115 – Witch Hunt-1

“You guys… how are you?”

“Ah, bro. You came hard. Thank you so much for the food. I really owe you my life.”

The people who came to see me the next morning were the remnants of the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Corps.

“I thought we left for the Weather family territory.”

We didn’t even stay here long. First of all, I was doing the restoration of the village and the aftermath of the fight with the other mercenaries, but it didn’t even last a week.

It was unrealistic for so many people to come this far without falling behind.

“You even brought all the food.”

“I thought I would really die if I didn’t have this.”

It was not a small amount, but even children and the elderly carried heavy burdens and came all the way here.

He brought one or two wagons from where he got them, but he couldn’t bring all that much food.

“I thought you’d wait around the hideout, but what happened?”

“I was going to do that, but it looked dangerous no matter how I thought about it. At least I knew you were here.”

“Why?”

“House Weather soldiers are on the move.”

I expected it, but I couldn’t help but feel bitter.

The mercenary captains argued with one voice and William agreed with that opinion, so I thought it might be, but I couldn’t let go of the belief that it couldn’t happen when I thought rationally.

“Then, because of that…”

“Well, that’s right. Even if we look like useless guys, there are a lot of guys with good limbs. He said that Old Man Longfel was also a fairly famous mercenary when he was young.”

They didn’t have to worry about me. No matter how hard they try, they won’t help in a real battle.

The red wolf mercenaries and the swan mercenaries did not help in the fight against William. No matter how strong the remnants of the poison scorpion mercenaries are, they will not be stronger than the real mercenaries.

“thanks.”

However, mentally it helped. Because I made it worthwhile to save them.

“Well, there’s no need to be too grateful! You were the one who saved our lives in the first place, and I thought we’d lose all of this table if we went around clumsily.”

“Are you losing food?”

“It looks like the baron’s soldiers are angry right up to the head? They said that there would be criminals among the residents, so they beat everyone and took the food.”

I kind of expected it. Since the army didn’t go on an expedition, it wouldn’t be necessary to supply systematically, but it would have to be overdone to move troops in a hurry.

It was foolish to rely on that for food supply, since you don’t know how many merchants may be wandering around, and even they will have a limited supply.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Well, just leave it to me no matter what.”

/////

William did not leave this place, but his main body was gathering here one after another.

However, the other mercenary units did not leave. During a slightly awkward confrontation, William called us all.

William opened his mouth with a dark expression.

“Are they trustworthy?”

My expression darkened as well.

“It’s not a situation where you can pick and date someone you can trust. At least the remnants of the Poison Scorpion Mercenary Corps have fled here with quite a bit of food, and they’ve provided information about Weather’s army.”

“Hmm…”

“If you don’t trust them, there are too many people you won’t trust. We have to accept it now.”

William’s expression darkened at the fact that he was from the same mercenary group as the marauders who raided the village, but he soon nodded.

“As they say… if they are abandoned, I will accept them. Each person is a precious situation.”

Even if most of the main force was gathered, William’s forces were insignificant.

Even if Weather and Aldguild were to compete head-to-head, William could only draw some of Aldguild’s soldiers in the face of a difference in power.

“The dead were the ones who used us as we could. I still managed to use a sword, so I treated them as equals, but the others were literally slaves.”

“Was that enough…”

“Uh, former leader? Should I call him former warlord now… But he was aware that he was using slaves that were hard to find again. At least he tried to give him a lifeline, but the next rebels didn’t intend to do that.”

The situation could have been complicated if it hadn’t been bad, but fortunately, I don’t think it was that kind of relationship.

“Next question… To be honest, I’m not afraid in the least as long as you guys stay. Rather, I’d be glad if they attacked now.”

At William’s words, the other mercenary leaders nodded their heads.

It even withstood the attack of the Orc Lord. Even though Weather’s troops were numerous, they were only ordinary human soldiers after all.

If the battle took place in a state surrounded by no forces at all, there was no way they would get tired of facing each other with armies.

“You shouldn’t be too vigilant. It would be too greedy to think that there are fools in the Weather family. Even if you don’t know about the existence of the hero, there will be a means to subdue at least Aldguild’s reinforcements.”

“still…”

“I agree. I really thought I was a god back then, but I never thought I’d be blocked so easily.”

William was also an adventurer with thick bones on the battlefield. Even though he gained the strongest power he had never felt before, he couldn’t win against me.

“It’s a big deal!”

A soldier kicked open the door and entered.

“An enemy raid. A large army is coming our way!”

It was much faster than expected. However, I wasn’t afraid.

“I’ll go out first.”

/////

It was a considerable force. At least, it was too many troops for a nobleman to lead on his own.

The nobleman in the lead adorned himself with brightly shining clothes and looked down at me from his horse.

“You face the heir of House Weather. Come on, bow your head!”

One of the men saw me and shouted. The case of the successor must not have been decided yet, but externally, it seemed that they were talking about it like that.

The forces of the allies were clumsy. It is the sense of unity that makes the military feel intimidating. Apart from the actual strength of the Legion, the arbitrary appearance of the Red Wolf Mercenaries and Poison Scorpion Mercenaries made us look weak.

However, at least the numbers matched. There were more enemies than all of us put together, but it didn’t seem like more than twice as many.

“It’s okay. I’ll punish those guys for their rudeness separately. Can’t you just draw a knife and use it because dogs can’t understand people? They’re just people who need proper education.”

Weather’s first son looked around arrogantly, then shook his head as if he wasn’t worth talking about.

“What brought the Weather family to this point? Even the military… Reporting this to the higher ups could be dangerous.”

William came forward and tried to negotiate, but the eldest son’s attitude was tough.

“Where’s Aldgild’s dog looking straight in the eye and talking?”

“Whether I’m a dog, wolf, or cat, I have an obligation to protect this yard. Even if I’m not from the Aldgild family, I swore to the emperor and citizens.”

“This? It doesn’t look like it’s ‘preserved’ very well, from my point of view, does it?”

Post-war restoration was completed as much as possible, and the scattered people were also brought back together. To prevent being attacked again, they built barriers and guard posts, and prepared traps and weapons.

However, the fact that this village once collapsed cannot be erased.

“They’re incompetent. A girl of low status is using tricks, and even more vulgar guys flocked to them, so how can they not be incompetent?”

The eldest son snorted and pulled out his sword.

“Go away. There is no reason to mix words with you. If you were a member of the Aldguild family, I would have killed you with a single knife, but since you’re just an adventurer, I’ll forgive you.”

An aura of resentment flowed through his troops. In a confident voice, Weather’s eldest son urged surrender.

“Get on your knees now and beg for mercy. I will not kill you.”

Contrary to his expectations, however, William held his head high and glared at his eldest son.

“under?”

And that wasn’t all. The remnants of the poison scorpion mercenary group were shaking their legs a little, while the rest of the mercenaries and soldiers sneered and kept their seats.

And taking advantage of the confusion, I exchanged whispers with Farseer.

“Did you notice?”

“Of course you noticed. There’s no need to worry. It’s a level that can be subdued at once.”

“No, that’s not the problem. You’re a warlock, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…”

I smiled at Farseer.

It was frustrating until a few hours ago, but I couldn’t stop laughing when I met that eldest son.

“Let’s hand it over.”

Farseer thought for a moment, then responded with a sly laugh.

“You know that? I really liked your wisdom that came out of nowhere.”

Farseer’s little finger moved. A purple light twinkled in her hand without anyone noticing.