It’s almost sunrise and the bandits are running for their lives, chased by the smoke. I have no reason to hold back from the bandits, so I order them to attack harder.
“Don’t force them to chase you. But as long as you have the weapon, take them down without mercy.”
“Ha.”
The first thing we did when we entered Anheim was to detach the convoys and conduct a military operation. We can’t do anything until we’ve stabilized traffic with the rest of the region. I also want to make sure my knights and men are up to the task.
I order my knight, Sir Holtzdeppe, who represents the Lord Commander, to attack further. I’m on the front line too, swinging my spear and knocking one of them out. The bandits outnumber us, but they don’t have the strength to mount a coordinated counterattack now that we’ve succeeded in taking them by surprise.
but I can’t just stand back and watch.
The difference in strength between knights and bandits is actually quite large. Jackley’s Rebellion in the Middle Ages, it was a peasant rebellion. 40 knights killed 70000 peasant rebels in one night and only one knight died.
But dividing 700 by 40 gives us 175 for each knight. I don’t care if they were standing on the ground, it’s impossible for them to move in time, so I’m sure the numbers are actually exaggerated.
Viscount, some of the enemy are escaping!
What side are you on?
“It appears to be heading towards a depression on the left.”
Then leave it. I’ve already got men down there with Schunzel. You’ll hear from me soon enough.
He has 30 knights and 60 infantry under his command. Neurath has 20 infantry attacking from his right, and Schunzel has 20 mercenaries waiting around where the fleeing enemy will have settled.
The cargo from King’s Landing is being escorted along the road by five knights and 10 foot soldiers with Frensen and the civil servants attached to the deputies and half of Gauche’s mercenaries. That’s more than enough force for the bandits here.
“Whoa!”
“Sweet!”
In desperation, he parries a charging bandit’s blow with the tip of his spear and stabs him through the torso. It’s slower than a gargoyle and softer than a crocodile alligator warrior. I think you can beat a bandit around here if you’re not careful. But be on your guard.
I thought it might be a good idea to take out at least one more of them… but the way the battle’s going it doesn’t look like it’s my place anymore.
“Well done, Viscount.”
“I had information.”
That’s not modesty, that’s a fact. But the way Lord Holtzdeppe looks at me has changed to the point where I need to acknowledge him as my superior.
When I visited the Marquis of Knaap before returning to my domain from King’s Landing before heading to Anheim, I was prepared for this because I was the one who had driven him out of his domain so to speak. But the Marquis seemed to remember me from the refugee crisis and reacted sympathetically. He seemed to think of me as a young man who’d been sent away because the powerful people of the capital didn’t like him despite his efforts.
When he said to me, “Sir, there will come a time when your efforts will be recognized,” as if a teacher of a club was looking at a student who was not getting any results. I was at a loss to react to it, because he didn’t have any malice toward me.
Anyway, I was able to hear from the Marquis about the details of the Anheim region, but the details themselves are rather gloomy.
To make a long story short, the Marquise’s forces are at their wits’ end to deal with the intermittent arrival of refugees due to the damage at Fort Verisa.
The number of demons increased during that time, and even the bandits and bandits from the ruined Triots were chased away by the demons and moved here, and they grouped together and expanded their size to avoid being attacked by the demons. The bandits and bandits from the ruined Triots have been chased away by the demons and moved here, and they have also grouped together and expanded their size to avoid being attacked by the demons.
I’ve managed to keep the area around the town safe, but I can’t say that I’ve been able to do much about the whole territory. Thankfully the Marquis was kind enough to confirm the bandit’s location and double-check the geographical information, but the situation is still a headache.
I can’t just leave it like that now that I’ve heard about it. I mean, even if it’s a demon army we’re up against, it’s not safe to be fighting a defensive battle in an unsafe area. It wouldn’t be a joke if we were fighting a demon army and we were attacked by human bandits and our supplies were stolen. I’ve decided to take action as soon as possible even if it means using a bit of force.
And now we’ve just burned down the second bandit hideout before we’ve even arrived in Anheim.
This is the result of my departure from King’s Landing after I arrived in Anheim and arranged for word to spread that I was sending a great army to destroy the city. They didn’t expect an attack before I arrived.
In fact, Lord Holtzdeppe was one of the people who insisted that I should first arrive at Anheim, but he changed his attitude after we destroyed the first bandits in a night raid with only a mercenary company, saying that he didn’t have to follow me if he insisted that much.
But they’re motivated to do it anyway… so we’re taking control of the second bandit group with regular knights and infantry. But with the large number of magic lamps we’ve brought with us, night raids are a lot easier.
“When Schunzel comes back, we’ll head to the next…”
“Huh?”
I’m sure the bandits aren’t all that stupid… they’ll have figured out our plan by now. Still, if we take out two groups… it’s only natural that they’ll be on their way to Anheim. It’s better to take a detour and take out the other one.
