My Villains Episode 526
67. The Lord of Icebobalt (19)
When the dusk of dawn pushes away the darkness of a midwinter night. Up to 60 men and horses poured out of the gate.
Fifteen riders clad in gleaming plate breastplates guarded the front and rear. The spearhead slanted over his shoulder had its spearhead painted red, and a grotesque face, whether of a reptile or a human, was embossed on the faceplate below the round helmet.
Anyone with some knowledge of the system of my army would be able to tell a lot more from these impressively dressed cavalrymen. From the fact that all of them are wearing shoulder belts, you will notice that they are all ranks of sergeant or higher, and you will know that they are a cavalry company directly under the direct control of a combat brigade by seeing that the shoulder belts are embroidered with red diagonal lines on a silver gray background. Those who are often referred to as the ‘guardian corps’.
Leading them was Randell, a middle-aged cavalry commander. Instead of a spear, he was holding high a heavy banner embroidered with the pattern of the Defelken family.
The mission of the cavalry platoon commanded by Major Randell was to escort the party to Proshafen and, above all, to help make the journey pleasant.
It was also the cavalry platoon’s job for me and my bodyguard to board a boat heading beyond Blade’s Bay and return to Eisbovald with the bicorn rider disguised as me.
The 24 detachments organized by Confair, centering on the elites of the Silver Sword Battalion, are scheduled to head to the vicinity of the capital through various routes. Half of them would cross the border by boat like we did, and the rest would cross the border by land. The area was overflowing with merchants, mercenaries, migrants, and travelers, so camouflage would not be difficult.
Caught between the cavalrymen in the front and rear were eighteen bodyguards and a quadruped carriage.
The driver of the large carriage pulled by four horses was none other than the ‘spell thief’ Saits. Being a skilled wizard in his own right, it seemed a little awkward for him to act as a coachman, but considering the carriage belonged to Ellen, it wasn’t too strange.
Ellen’s carriage was large enough for six or seven men to ride, and it was a high-quality item with oiled wooden boards attached to a steel frame and small but elaborate gold decorations.
The seat was covered with thick cushions, befitting something that Ellen, who does not enjoy horseback riding, spent a lot of money and custom-made. As if that wasn’t enough, there was a simple structure on the wheel axle, but it could be called a suspension device, and thanks to that, it boasted a ride comfort that was incomparable to that of a regular wagon. It had many small glass windows, and it was equipped with dense feet to cover the outside eyes, so it was an ideal carriage for comfortable travel and exotic pleasures.
Glancing at the quadruped wagon with its feet stuck, I maintained a moderate trot between the cavalry and bodyguards.
Keuhong:
Did he enjoy going out after a long time or did he know that the various flags fluttering around him and the pictures engraved on the insignia hanging on the wall of the castle were a schematic representation of himself? The two-horned demon beast, which somehow became the symbol of the Defelken family, showed off its graceful gait with its chin raised as if it were showing off.
“Anyway, he’s a funny guy.”
I smiled and stroked the bicorn’s neck, then suddenly looked back.
The top of the gate tower at the west gate of Eisbowald was full of knights, commanders and officials.
Since I am leaving early, I have been asked not to do anything stupid, such as dragging sleeping citizens out into the streets and holding a farewell ceremony. However, there were not enough excuses to dissuade the vassals from leaving. It was for that reason that the top of the gate tower was full.
Meanwhile, Atalanta was nowhere to be seen. Well, she replaced the final greeting by hitting me, who was sleeping in the middle of the night a few hours before the departure. I’ve been doing intense exercise for over an hour, so I’m probably sleeping in my room by now.
Filling the front row of the gatehouse were knights such as the conductor Esson Dervish Merg and officials such as the judge Reinhoyt the scribe Omol and the treasurer Walder. Among them, Heila was rubbing her eyes as if she was trying to shake off her drowsiness.
I don’t know who made that decision after what kind of discussion, but it was Heila who occupied my last night before the royal road. It was a pity that I was separated from her for quite a while, so I was glad of it. But she fell asleep before bedtime, not much different from usual.
Like Heila, who doesn’t react enough to be mistaken for a corpse once she falls asleep, she couldn’t wake up even while the bed and Atalanta were screaming through the double-glazed windows.
To think that she would always come out from two o’clock to Munru to see me off. It was something that could only be explained as an act of great will.
As I met Heila’s eyes, I smiled and waved. She looked down at me with an expressionless face. Then he took out a white hand from the thick coat wrapped around his shoulder and patted it lightly. It was so lovely that I burst into laughter.
Eisbowald is a city that leans toward the west even if you look at my territory, no, the whole of the Bdorf region. Thanks to this, the bordering province of Angst was really far away, and even counting the capital of Angst, Proshaven, it was less than 100 kilometers away.
As for how close this was, the detached corps I led during the Blade Man War left Proshafen and reached Eisbowald in just four days.
Even though they marched hard despite the soldiers’ failure, considering that they captured two forts and five bases on the attack route, it could be said that they were pretty good at it.
Thanks to these circumstances, our party moved leisurely as if on purpose, but by the time the sun went down, we had arrived right in front of the Angst region.
He could have sped up a little more, but his external purpose was to inspect the territory as a prince and at the same time take care of the military affairs of the two provinces as the Marshal of the Empire of Bermike-Strom. It was unwise to give the impression of being in a hurry, even if you were conscious of the eyes of the trio who must be innumerable in this territory.
And decisively, from the first day of the trip, I didn’t want to spend a night or eat in someone else’s territory. It wouldn’t be bad to actually inspect the manor while he was already out.
