ordered, made it clear how thoroughly trained they were.

‘This is easy, but… did they know I was coming?’

Louis had a strong urge to beat Barbus Kenneth a little, but since he was a civil official, he would be no help in battle and had been left in the castle. Still, considering Vesk’s private soldiers were deployed exactly at the location Barbus Kenneth had told him they would be, it meant the information he had given had not yet lost its value.

“We will treat the wounds simply with potions. I will give you three minutes.”

When Louis said that, the infantrymen who had been absurdly caught off guard took potions from their chests, pulled out the arrows, and began pouring the liquid over themselves. As their wounds closed, the groans gradually faded, and soon silence arrived. In the midst of this, those who had been hit by arrows were only the infantrymen; not a single one of the 300 royal guards had been hit.

Because they had departed from inside the castle, each soldier had truly been issued plenty of potions, at least. Just because he lacked troops did not mean it was only disadvantageous for Louis. He was not waging a war, after all, but fighting right in front of the wealthiest warehouse.

Thinking that the rough maintenance was complete, Louis reorganized the troops again and set out. Sure enough, the blind spot Barbus Kenneth had told him about existed.

From the moment they first encountered the private soldiers until they reached deep inside, they did not really run into any private soldiers. And at the place they arrived, a very bright light was pouring out. Something entered Louis’s sight. Something seemed to be happening in front of the mansion, and it was grotesque.

A statue had been erected, and beneath it, several people were hanging from pillars. This was the moment it became certain that Barbus Kenneth had only told him the truth. The information he had spoken of, and the fact that Marquis Vesk was plotting something with black mages, were real.

There were a fair number of troops centered around the altar, but compared to the number Barbus Kenneth had told him, there were not even half as many. Even so, it was still a considerable number, but it was definitely a force worth trying against.

Then a troublesome matter occurred. It was a sight only Louis, whose eyesight was better than Mark Jay’s, could see. Among the tied-up girls, one seemed to be Maria, the girl Louis had entrusted with guiding him in the red-light district managed by Marquis Vesk.

She was clearly still alive, but it was obvious that she would soon die. A man who appeared to be a black mage was pulling out the heart of someone judged to be a sacrifice beneath the statue. There still seemed to be time, but he had to hurry a little.

Louis said to Mark Jay, “Lend me your bow for a moment.” Mark Jay immediately handed over his bow without complaint, and after receiving one arrow, Louis poured mana into it and bent the bowstring. He aimed the enormous bow through the wildly bent focal point, and then something astonishing happened.

He had originally intended to snipe the black mage, but the statue behind that focal point turned its head and looked at Louis as if it were alive. It rolled its eyes as if it might move at any moment, looked at Louis, and opened its mouth as though it were about to say something.

“You insolent thing.”

Louis fired an arrow carrying an enormous amount of mana at the eye of the goat head glaring at him. A single trajectory was drawn clearly, and with a thud, it shattered the goat’s eye.

It did seem to be alive. That was because blood streamed out from the shattered spot as though a person had been struck. Louis was not satisfied and immediately received another arrow from Mark Jay, then fired a second shot.

When another arrow lodged in the exact same place, the goat statue screamed, its neck was severed, and its head rolled across the ground. The black mage screamed. Judging by how the eye had been ruined, it seemed to have been a work prepared for a long time. The black mage, convulsing wildly and whipping his head around, seemed to be searching for the direction the arrow had come from.

Mark Jay looked at Louis, who had accurately hit an object at a considerable distance in the darkness, and spoke as if astonished.

“That is a distance even I could not guarantee… Did… did you hit it?”

“It was looking at me in an unlucky way, so I put two shots into it. It must have been a little surprised to wake up in hell.”