My Villains Episode 072
20. City of Confusion (1)
As my eyes flashed, a lot of information flowed into my brain through my senses. The first sensation I felt was the warm sunlight licking my skin.
Wow, how long has it been since you saw this? It seems like it’s been almost a week.
However, before he could enjoy the welcome sensation, a subtle sense of floating tightened his crotch.
“O uh” — —1
I made up my mind, but it was not a phenomenon that I could easily adapt to.
Even though it was already the third experience, it’s natural that my heart sinks… in a way.
Especially if the place you arrived at by teleportation is about 100 meters above the ground!
As soon as I grasped the situation, I immediately shouted.
“Ellen! Earring earrings!”
“Kyaauk”
Fortunately, Ellen managed to swallow the scream and immediately raised her magic power and activated the flight effect.
Still, Ellen’s flying ability was poor, and we tossed to and fro in the wind like a kite with a broken string.
“Uh-uh”
“Hey, just stay still! All you have to do is go down slowly!” “Eh, it’s easy to say, you try it!” Ah- I really want to do it dude!
Fortunately, Ellen, too, probably had some sort of survival instinct activated, and soon she regained her balance and began to glide slowly.
“Slowly, slowly, no need to be afraid, slowly-”
Ellen, who was very focused, muttered something to herself. I secretly caught my breath and looked around at my feet. But “…huh?”
The scenery below was completely different from the South Harbor I knew. ‘Is it another city?’ It was to the point of being mistaken.
South Harbor was a mess, as if a giant monster had rampaged.
Even at a glance, about 200 buildings were collapsed, and the floor where the flagstone was laid was sunk or cracked in places.
The street where the market had been spread was in ruins, and the mill, the police watchtower, and the garrison of the guards were all destroyed.
The most shocking thing was the salt castle and the fortress wall.
Sogeumseong, the residence of the lord of the castle, was almost half destroyed and looked like it would collapse at any moment. Two of the four corner towers had completely collapsed, and white tiles were scattered everywhere.
Almost a quarter of the walls that surrounded the city in a fan had collapsed.
The middle of the long collapsed rubble was filled with a dirty puddle, probably because of the water overflowing from the moat.
Have you ever been attacked by bandits?
I thought so for a moment, but it didn’t seem like it when I looked at the outfits of the soldiers walking through the city.
In particular, there were several military tents spread out in the city square, and I was able to confirm that it was not the worst situation.
It was because he confirmed that the flag of the Golden Lion was flying between the military tents.
“Slowly, slowly—almost there. Slowly, slowly-”
As Ellen murmured, it was around the time we got closer to the ground. A group of soldiers were watching us.
“Coming down to the southwest!”
“Go to the plaza square!”
“Report to Sir Liam!”
Alert shouts… that wasn’t the end, some soldiers were aiming crossbows and bows at us.
…Damn it, I can’t seem to get enough rest.
Inside the large tent, a soldier was kneeling in front of heavily armed knights.
A handsome man sitting among the knights rubbed his sore eyes. He swept his shiny silver feet once and asked the soldier back.
“…Who and where?”
“The half-naked man and the blonde girl. They appear from above the city and are coming down this way.”
The silver-haired man looked quite tired as if he hadn’t had a proper rest for a while. However, his features were so beautiful that just raising his head seemed to light up the inside of the tent.
The handsome man quietly pressed his temple and asked the knight next to him.
“Sir Langboldt, am I right?”
“How did you hear?”
“I think I heard that some pervert took the girl and fell from the sky.”
“If you do, you understand correctly, Lord.”
Langbold Earl Shore, a knight in a blue cloak, stroked his mustache and answered. Then Ulkar, the handsome prince, let out a sigh and muttered:
“In this city, incomprehensible things happen constantly.” The knights around him smiled bitterly as if they agreed with the prince’s words.
The giant, one head taller than the other knights, said to the prince with a frown.
“It’s because of the poor boundaries, my lord. We must drag out all the perpetrators on the walls and beat them.”
When the giant raised his voice, the prince leaned against the backrest and put on his pod.
“You mean the gate guard?”
“Who else would it be, lord?”
“If they fall in, the wall, which is not functioning properly, will be half empty. How do you fill that position?”
“We can use the militias the count has mobilized.”
The prince shook his head slightly.
“Even Lord Ankir knows that’s impossible.”
“Lord.”
“The militia is nothing more than a collection of gossips. Even if there are a few useful people, they are not enough to replace the garrison.” Langbolt, the knight who had been tying his mustache at the prince’s assertion, opened his mouth with a cautious expression.
“Hey, lord. Entering the city, our troops were also seriously injured. If the damage continues like this, there is nothing good in or out of the city. And the reason you trained the militia in the midst of chaos for the past few days… wasn’t it to use them as an army after all?”
“The only thing that can be said about training is setting up a military order. Vigilance is a strategy based on strong patience and strict discipline. The use of the militia is something else in mind, sirs, please do not discuss it.”
When the prince turned around and finished his speech, the knights bowed their heads in unison. Ulkar smiled faintly and spoke to the herald.
“Go and tell me. Capture them alive and interrogate them, but do not torture them.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the messenger left, the prince quietly called the name of this one person.
“Sir Ariad.”
“Yes sir.”
At Ulkar’s call, an old man popped out from among the knights.
An old man with a dwarf physique, a swarthy beard and a tanned, deeply wrinkled face, he wore a longsword at his waist.
Unlike the knights around him who were wearing heavy plate armor, the old man was wearing only a loosely quilted armor.
Although he looked more like a mercenary or soldier than a knight, the prince asked the old man a question casually.
“Following the Lord’s words, we repaired the walls and checked the defense posture. I held on to my hungry stomach while crouching behind a collapsed castle. But the situation shows no signs of improving.”