It was for this reason that the party stopped at a town called ‘Gedenmundz’.
“May the light always shine on the lord with goodness. It is an honor to serve you, Your Excellency.”
“Yeah, long time no see. How long is it?”
“It has been almost half a year since we last saw each other in late August of last year.”
“is it.”
As he took off his leather gloves and held out the back of his hand, the Gedenmundz Grand Officer approached the bicorn and raised his tiptoe and kissed the signet ring.
It still gave me goosebumps to feel the bearded man’s breath on the back of my hand, but I couldn’t skip the customary reaffirmation of my dominion just because I felt bad.
I greeted the others as the crown prince of Gedenmunz stepped back, trying not to notice the bicorn’s bright yellow eyes and sharp fangs. Perhaps thanks to Randell sending a few cavalrymen to inform them in advance, the governor who came to the village entrance was accompanied by several guards, as well as influential people from the village, such as millers, bakers, brewers, and forest keepers.
After receiving a proper greeting, I was about to enter the village, but the high official, who had once worked as a frost at the Eisbowald Permanent Court, politely extended his hand, claiming to be a horseman. However, I couldn’t entrust the reins to a nobleman who couldn’t even make eye contact with the bicorn, so I declined with a smile and got off the biker. Golman, who approached before I even called, was handed the reins.
“Buy some chickens, feed them and tie them to the stable. Be careful not to run into the residents.” “Yes Nari.” As Heila advised me not too long ago, to the people of this place, a human called Phoenix is an enemy knight with a terrible notoriety, and at the same time a conqueror of strangers.
Most of the villagers in Bangbaekryeong were already gripped by a shapeless fear of me, so I couldn’t walk around the village riding a beast that chewed people’s heads like candy. It was in a similar vein that I wore a long coat and velvet tunic instead of fancy plate armor.
In any case, Gedenmundz, which entered like that, was still a prosperous town.
There was a thick forest far to the east, and a small stream flowing to the west was bare for the winter. The village was located on the plain between the forest and Geoncheon, and the pride of Gedenmundz was a large windmill in the middle of a wide wheat field and an old brewery located on the outskirts of the village.
The road connecting the windmill and the brewery from east to west seemed to converge into the village on a gentle uphill. Hundreds of wooden houses with densely woven silver grass roofs are clustered together.
The dainty residence was surrounded by two layers of low wooden fences, and they were ordered to be installed when they visited during the summer of last year while clearing out trolls that flowed in from out of the country. I had forgotten about it for a while, but now that I see it completed, it seems that the funds given to me have not been wasted.
“I want to take a look around.”
“Please do as you please, Your Excellency.”
“It would be a nuisance if these people rushed around… There are only two bodyguards left. Randell The rest of the accommodations.”
“Yes sir.”
Princess Theodora got out of the carriage in the middle of a moment of noise as she passed through the narrow village road. As a paladin, she had to visit the small cathedral before taking a break.
” hey.”
As Theodora got out of the carriage, Ellen’s voice came through the open door. It was Tiloria, the ‘Valkyrie’, who followed me behind me as if it were natural to receive his gaze.
Tiloria furrowed her eyebrows disapprovingly.
” me’?”
“Yes you. You come.”
“why me’?”
“I need an attendant.” “I’m sorry, but I’m a prosecutor. Not your maid.”
“Oh yeah? Shall we find out if that will happen even after both eyeballs are burned?”
A growl full of magical power.
Several people, including the Crown Prince, shivered from the chill, and Tiloria quietly put her hand on the hilt.
“Ah, okay. stop.”
I couldn’t see it, and I mediated between the two.
“Tillie you go first- Cole Gidon.
you guys follow me.”
He looked at Ellen with eyes that said, ‘It’s done now?’ and shrugged, but he was silently glaring at Tiloria. Then he turned his head and the carriage door slammed shut by itself.
…Ugh, maybe I like that temper.
Looking at the carriage going up the hill, I smiled and nodded my chin at the official.
“let’s go.”
“Ah yes sir.”
We took a leisurely walk through the village under the guidance of the official. As in any other countryside, the road was all dirt, but the section from the entrance to the village center was clearly polished.
The vegetable gardens that filled the gaps between the huddled houses were still empty, but when the days got a little warmer, they would start growing various vegetables. All of the chickens in the small cage, clinging to each other, were all plump and plump as they had survived the slaughter of the winter.
There were not many people coming and going, but it was crowded near the minister. He probably heard the news that I was coming and made preparations like this. I hope I didn’t overprepare.
While admiring the peaceful scenery of the village, I suddenly looked back at the palace.
“I heard how many households there are here?”
“A total of 212 households and 1066 people. Excluding children and the elderly, there are 389 males and 413 females. 560 of them are engaged in agriculture…
“O”
When the words unexpectedly became long, I waved my hand to dissuade them, but I decided to leave them alone as they were passionately pouring out explanations as if they were prepared.
“-There are about 90 people doing chores between the mill and the brewery market. 17 people, including forest keepers, received hunting licenses, and 14 beginners received gathering rights. There were 36 guards and 37 strong men belonging to the vigilante group, and there was an arsenal in the basement of the minister to arm all of them
. If it’s because of the desire to succeed,
it wouldn’t be bad to let me show off my memorization skills.
More important than stopping the coronation that speaks without a break was to keep Gedenmundz in the eye.
This peaceful and friendly scenery that would be spread all over the Felken Province was becoming an important motivation for me to pursue the vague and distant goal of ‘saving Middle-earth’.
