My Villains Episode 376
62. Tactics of Deception (3)
It was late at night, and even after the meeting broke up, my day was not over. Still had a lot to do.
First of all, I rechecked the alert state of the resistant high castle.
Even though Prince Ulkar’s close escort is the responsibility of Sir Gisela, the ‘Birdhawk Knight’, I am the person in charge of guarding the inner sanctuary. The assassin’s invasion last night is also my responsibility.
After gathering the soldiers and briefly saying a few words, he increased the number of guards. It was decided to strengthen the night watch by entrusting 5 newly acquired private soldiers to friendly soldiers such as veteran commander and heavy dervish spearman McCaig.
About sixty new subordinates were put in, but since the guards were set up in three shifts, the actual number of troops increased was only about twenty. Fortunately, the size was not so great as it was an introvert, so the guard net was even tighter even with about twenty people.
Well, I was a bit sorry to use the guys who arrived this afternoon as night guards, but I couldn’t just let them play as the situation was.
In fact, it was a bit uneasy to place the newly recruited villagers in Ulkar’s residence, which is the main point of the city.
It was confirmed that all of them were natives from Keibor or nearby villages, so there was little concern about the tribal mix. I’m worried about the lack of training… but if the friendly soldiers discipline me well, they’ll do a good job at the guard duty.
In addition to the originally deployed archers and long gunners, my men were added, and the number of guards in the high castle increased to a total of 113. Oh, of course, the number counted only the troops under my command, excluding the knights and friendly soldiers who clung to the prince’s side like chewing gum.
113 people. In terms of the Korean army, it was a medium-large number, and of course it was a number that was far outside the scope of my leadership. However, it didn’t seem too burdensome for Confair, who had a lot of experience in the military, and he actually said it was okay. So, as always, the practical command was left to the Confair.
‘Fierce’ Murg, who was acting as my lieutenant as a sergeant assigned by the prince, grumbled, saying that some mercenary had become his superior. But soon, even though she was a woman, she was suppressed by the momentum of Dervish, who was bigger than herself, and she quietly kept her mouth shut. I was worried because he seems like a rather temperamental guy, but he doesn’t seem to suffer from a disability like Fritz.
In addition to the increased number of defenders, they decided to place wizards such as Master Limond and Epos in the manor house where Ulkar’s bedroom was located. It would be impossible to infiltrate even with this level of interface bundle guy.
You can rest a little bit about the prince’s safety.
After checking his resistance, he headed straight to the base of the Nudein tribe. It was to convey Ulkar’s will to Atalante.
The Nudane camp is nestled between the double walls surrounding the city, and getting there in the middle of the night was a chore.
Once in the city, it is forbidden to ride a horse, especially at night.
Of course, exceptions were made when he had a noble status like a great lord or had urgent business like a messenger. Right now, I don’t belong to either of these categories, so I have no choice but to walk on my own two feet.
Also, when walking down the street at night, be sure to carry a torch or lantern.
Although High Castle was a prosperous city in its own way, it was not equipped with street lights like the royal road. So, wandering the streets without a torch or lantern in the middle of the night was apt to be treated like a thief.
In particular, these days, when the atmosphere was severe due to the war, if you were caught by the city guard without fire, you could be arrested.
Yes, the city guard was also quite a nuisance. The city guards who swarmed the streets at night caught and interrogated passers-by without even trying.
It was purely for the city guards that I was only carrying a goal in plate armor at night. Wandering around alone in plain clothes could lead to unnecessary suspicion.
Today, on the way to the south gate after leaving the castle, I met the city guard three times. Quite a few soldiers recognized me, so I wouldn’t be questioned if I just showed my face, but it was annoying.
In fact, it didn’t seem to matter if I rode without a torch. This is because there are few guards big enough to stop the enemy knights of the silver prince or put them in a cell.
But even Ulkar walks on his own two feet when the sun goes down, accompanied by a soldier with a lantern. Even the prince, who is an exception to most of the rules due to the privilege of the royal family, wants to set an example, but his knight cannot ride a horse.
