It was obvious where the mercenaries were staying. If there were no pirates in sight and the town looked relatively intact, that’s where the mercenaries were staying.
Even the mercenaries did some looting while assessing the situation. When staying in one place for a long time, they did not completely devastate the surrounding area. Thanks to this, nearby towns maintained a tense atmosphere but looked quite intact.
“Where are those mercenary b*stards?”
“O-Over there is their camp.”
The serfs were so frightened when they encountered Johan’s cavalry that they couldn’t continue talking. They thought the newcomers were mercenaries.
The exhausted mercenaries standing guard, upon discovering Johan’s group, extended their spears and said,
“Halt. Where are you from?”
“Count Yeats.”
“. . . . . .”
The mercenaries stared blankly as if they had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer. The name was so unexpected.
Originally, no matter how noble, they should have kept them waiting, reported above, prepared properly, and welcomed them formally. . .
But Johan did not give them that chance.
“I need to go in. Step aside.”
“Ah. . . yes. P-Please come in.”
The mercenaries unconsciously stepped aside.
Johan’s confident attitude, posture, tone, gaze, voice. . . all of these convinced them. The orderly mercenaries glaring from behind also intimidated them.
Despite Johan only being their employer without the authority to command all these mercenaries. . . Nevertheless, the mercenaries unconsciously accepted Johan as their commander.
“Are you from the Gorgale Mercenary Group? Where is your captain?”
“He is lying in the tent.”
“Take me to him. I need to see his face directly.”
While riding into the camp, Johan looked around. There were quite a few collapsed mercenaries. But it seemed more like an epidemic than a curse. There was no magical aura.
It was common for disease to spread when many men gathered in one place. Moreover, mercenary men moved urgently and brought whatever they could grab, making it even more likely.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘨 𝘦𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤?’
Johan thought so as he approached the tent. The captain’s guards were taken aback and tried to stop him, but the mercenaries of the mercenary corps shouted even louder.
“It’s the Count! Get out of the way!”
“Get away quickly! Stupid b*stards!”
“Ah, no. Without telling the captain. . .”
Before they knew it, Johan had already opened the tent and gone inside. The guards watched dumbfounded from their posts.
“. . .Wha, crazy! What the hell are the guards doing!”
Mercenary Captain Deosam panicked and shouted. With his finger, the crow beastman, Deosam, pointed at Johan.
“Intruder! Intruder!”
“Calm down, Captain. It’s Count Yeats.”
“What kind of bullshit. . . Cough, cough.”
Deosam was angry, shouting and coughing before blinking. It was a young human man that looked very familiar.
“. . .S-Sorry. Count cough.”
“Let’s forget about the rudeness.”
Johan looked up and down at Deosam. The mercenary captain lying there was clearly very ill.
He was different from the mercenaries outside. Magic energy could be felt from the mercenary captain. Moreover, it was vicious and ugly energy.
The magic square amulet trembled when brought near.
‘. . .𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤.’
Johan was embarrassed. To be honest, he thought the mercenary captains had also caught the epidemic.
‘𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘱𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. . . 𝘞𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦?’
It was an absurd and laughable situation, but it was not a trivial matter. If they did not respond quickly, the mercenaries could fall apart.
“You don’t look well. I will take command of the mercenary corps instead.”
“A-Absolutely not!”
Despite lying down, Deosam panicked and tried to resist. Command over the mercenaries he led was like life itself for a mercenary captain. There was no *sshole who would hand it over to his employer.
“The seal and sword are here. I will use them well.”
“W-Wait!”
Johan grabbed Deosam’s shoulder, preventing him from getting up. Deosam’s face twisted from the pain he felt in his shoulder.
“The Order trusted you with this job, yet look at you now? If you’re in too much pain to get up, you should have left it to the deputy captain, or if he couldn’t do it, the next person.”
Johan’s scolding was tantamount to naked threats. The guards were outside, and Johan with his drawn sword stood alone in front of the captain.
Deosam fell into terror that Johan might use this situation as an excuse to kill him.
“Ugh. . . Ugh. . .”
“Looks like you need to rest. Take it easy.”
Johan’s words would not allow any more dissent. Deosam could only nod his head.
“I heard envoys came. Did any happen to arrive here?”
“Yes, they arrived. They are also bedridden.”
“. . .Really?”
Again Johan was surprised. To be honest, he thought they had been attacked by pirates. . .
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳?’
It was astonishing. Most of the mercenaries were not cursed, yet the envoys who had just arrived recently were.
“There’s no need to check now. Captain has handed command to me. This sword and seal are proof. From now on I’m in charge! All sub-captains who can move, assemble! Those who cannot move send representatives!”
At Johan’s shout, the mercenaries hurriedly moved. The rough, greedy men who would normally be vicious obeyed Johan like lambs.
The sub-captains were confused that a noble, no matter how high-ranking, had suddenly entered and started ordering them around. Even with the seal and sword, it was too strange.
‘𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?’
‘𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘴𝘬?’
‘. . .𝘕𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘪𝘵. . .’
However, none of the sub-captains opened their mouths. Among the mercenaries, sub-captains had roamed battlefields for quite a long time. As such, they had some situational awareness and senses.
Above all, their instincts were warning them.
“Yes! We pledge our loyalty!”
Johan looked around at the mercenaries and separated those in poor condition. He then ordered them to find a new water source.
‘𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘺𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺.’
While Johan did not have professional knowledge, he knew the basic countermeasures. Bathe, clean up unsanitary conditions, find uncontaminated drinking water. . .
“Boil water and dissolve salt in it. Is there any honey?”
“There is some left in the warehouse.”
“You’ve been living in luxury. For those in poor health, mix honey into their drink.”
Make simple oral rehydration solution and have them drink it. . .
Johan reacted quickly.
This much should quickly suppress the epidemic. Fortunately, despite the rumors caused by the curse, the situation was not serious.
As some of the healthy mercenaries started getting up, the atmosphere was instantly reversed. The mercenaries murmured Johan’s name in astonishment.
Indeed, the holy knight blessed by God is different no matter what!