■■■■■■■■■■
123 The Attack
Was Repelled
■■■■■■■■■■
Translator : PolterGlast
Red flames rose,
painting the night sky a reddish-black.
"It has
begun."
That's where the Golteo
Trading Company is located.
It looks like the
bandits have broken into the Golteo Trading Company and set it on fire.
The soldiers who were
patrolling the mansion's perimeter began to move to put out the fire.
The former knights and
bandits, numbering about 170, are supposed to rush in at that time.
For that to happen,
it's necessary for the Golteo Trading Company to look like it's on fire.
"I wonder if
Jojok handled it well?"
"I'm sure Sir
Jojok will be fine. He will definitely protect the Golteo Trading
Company."
Anneliese stood beside
me, looking out the window.
She was already
wearing her robe and holding her staff. The two of us are ready to face the
coming battle.
"Shall we clean
out the villains that have been festering in Triange?"
"Yes. I'll be by
your side."
When we both left the
room, Barth, Jonaminas—a first-generation member who became a knight—and five
soldiers were waiting. Jonaminas is a knight with the Explorer job at Level 46
and is now a first-generation member in charge of a unit. All of his soldiers
are also first-generation former slaves.
I returned their
salute, and Barth briefly reported that everything was going according to plan.
"The soldiers
inside the mansion are all elites, and I will be in command. The commander has
also secured the perimeter of the mansion to prevent a single bandit from
escaping."
The soldiers inside
the mansion alone are capable of defense. However, since the enemy has a large
number of people, Gandarvan has deployed his troops around the mansion to
prevent them from escaping. We prepared to completely surround and annihilate
them.
I felt the presence of
many people approaching the mansion's perimeter from four directions. The enemy
plans to attack from all sides—east, west, north, and south—which is exactly as
Sodon reported.
"Capture every
last one of them. You may kill those who resist."
"Ha!"
Barth went down to the
first-floor entrance to command the defense.
The remaining Jonaminas
unit stayed by my side as my guards. Originally, Lin's unit was supposed to be
the guards, but they were positioned to intercept the bandits. To be honest, I
don't need a guard, but as the head of a noble family, I can't say that.
Jonaminas is a
24-year-old knight with red hair and green eyes. He's a promising individual
who is quick-witted and considerate of his subordinates. Many people
underestimate Jonaminas because his job is Explorer, but the fact that he tries
to get those people to understand without being overbearing is a plus point.
He's the kind of person who would handle a fight with a mature attitude to
resolve it, and I highly respect him and feel I have a lot to learn from him.
As we moved to the
third-floor hallway overlooking the entrance, the bandits swarmed into the
premises.
They engaged in combat
with the guards, and I could hear the clamor.
"Steal the treasures!"
"Kill all the
men! Kidnap the women!"
"Don't kill
Footscythel! You can crush an arm or a leg, but capture him alive!"
I heard voices like
that.
It seems they plan to
capture me without killing me.
Are they planning to
demand a ransom? Or are they planning to torture me as an example and then kill
me?
"I heard
Footscythel's women is a high-class! Don't kill her!"
"You bet! I'll
violate her until she's completely drained!"
Violate Anneliese...
"Hehe. What great
nerve. I wonder how long that vigor of yours will last."
"Your
Excellency... Could you please suppress your bloodlust? It's making us shrink
back."
Jonaminas and the
others had pale faces. When there's too much of a level difference, even a
slight leak of bloodlust can have this effect on allies. I need to be more
careful.
The vigorous voices of
the enemies died down. Instead, I started hearing screams and pleas for mercy.
"I-I'm a relative
of Count Parton! If you kill me, you won't get away with it, aah!"
If you're going to beg
for your life, you shouldn't have done this in the first place.
I don't care whose
relative you are. An enemy is an enemy, and if they can't be captured, I've
ordered them to be killed. There are no exceptions.
I didn't hold them
accountable for the crimes they committed when this was a royal direct domain,
so they should have stayed quiet. If they had taken my leniency as a chance to
repent, this wouldn't have happened. They got greedy, and this is the result.
By the time the
eastern sky turned white, the clamor had completely disappeared.
A blood-soaked
Gandarvan came through the entrance, his armor clanking.
When I went down to
the first floor, everyone knelt down.
"A report, my
lord. The enemy has been repelled. We are currently pursuing those who fled,
but there are only a few left."
As expected, he's
efficient.
"What is the
extent of our casualties?"
"We have some who
are lightly injured, but no one is seriously injured or dead."
"That's good.
Could you also confirm the situation with Jojok's group?"
"I'll report that
myself."
Barth raised his face.
