“No. It would be a shame to throw away 2,3 thousand troops. It’s not that far anyway.”
Bringing all the troops here up north and checking it out would be too conspicuous. It was better to check it out himself rather than keep sending envoys that didn’t come back.
“I will prepare the elites.”
“Leave out the centaurs. I think it would stand out too much. Leave out the eastern tribes too. . . Just pick those who are good at horsemanship among the mercenaries.”
Reconnaissance could be sent out but Johan preferred to take the lead whenever possible. Hadn’t he kept coming to the forefront in the fight against the pirates?
At first glance, it seemed like dangerous behavior, but for a nobleman it was an honorable and valiant act. There was a reason why incompetent feudal lords bothered to put on armor and take the lead.
For the nobility, honor and fame were much more important than thought, and the rumor of being a coward was fatal to their reputation.
In that regard, Johan was above reproach.
With the courage of a lion’s honor and the purity of white snow faith. That was something even vassals who had no choice but to surrender out of fear had to acknowledge.
Of course, Johan himself was not acting that way precisely because he was such a rogue knight. . .
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
̇ȧ̇𝙬𝐞ḃ̇𝕤𝙩𝚘𝙧ɪᴇ𝘴.ᴄᴏ𝘮
“. . .They didn’t betray us after all.”
Johan clicked his tongue. There were corpses around the destroyed town wearing the attire of mercenaries. It seemed they had been attacked while staying in the town.
“They were attacked by pirates?”
“Wouldn’t that be the case?”
“Those a**holes?”
Hearing Johan’s words, Goran suppressed his urge to laugh. Even though this young knight had become a count, he still acted as reckless as ever.
While it was pleasing, he had to grasp the situation as a mere mercenary. Goran straightened his posture and said,
“There must have been a reason.”
“Guys who make a living like this got hit by pirates and couldn’t do anything about it. . .”
Judging by the traces, at least over a hundred pirates had charged in. For this scale, the mercenaries should have banded together to respond. But they just got hit without resisting.
“There’s someone over there!”
When one of the mercenaries shouted, Johan turned his head. A wounded mercenary who came out from a collapsed house seemed surprised.
“Catch him.”
“Waaah!”
The man seemed to have mistaken Johan’s group as pirates and tried to flee. Even if they weren’t pirates, it was never good to encounter armed men in a place like this. There was no law saying they wouldn’t stab a fellow mercenary.
However, the wounded man was slow due to his injury and got caught right away. The kneeling mercenary looked at Johan with trembling eyes.
“Greet Count Yeats properly, you fool.”
“Si-Sir Knight. . . No. Are you Count. . .”
Only after hearing the mercenaries’ words did the man realize Johan’s identity. No wonder he looked so damn intimidating. He was the Sir Knight who led the soldiers at the forefront whenever the Order marched out.
He had heard rumors of that Sir Knight becoming a Count but never expected to see him here like this. It was surprising but rather assuring given the current situation.
“What happened?”
The man was a mercenary belonging to a small mercenary group called the Walgyesu Mercenary Group. During this expedition, he had made quite a profit and was staying in this town, being treated by his colleagues.
However, pirates had shown up. The mercenaries panicked and tried to fight but were vastly outnumbered. In the end, he alone survived by hiding.
“Where are the other mercenaries? You should be thinking about fighting back against the pirates rather than partying by yourselves when they’ve come this far.”
At Johan’s words, the other mercenaries nodded. Most of the pirates were gathered near the Marquis’ territory right now. They were preparing to target the Marquis.
With things as they were, the ones who came here wouldn’t be that strong either. To be defeated like this without stopping them. . .
“Did you not hear, Count? The mercenary captains are cursed.”
“. . .What?”
“They’re cursed, Count! An extremely cruel curse!”
The man spoke with a shudder. While Johan was dumbfounded, the other mercenaries made holy signs and cowered in fear. No one was more obsessed with superstitions than mercenaries.
The atmosphere among the mercenaries was great when they advanced separately from Johan.
The enemies couldn’t even defend properly and all sorts of fortunes piled up with each passing day.
But then, the captain of the Gorgale Mercenary Group suddenly collapsed. Next was the captain leading the b*stards of Arkiten. Then the captain of the Medusa Mercenary Group collapsed. . .
After that, it was the sub-captains. Seeing the sub-captains writhing in pain, the mercenaries were stricken by fear.
By then, a rumor had spread. The captains leading the mercenary groups must have committed some sacrilegious acts and got cursed.
Naturally, the mercenaries couldn’t do anything in that state.
Some minor mercenary groups and quick-witted mercenaries who feared the curse swiftly deserted. The remaining mercenaries had to hold their positions as their commanders had collapsed.
Of course, morale hit rock bottom. No one knew when the curse might transfer to them.
‘𝘚𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥?’
The envoys must have either been attacked by pirates or went to the mercenaries’ camp and got infected by the curse.
Johan raised an obvious question.
“Isn’t it an epidemic?”
The difference between these mercenaries and Johan was their mindset.
While they feared gods, superstitions, and everything in the world, Johan did not believe any of them at all.
Malevolent spirits feared those who did not fear them, and it was the same for curses. Naturally, Johan’s soul was strong.
“It’s not an epidemic!”
“Count. It doesn’t seem to be an epidemic. There’s no way the mercenaries couldn’t distinguish that much, right?”
The mercenaries agreed with the man. It was too suspicious compared to a normal epidemic.
“Hmm. . . I need to take a look at their condition.”
“W-Wait, Count. What if the curse infects you once we get there. . .”
While they were mercenaries willing to follow Johan and attack the pirates’ main force, they shuddered at the mention of seeing the cursed mercenaries.
Curses are frightening!
Johan almost snapped at them but held it in. At least they were loyal when needed.
In situations like this, he had to adapt his words to his audience.
“Look at me. I, Johan of House Yeats, am a knight blessed by God. Have I not been certified in the Order’s name?”
Hearing Johan’s words, the mercenaries unconsciously nodded. Johan’s words certainly sounded convincing.
If this Count had not received blessings, then who else could have?
“Just as the priests exorcise evil by anointing, divine power flows in my soul and bloodline blessed by God and praised by His Holiness the Pope and the bishops. No wicked curse would dare approach me.”
“Ohh. . .”
The mercenaries made holy signs. Maybe because the noon sun was especially hot, it felt like Johan had a halo behind him.
“C-Could you hold my hand, Count?”
“. . .I don’t mind but why?”
“When I was young, a priest told me that just by touching the hands of those born from noble bloodlines, one could heal illnesses.”
‘. . .𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘥?’