The person guarding the southern gate was ‘Arbecon Captain’, a vassal of Landry Margrave and the original garrison commander of High Castle. He and his men were also able to open the castle gate with a few simple words because they had gotten used to it.
From the south gate to the northeast gate, there were about a hundred tents, large and small, tightly packed. It looked as if red barnacles were tightly clinging to the rocks.
The nudein soldiers guarding the makeshift fence made of carts and wooden barrels brought me and Gollman right inside. Thanks to the few times I went in and out, they recognized me right away.
Among the tents decorated with colorful bands and shiny rings, the tent in the middle of the garrison stood out. It was hung with a golden curtain with a checkered pattern of red and white thread, and it was larger than some of the fairly large tents around.
Of course, this tent was the residence of Atalanta, the chieftain of Al Qadari and the leader of the Nudein army.
The Nudein Guards Hareskis who guarded the tent were not too surprised to see me who came to me at night. One of the dogs announced my arrival in a quiet voice.
“Napidot a’hmarwala
o’umadha.”
“……a’hmarwala? Nix?”
At the sound of Atalanta’s sleepy voice coming from inside the tent, I smiled and opened my mouth.
“Oh it’s me Are you sleeping already?”
“o uh……”
—M .
As she muttered something, Hareskis opened the door and bowed his head at me.
The tent was not the kind of shabby space people usually think of. It was like that on the outside, and even more so when you look inside.
The tent made of sheepskin was waterproof with rosin and oil and was thick enough to block the cold wind. The ceiling was higher than that of most houses because several wooden poles were erected, and the floor was very soft with several layers of wool carpets. Based on the entrance, there was a chimney and bronze brazier on the left, a round table in the center, and a low, large bed with a curtain and canopy on the right.
“Nix?”
Atalanta was sticking her face out through the curtains on the bed. Her hair, gray with a faint purple tint, had been shattered, and her amber eyes were half-closed.
“Looks like you’ve been sleeping for a while.”
“Yeah, I was a little tired… I didn’t expect to be there today.” “I’m here to talk about work. Come out for a second.” As we sat down at the table and said that, Atalante shook his head and whined.
“I hate that it’s cold. You come here.”
“Did you come here to talk about work? I have to tell the prince something, so come out quickly.”
“You come. Hurry up-”
Her begging was innocent and cute at first glance, but alluring. From her half-closed eyes, the color energy dripped from her eyes, and when she twisted her body with a veil covering her neck, the delicate fragrance of mali flowers spread.
“come fast. Warm up and I’ll go out.”
“…yes what. I can’t help it.”
It was long after Atalanta sat down at the table. Even though I was warm enough, I had to sweat again to wake her up and drag her out of bed as she tried to close her eyes again.
“…Oh, I think I’m going to die of sleep.”
Somehow, after having Atalanta sit down, I also sewed on my clothes. Only then did she stop whining when I served tea with the teapot hanging on the bronze furnace and the teapot next to it.
“Calm down. The prince will tell you about the mission he will entrust you with and the land he will give you in return for participating in the war.”
“…doing a mission?”
Only then did she come to her senses, and Atalante’s jewel-like eyes widened. As Ulkar’s message continued, she touched her forehead with a serious face as if she had just escaped sleep.
“So… you mean the reason why you can’t use the Nudan army is because of the lords of the Gwangmyeong Church, and they plan to take away the land of the Mittergerant Empire and give it to us?”
“Well, to sum it up roughly.”
While Atalanta gathered her thoughts for a while, I began to put on the plate armor I had thrown away.
“…what the hell is your lord thinking about taking land from the empire?”
“I don’t know either. At least, it seemed that he had no intention of ending the war while only defending himself. Oh, I’ll give you half of the Angst fat.”
“Ah A H……”
O–. .
Perhaps he had heard of the name someday, Atalanta’s eyes became hazy for a moment. But after a while, she came to her senses and started bombarding me with questions.
