My Villains Episode 4() Episode 1
63. Knights of the Silver Prince (8)
The Nudein military camp is located on a low hill branching out from the mountain. Thanks to that, we jumped out of Atalanta’s tent and were able to look down on Oduenne at a glance.
The coast and noisy piers that started to be colored at dusk, the city that lights up in the dark, and the colorless field of rapeseed flowers form a gloomy gradation.
Auduenne is one of the wealthiest port cities not only in the province of Abiden but also in the entire kingdom.
It seems to be as prosperous as South Harbor, to see if its reputation for opulence was not in vain.
On the land side, the castle wall is more than 5 meters in height, in a semicircular shape, and on the sea side, there is a huge harbor like a lake. The city between the city wall and the harbor stretched out in all directions centered on a large square, and overall it was a landscape that seemed to mix a little bit of the scent of a fishing village with any ordinary city.
The wide harbor was surrounded by a natural breakwater. It looks like the upper bank with a thin and long protruding bar is the right arm, and the bluntly stretched sand saw is the left arm, embracing the water.
A lighthouse was built up by reinforcing the floor on the sandbar corresponding to the left arm, and there was a fairly large rocky island at the end of the rocky bank corresponding to the right arm, so a high fortress like a tower stood tall.
That keep was ‘Valesolis’, the lord’s residence of Oduenne and the last stronghold of defense.
“…cold.”
He reached out and wrapped his arms around Mungchi’s murmur. He hugged me around the waist and dug into my armpit.
As Mungchi said, the salty west wind was very cool. Perhaps because of that, the city also has a strange atmosphere.
Even though the sun was slowly going down, the plaza, trading post market, and slums were still crowded with people. It is a bustling ship like a prosperous trade port, but I feel an unknown eerie feeling….
As I follow the current, my eyes naturally go to the pier. There were five rows of large and small piers in the wide harbor.
The two rows of piers located at the innermost part of the harbor were full of merchant and fishing boats. From fishing boats and small barges to coastal and river routes and ocean-going trade ships, all kinds of boats showed off their individuality.
On the other hand, the three rows of docks on the outside were full of warships.
The pier attached to the fortress ‘Ballesolis’ was full of small lines with shield plates erected all over the place. There were five or six sailboats with two sails among them, so it looked like a group of puppies mixed with a few mules.
Each of the forty-plus battleships had white flags. The flag had a checkered pattern of ducks gliding on the water and a swordsman with blue scales.
‘Milgester’, the leader of Aviden, is the crest of the door.
Thirteen sailboats were tied to the pier across from it. Most were less than 30 meters long with a pair of masts, but three or four were relatively large, reaching 45 meters in length with three masts. Compared to Milgrester’s wires, it looked like a herd of mules mixed with a few course horses.
The sailboats were waving flags engraved with swords cutting through the waves. It was the steel fleet led by Sir Langbolt.
However, the ominous currents that enveloped the city did not originate from the fleet of Count Milgrester or Earl Shore. The source was the fleet that half-filled the long pier at the outermost part of the harbor beyond them.
The dozen or so sailboats there were unusual at first glance.
Its shape and size were not too different from the great ships of the Iron Fleet, but the waterline and deck were lacquered dark red. Unlike the rest of the piers where you could feel a slight presence, the pier occupied by the black and red sailboats was quiet as if there were ghost ships.
A black and white snake entwined around each other in a red circle was drawn on the flag they hung at the end of the mast. This sentence is very familiar to me…
“That’s over there.
Agos, a high-ranking officer of the Hareskis and a skilled longbowman, pointed west. His fingertips were directed at the fleet dyeing the horizon beyond dark red ships that gave off an ominous smell.
“It appears to be returning from a distant patrol.”
W Uh 99
Fifteen sailboats slid toward Oduenne. Thanks to the red-black hull and the flags with two snakes wrapped around it, it was easy to recognize that it belonged to the ominous sailboats we looked at earlier.
“…I’ve always wondered, how did they make such a big ship?”
Atalanta gestured towards the fleet with a question. I smiled bitterly and shook my head.
“I don’t know.”
“If you don’t know, who knows?”
“The Irish shipwrights will know.”