"There was no
damage to the Golteo Trading Company that Jojok was protecting. I've received a
report that there were no injuries."
"That's good to
hear. ...Everyone, I'm sure you're tired, but please dispose of the bodies,
collect the record cards, and bring the captured individuals to me one by one
for interrogation."
"My lord, you
don't have to interrogate them yourself. I can do it."
Gandarvan's
blood-stained face is not good for my heart when I see it in a dark place.
"No, it's fine. I
will interrogate them myself. Anneliese, please go rest first. Just in case,
I'll have Lin and Rosalina stay close to you."
"I'm fine
alone."
"There might
still be bandits hiding. It's just in case, and it's for my own peace of mind.
Understood?"
"...Yes. Thank
you for your concern."
I sent Anneliese away
and moved to the soldiers' barracks for the interrogation of the captured
enemies.
The first one seems to
be the bandit leader.
His name is Dobinu. He
is 47 years old, and his job has changed from Bandit to Robber. He has a thick,
unkempt beard.
"Alright, can you
tell me the location of the Urug Bandit Group's hideout?"
I could hear Dobinu
grind his back teeth.
He stared at me
without saying a word.
"You won't talk,
huh? That's fine."
I quickly wrote down
Dobinu's crimes. Even if he doesn't speak, Detailed Appraisal tells me his
history.
I asked Samdahl about
it, and he said that while an appraiser's Appraisal skill can reveal crimes
depending on proficiency, they can't see the detailed background. The scope of
what can be seen with Appraisal is much more limited than Detailed Appraisal.
And also, when I
encourage my Detailed Appraisal to do its best, for some reason, the amount of
information it reveals increases.
Just like with my Item
Box, unique skills are truly convenient.
"Your name is
Dobinu. Your criminal record shows you've attacked merchant caravans 35 times,
broken into stores 8 times, committed blackmail 23 times, rape 19 times, and
killed 36 people. And this time, you attempted to break into the Footscythel
viscount family's mansion, which ended in failure. Hmm, a death sentence seems
more appropriate than being a first-grade slave."
"You... Are you
an appraiser?"
I didn't need to
answer, so I just smirked. I'm thinking that if I act mysterious, he'll be more
intimidated.
"Alright, Dobinu
will be a first-grade slave with an indefinite sentence. You'll be forced to
perform labor in a terrible environment that would make you beg for
death."
"Don't screw with
me!?"
Dobinu yelled. Did he
think I'd be intimidated by his yelling? Well, ordinarily, a person with a
menacing face like his would be feared if they yelled.
"Unfortunately,
my hearing isn't as bad as yours, Dobinu. I can hear you even if you don't
yell."
"You little
bitch..."
Yeah, yeah. It's a
hassle to correct him now, but he's mistaken me for a woman. My voice is
high-pitched, and my face is feminine, but you should have researched your
target's face. How much time did you spend preparing for this? You had over a
month! And I was out in town during that time.
"Remember this
well. I am Toi Footscythel. The lord of this territory."
When he heard my name,
Dobinu looked surprised. Probably because he didn't expect me to be a man.
I reached out and
grabbed Dobinu's face.
"L-Let go!"
He was tied up with a
rope, so it was difficult for him to resist.
I made a small cut on
his forehead with a knife, and a little blood oozed out.
—Slave Contract.
The blood on his
forehead squirmed and formed a pattern. This is a powerful slave crest that
can't be used on voluntary slaves.
I would usually put it
in a place that isn't visible, but I have no interest in stripping a man, so
his forehead will do. He's not going to be freed from slavery anyway.
"Do not speak
without my permission. I forbid you from escaping. I forbid you from committing
suicide. Do not harm others."
Dobinu tried to open
his mouth, but he started to suffer. Since I've made him my slave, he will be
in great pain if he tries to do something against my orders.
"If anyone other
than me tries to break this slavery, you will die. You're lucky. You get to
work in a terrible place for the rest of your life."
The Slave Merchant
job's Slave Contract skill doesn't actually have that kind of effect. It's just
a threat. And a form of harassment.
"Have this one
work on road maintenance."
"Yes!"
Upon hearing my words,
Jonaminas gave instructions to the soldiers.
The roads in the town
are made of dirt, so they apparently get very muddy when it rains. Since people
who can work on road maintenance came on their own accord, I'll make sure to
put them to good use.
-----
Thank you for my Patrons !!
[Platinum]
MaxKne
[Gold]
B random
DavidA
Nepheos
ShitaiNoKootoRyuu
[Silver]
Creris
Frédéric Bertrand-Hudon
Matthew Fraser
Anton Lim
Ctdela
Curious Panda
SD Fox
Read Advanced Chapters only on my Patreon
-----