At first glance, it seemed like a reprimand, but the old man seemed to nod his head coolly, not caring at all.
“Didn’t I tell you already, sir? Things won’t get any better now. The only solution is to persevere in the worst situation.”
“Do you really think that would be the answer? How long can you survive catching rats and peeling off rotten bark in the palace?”
“It won’t last very long.”
The moment the prince’s face was about to crack, the old man spoke quickly.
“The thieves will have a worse situation than us. Since they don’t even have a base nearby, the roughly prepared supplies would have run out soon, and they’re just holding out with evil now.”
“How are you so sure?”
“Looking at the reckless offensive that has continued over the past few days, it is easy to guess, sir.”
Then Ankir, who had his arms crossed, refuted with a frown.
“How do we know if that was a reckless blitz or a last wave to take our breath away?”
“If we hold on to the end, it will be a reckless offensive that has no meaning, and if we finally collapse, it will be a well-timed wave of offensive.”
“…What kind of sophistry is that?”
Ankir, who swallowed an empty laugh, turned to the prince and said.
“The magic bandits are attacking by preying on horses. You must have made up your mind to persevere until the end, lord!”
“…so what’s your opinion?”
“It’s because we cowered like cowards that things got to this point. Tonight, we have to release the food we saved and feed the soldiers to their full, and then attack them early in the morning. I will drive the cavalry from the front and break them at once.”
“After that?”
“After driving out the demonic enemies and securing a supply route, we need to gather our strength again and drive out the monsters climbing up from the sea. What would be difficult?”
The dwarf old man let out a small laugh and shook his head at the gigantic knight’s loud boast.
“The pirates are operating reconnaissance boats day and night. If we attack the magicians, they’ll find out right away and attack them. Besides, even if you defeat the magic enemies, they will only disperse for a while, stirring up the fields and robbing the supply routes. It’s the worst of the worst, with nothing to gain.”
“…Did you just say that?”
“Not yet Lord Ankir. The appearance of bandits eating horses must have been a kind of deception to draw us out. It’s a pity that a sir with so much experience on the battlefield fell for such an obvious trick.”
“Ha what! You lowly old man!”
Just as Ankir was about to raise his voice, turning his face red, Ulkar raised his hand to stop him.
“Stop it!”
“Hana lord, this man…”
“There is nothing to quarrel with sirs! It was my choice to step into this chaos in the first place, so if you want to get angry, do it to me!” The knights just quietly bowed their heads at the prince’s scolding. Ulkar sighed and asked Ariad again.
“So, in the end, there is only one answer, right? Should I just pray to the Lord and hope that they will retreat without any help?”
The old man stroked his rough beard and answered in an ambiguous tone.
“Actually, there are things that bother me.”
“What is it?”
“I don’t understand why those thieves are so obsessed with South Harbor
.” “…Well, since South Harbor is one of the largest cities in the South, don’t you believe it has that much wealth?”
The old man shook his head at the prince’s words.
“No matter how much money there is in the city, what use is it if it is difficult to rob it? The reason why they do not retreat even though the lord, who is famous in the kingdom, personally marches, is probably because of some reason.”
“For some reason?”
“yes. Whether they believe in something or have a purpose… There must be a reason why they are obsessed with this city. If we find out what it is and deal with it, even the bandits will retreat…” “
…I have no way of knowing right now.”
“I apologize, lord.”
Ulkar managed to swallow the sigh that involuntarily tried to escape. Then, after a short thought, he looked over the crowd with deep blue radiant eyes and declared.
“I will go out tonight.”
U | Everyone looked surprised at the unexpected words, and among them Nogisa Ariad narrowed her brow and let out a pained sound
.
“Lord, that”
“I don’t mean to destroy the enemies all at once. It means to strengthen the morale of the soldiers and break the momentum of the enemy again.”
“Hmm…”
The old knight backed away at the prince’s firm tone.
“As you have done so far… Sir Lyam guards this place and Sir Langboldt takes charge of the harbor. Lord Ankir and I will lead the cavalry and stir up the enemy lines.”
“Yes, my lord-”
With a roaring reply, the enthusiasm of the knights filled the tent. Everyone seemed to be welcoming the prince’s order.
After a brief meeting to plan an attack, a middle-aged man stepped forward this time.
At his side he wore an ornate helm adorned with colorful feathers.
The plate armor he was wearing was polished without a speck of dust, and his hair was neatly combed and shaved.
It is a particularly striking appearance because of the other knights whose armor is covered with dust.
“As directed by my lord, I watched the head of the count’s bodyguard for two days.”
“What are the results?”
“There seemed to be a lot of complaints. He is talking like a habit that he has to serve the count himself.”
Upon hearing the middle-aged knight’s report, the prince knocked on the armrest and asked.
“It is a nuisance. Sir, what is your plan?”
“You can use the military commander like before. Since he is a man with his own sense of responsibility, he will calm his subordinates on his own.” “Didn’t you say that the captain of the guards was the count’s cousin? Even if he is a military commander, I don’t think I can control him. Especially in a situation like this.”
At the prince’s negative reaction, the middle-aged knight hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“The captain of the guards is an absolute nobility, so we can’t just get rid of him. If it offends you, I will imprison you with the Count in the Salt Castle. ”
Ulkar pondered for a moment, then nodded.
“Abide by Lord Liam’s will. Check the security of the salt castle again”
“Your Highness!”
Before he could finish his words, a soldier jumped into the tent. The prince stopped the knights from shouting and gave the soldier a chin.
“The mysterious man who came down from the sky wants to see Your Highness.”
“…me?”
“Yes, some of the soldiers recognized him…”
The messenger’s words made the prince’s deep blue eyes widen.