What she chinned was a giant ship that passed through the harbor entrance at the head.
The length of the ship was well over 60 meters, and it had four sails, and the bow and tail of the ship had two-story decks, so it looked like a sturdy castle floating on the sea. Also, a long, thick Bowsprit was attached to the bow. It was a menacing shape, as if it had a horn sticking out.
Its majesty was so great that it was impossible to take one’s eyes off it, and it was like watching a bicorn running among warhorses.
“Tace serpentis.”
Maximiago, chieftain of Zal Ladub, a large middle-aged man who appeared before he knew it, murmured as if in a sigh. I don’t know Gaulan, but I think I know what it means.
‘The Silent Sea Serpent’. It is the name of the flagship of the iron scale fleet of that giant ship.
Nine sailboats entered the harbor, led by the Silent Sea Serpent. The other six boats headed south with the setting sun on their right.
A total of 20 sailboats occupied the pier along with the ships of the Iron Scale Fleet that were originally anchored.
Caught in an unknown tension, I looked at the silent sea snake.
A group of people appeared among the busy Irish sailors or sailors. Jang Han-deul stepped on the metal planks lowered from the deck. All of them were black armored birds with a sense of intimidation due to sharp bumps.
The famous Irish blood knights.
“…here you are.”
Atalanta whispered softly, as if she had found someone escorted by the blood knights. I just nodded without speaking.
Unlike the heavily armed warriors, their escorts were relatively lightly dressed. From the high-collared coat, the thin breastplate underneath, gloves with a mysterious light, and leather boots with a strange pattern, one could guess that his status was not ordinary.
But it wasn’t because of his clothes that I secretly swallowed dry saliva at the sight of him.
The man, who appeared to be in his early fifties, was tall, stocky, and had short black hair.
And that expressionless face.
Unlike Phoenix, who has a cold impression but is subtly handsome, the middle-aged man’s features are thick and rough. Even so, if you erase the wrinkles, it is a face that is surprisingly similar to mine.
Finally eyes.
“Sigh.”
I involuntarily held my breath.
It was because the middle-aged man, who slowly raised his head after getting off the pier, made eye contact with me precisely from a distance of more than one kilometer.
Oh so so. I had goosebumps on the nape of my neck.
The dark eyes of the middle-aged man caught my gaze. I knew it instinctively at that moment. That something sleeps in that deep, silent darkness.
That was madness. The madness that runs through Zaharkar’s bloodline.
But for some reason, it smelled a little different from the artist’s. As I questioned the origin of this difference, the middle-aged man turned around.
“……Whoa.”
I let out a belated breath as I watched the back of Count Annie Akelle, a middle-aged man walking with the hem of his black coat waving.
The lord of this wealthy port city of Oduenne is Viscount Cyril. Viscount Cyril, who led the army of Abiden and joined the army of Prince Ulkar, resembled a goblin in appearance and greed.
But now that he was in High Castle, almost no one cared who Oduenne’s owner was. No, even if Viscount Cyril hadn’t been absent, he wouldn’t have campaigned as the owner of the city. This is because the guests gathered at Oduenne were equipped with outstanding prestige.
Other than me, the most recent arrivals here were Atalanta and an army of Nudans.
Not too long ago, Atalanta, who had accepted Prince Ulkar’s offer and moved south to Oduenne, had over a thousand troops at their command.
During the eight hundred journey, the warriors recruited from the three clans Al-Qahdari, Zaladub, and Rejun were originally led by half-forced conscripts.
An army of 1,000 with a large number of shamans and elite soldiers centered on Atalante, a powerful arcanist and spearman. If you put your mind to it, it’s a force that can easily subdue at least one county.
Feeling threatened by this, Viscount Cirillo’s deputy and cousin, Knight Banneret Lord Slanweed, refused to allow the Nudan army to enter. Even though Atalanta made a big contribution to dealing with the Witch of Hymn just a few months ago when the fish-men army threatened O’Duenne.
Sir Langboldt, who arrived a few weeks before Atalanta, was treated better.
Of course, Sir Langbolt was a member of the prestigious Earlshore family, and for some reason, he held command over the Iron Fleet.