Ignore Sir Holtzdeppe’s dubious expression.
“Won’t the civil servants complain?”
I’ll hear about it when we get to Anheim. What about you, sir?
“… I will accompany you.”
I was planning to go with Neurath and Götke’s mercenaries alone if they don’t follow us… but now that they’re coming… Do we need to divert the cavalry? They’re more likely to be recruits if we make them go too far around to avoid detection in that terrain.
From what I’ve learned from the Marquis and the terrain… the next target seems to be prioritizing assault or setting up a base where they don’t think much of defenses. It’ll be more trouble than it’s worth if we put them off and let them escape.
Eliminating this third bandit group will stabilize traffic routes to and from Viscount Grellmann’s post. There’s no reason not to. It’s a bit of a detour, but we’ll smash our way to Anheim. We’ll arrive tomorrow morning and send a messenger.
He concluded while confirming that Schunzel’s squad had returned.
We arrived in Anheim the next morning as planned. The arrival of the deputies wouldn’t have been much of a topic of conversation, but the arrival of the cavalry, civil servants, infantry, and bandits captured from the rear of the mercenaries and laced up behind them as they entered the town was… well, it was a topic of conversation.
I really don’t want to stand out and do this triumphant return to the city, but if I don’t make a strong impression first, I’ll lose too much time in the city’s internal politics before the Demon Lords attack. I know I have no choice but I’m still a bit conspicuous.
The lack of enthusiasm may be due to the fact that they are aware that the town itself is becoming deserted after the destruction of Triots.
The town of the same name, Anheim, the capital of the Anheim region in the Marquisate of Knaap’s neighboring kingdom of Traioth, prioritizes defense over distribution. No matter how friendly the neighbors are, a foreign country is still a foreign country. It’s a fortified city that can be besieged in case of emergency.
The town is a base for border defense and has a large number of guards. There is a crossbow ballista on the ramparts. We’ll have to check it out, but it looks like we don’t need to do anything to the walls in the meantime.
The head of the town guard and the head of the bureau greet you with his men in front of the office where official business is conducted. This is where we must be bold. We’ll put on our noble masks and ride up to the men who greet us.
Thank you. Werner van Zierfeldt.
We’ve been expecting you.
You’ve got eyes that are assessing without being disrespectful. I suppose I should be. And I can’t be taken lightly as a young man.
Thank you. Throw those bandits in the cells first. We’ll execute the head in three days.
“… Huh?”
A man who seemed to be a representative of the government looked surprised, but ignored him.
“Did you not hear me? The head will be executed in three days’ time. Now, this is not a marquisate, it’s under your jurisdiction and I’m your personal governor. I’m your deputy. I’ll execute him according to the law of the land.
Even now, the Marquises have their own laws. Maybe when the Marquis de Knaap was in charge there was a different procedure, but now things are different. We have to be clear that it’s not a marquessate anymore.
“Make sure the whole town knows about it. Same way you’ve always done it. All right? Three days from now.
I raised my voice so that everyone around me could hear… and the people who were watching cheered. Oh, dear.
As in prehistoric Europe, execution was a pastime for the common people of the Middle Ages. No, that’s not a mistake. Not only that, of course, but it was definitely a form of entertainment.
For example, in the Middle Ages, on the day when a famous couple was hanged, tens of thousands of people came to watch the execution and a chess match broke out, resulting in more than 20 deaths and 70 injuries. It’s not funny because it actually happened that I became a corpse when I went to see the death penalty.
And this is not a medieval story but an early modern story, when Louis XVI, the husband of Marie Antoinette, was executed by guillotine, there was a man who soaked a handkerchief in the blood flowing from the corpse and tried to bring it back home. There are many indescribable anecdotes about the death penalty.
It would be true to say that the common people did not have that much entertainment. Not everyone enjoyed it, of course, and not everyone was forced to. It’s the same in this world. Lily, for example, doesn’t want to go. On the other hand, we can’t turn our eyes away from the fact that there is a demand for it.
I myself don’t really want to see the death penalty, but this time we have the problem of the bandits who were rampaging around the town. We have to show them that we’re going to execute them so that they won’t criticize us for sneaking them out or something.
“I need to take a bath before I meet the pledges. Lead the way. I’ll show you to your men’s quarters and find lodging for your mercenaries.”
“Ha, ha.”
Yes, sir.
He gives the signal and enters the office with Neurath, Schünzel, Frensen, and Sir Behnke, the first of the civil staff. There are simple accommodations in the office for guests from afar, and there is usually a simple bathing facility attached to the building.
I’m sure there’s a chance you’ll be left in the bathtub… but that’s to be expected. It’s not like I’ve never had to wipe myself down with water from the river. I’ll at least get some travel dust and war dust off my body before I meet the important people in town.
Well, we’re on to another battlefield.