“You’re not saying to cross the edge of the blade with just my troops, right? To deliver a meaningful blow, we would have to hit the Centenary Castle of Duke Abillambus or the Faveris of Vice King Burcard, but we alone are not strong enough. No, can you cross only the blade in the first place? It might get caught in the Stron family’s fleet before it even reaches the port and become fish food. And what if the emperor steps forward after entering the land of the Gellans?” “wait for a sec. I’ll answer everything, so calm down.”
I continued to speak step by step, putting on the footrests and then the shinguards.
“Even the prince didn’t exactly complete the plan. He said that once you go to Port Oduene and prepare to launch, you will increase your troops depending on the situation.”
“Depending on the situation?”
“Only after pushing the enemy back or at least parrying an attack will you have a chance to cross the sea. And when that opportunity arises, the prince will somehow give you strength… Hey, tie this up.”
Atalanta, with a very distraught expression, tightly tied the straps of the Vambraces I was holding out.
“The preparations for crossing the Bay of Blades have already been filled and overflowed. I also borrowed a steel fleet from Sir Langbolt’s family on the Southern Shore.”
“There was a steel fleet. Then maybe we can cross it somehow… Oh, and you said your family declared a ban?”
“…do you know where my family is? Did I tell you?”
When I widened my eyes, she snorted in amazement.
“Ha, are you kidding me? I know you’re a person who absorbed an alien soul, but I don’t think you knew that your last name was Zaharkar?”
“…That’s right.”
Come to think of it, during my stay in Longville, I told her something about my identity. During the battle with Akanku Karamek, because he randomly picked up a horse, some secrets were revealed, and Atalanta used this as a clue to investigate.
“So what about the ban?”
“The prince made a deal. Crossing the Bay of Blades will be no problem.”
“The emperor?”
“That’s…♦.
I scratched my eyebrows as I recalled the prince’s words.
“The prince says he has a plan.”
“Complex? What’s the plan?”
“That’s a secret.”
“…what?” She narrowed her brows as if that was bullshit, but that was all I could say.
“The prince said so. I’m lucky, but they say it’s a secret.”
“You say that now? After getting involved in an outrageous plan to attack the imperial lands, what? secret?”
“Now, you don’t have to get too excited.”
He continued to speak in a calm tone to calm Atalanta.
“I’m not asking you to ram your head into the empire right now. First, go to Auduenne and join Sir Langbolt. When we are preparing to cross the sea there, the prince will send additional troops and inform us of the completed plan.”
“What if your lord just wants to keep us away from us because he doesn’t want to pay us the price?”
“Abiden, where Auduenne is, is also half of the prince’s domain. I’m not trying to get away from it. And in the first place, our prince isn’t someone to be stabbed in the back.”
“O……”
.
“At this point, you have nothing to lose. Rather, we can avoid the 15,000 troops that have come in front of us, so we can preserve our troops.”
Atalanta, thinking deeply, nodded.
“…yes, I get it. You say this, but I have to believe it. I’ll go to Auduenne for now.”
The moment I was about to smile, she put a condition with ‘Sweet’.
“I will never board the ship without the cooperation of the Iron Fleet and the Iron Scale Fleet, or if I do not give them a plan to deal with the Emperor.”
“Um,
it was a condition that I personally could fully understand. To be eaten by fish without being escorted by the fleet or to be trampled on by the emperor’s 100,000 troops… honestly, it was like a dog’s death.
I thought about Ulkar’s heart for a moment, then nodded.
“…okay. Until I convince the prince to get on the boat, I’ll let you know what the plan is.”
“What if your master doesn’t open his mouth until the end?” “well? Then what should I grab by the collar?”
Saying that, she shrugged her shoulders, and Atalanta burst out laughing.
“But why are you wearing armor?”
“uh? I have to go back now.”
“…already?”
She smiled brightly and stopped my hand on her thigh armor. I frowned as my long fingers groped the inside of my thigh.
“Tell me quickly. You’ve worn them all.”
“I will help you.”
With Atalanta’s help, I took off my half-dressed plate armor and went to bed.
I suddenly remembered that the blood knight Sir Eordan had promised to visit me at the inn in the rose field…
well, I just have to go back by midnight.