Even though the power that came to Oduenne was only half, it would have been difficult to be unkind even in front of the Iron Fleet, which had a high reputation in the East Sea. How much more, isn’t Oduenne a port city that makes a living through the sea?
Thanks to this, the sailors and sailors of the Iron Fleet and the four hundred foot soldiers that the Earl of Lytton, the great lord of the Southern Shores, gave to his second son, Lord Langboldt, were stationed within the city without much difficulty.
Fortnight before the arrival of Sir Langbolt and the Iron Fleet.
A group of troops visited Auduenne. It was an army led by Earl Ines, the Lord of Abiden and the head of the Milgrester family.
Countess Ines was still only in her mid-teens, so no one expected her to leave her family’s hometown, ‘Colluge’.
Besides, Oduenne was not even under the direct jurisdiction of Count Ines. Even though Oduenne’s owner, Viscount Cirillo, was her party and vassal, no, even more so, it was a dangerous land for the minor lord to stay.
The vassals of the Milgrester family tore away the young lord. However, Earl Ines insisted on visiting the grave of his mother who had died early last year and went ahead with the gear coil.
I don’t know if it was really longing for her mother or if it meant something else- but Milgrester’s vassals advised the young mistress to have a large escort. It was because of such a story that Count Ines entered Oduenne with twenty knights, four battle mages, and over two hundred and fifty soldiers.
And even though it had been two months since he had been in Auduenne, Count Ines seemed to have no intention of returning to Colouse.
Milgrester’s retainers couldn’t possibly read the thoughts of the lord, who was small but mature for his age.
It was last October that the Iron Scale Fleet won a major battle against the fish-man army in the southern part of the kingdom and won.
After the victory, Akele, the Admiral of the Iron Scale Fleet, landed ashore with a little over 500 elite soldiers.
The landing site was Vitian, a port in the province of Albibton. Since Vitian was one of the ports under the influence of the twin kings, the count took control of the city for a while and quickly pacified the surrounding area.
It was around mid-November when security and trade in Vitian as well as Albibton became somewhat stable. At that time, Count Akele suddenly led an army and started heading north.
Numerous great lords, as well as Crown Prince Zacharys, the actual ruler of the kingdom, were also keenly aware of the move of the fresh blood. However, the Irish army marched along the coast and, as if cleaning up, only defeated the remnants of the bandits and the fish-men army that had not been able to deal with them.
Having moved so slowly, the Bloodbath and his elite soldiers arrived in Oduenne in mid-December. It was right after they had narrowly defeated the fishmen led by the Witch of Hymn, and it was ten days before Count Ines arrived.
Earl Akele, who had been stationed in the port for some time and was influential, listened to the news of the war between the two Elector Counts of the Empire of Mittergerand and Prince Ulkar. To do so, he summoned his fleet for some time.
The Iron Scale Fleet, which consisted of over 30 ships, pacified the entire area of Blade Bay in ten days following the admiral’s command. The fish-man army, which appeared occasionally, completely disappeared, and the pirates who caught it did not dare to raise their heads. In the meantime, he overpowered the Black Dragon Fleet, which was snooping around the trade route between the kingdom and the empire, and drove it away. The Black Dragon Fleet of Duke Avillambus is one of the Empire’s leading fleets, but it did not dare to stand up to the Iron Scale Fleet.
Only after holding a demonstration worthy of a skirmish did the Bloodbaek send several blood knights under his command to Ulkar and the two electors. He declared a ban on Lord Eordan, the most eloquent man in the Baluin family.
A reply from both sides had arrived less than a week ago, but Count Akele never received it. This is because he boarded the flagship ‘Silent Sea Serpent’ and drove the fleet to check the bay of blades and trade routes, and returned to Oduenne only today.
When the sun had completely set and the indigo coast was engulfed in deep darkness, a man came from Oduenne. It was a messenger from Lord Langbolt.
“……what?”
In response to Atalante’s question, I smiled brightly as I read the letter sent by a soldier from Earl Shore.
“The seat is ready.”
“Then”
“Let’s go. Let’s see what kind of people they are.”
Leaving behind the nodding Atalanta, I looked at Oduenne’s stronghold ‘Valesolis’, which had been brightly lit before I knew it.
…Whoa good. It’s time to meet the third father.
