If ours were a simple contractual relationship, there’d be no need for them to learn the language, but these men were going to serve me as settlers of Rosenheim. They would assimilate into German culture eventually, but for now, they were still outsiders.
"Where will we be attacking this time?"
"Schafen is the target, but first we need to track down a fugitive."
"Tracking is what we Hungarians do best. Leave it to us."
Barosi answered brimming with enthusiasm. He’d led the Hungarian cavalry in the last battle, and apparently, when he saw the Bavarian vanguard surging toward his men like a tidal wave, he’d considered fleeing.
The reason he hadn’t was that he’d found himself following me, as if entranced, when I charged ahead without fear of the enemy. And so he became one of the victors of the heroic battle that shattered the Bavarian vanguard.
It hadn’t taken long for the thrill he felt that day to turn into expectation and trust in me. I’m told the young Hungarians practically worship me. A very healthy development.
"Baron, a messenger from the duchy army has arrived."
"A messenger? The Inspector General must have finished his preparations for the campaign."
The news was that 300 duchy soldiers under Michael’s direct command had set out for Schafen. I’d expected him to gather around 500, but apparently that had been too much to hope for.
Well, 300 was more than enough.
Gathering 300 men in so short a time was impressive in itself.
Raising soldiers isn’t the end of it. You also have to arrange the supplies and provisions they need. With that in mind, I should buy Michael plenty of expensive liquor so he’d have nothing to complain about later.
The civil war had accustomed us to battles involving thousands, but territorial disputes were normally fought with a few hundred men at most. A force of 300 was more than any small territory could handle.
When a thousand enemy soldiers descended on Feuzen, which didn’t even have 300 people, everything had looked hopeless. Fortunately, I have the Gale Knights and the duchy army at my back, ready to support me at any time.
"Anton, you head to Grefeling."
"After arresting the administrator, where should I go?"
"Join the duchy army at Schafen and follow the Inspector General’s orders."
"Understood. I will complete the mission without fail!"
Anton withdrew with grim determination. His shoulders looked a little stiff, but this was his first solo mission, so some nerves were unavoidable. The veterans would be with him, so he’d be fine.
The sun was setting, but with a recruit from Grefeling among them, they wouldn’t have much trouble finding their way. I only hoped this mission would push Anton’s abilities a step further.
[The Night of the Nativity Runs Red Quest]
[Track down Count Heinlein]
[Reward - 1,000 points, 10 silver coins]
[Danger Rating ★★☆☆☆]
Now that the war’s over, the rewards have gotten really stingy.
Fine. Given the situation, 1,000 points is nothing to scoff at.
The night steadily deepened. Around the time crowds of people were flocking to church for Christmas Mass, we had already left Radensdorf behind and were riding through the outskirts.
It had been a while since 200 horsemen had ridden together like this—not since the civil war.
Thud thud thud thud thud!
The trail I’d confirmed through the Searcher Scouter didn’t lead south toward Schafen. Unexpectedly, it continued west, toward Dellingen.
Count Heinlein had made a mistake.
If he had never shown himself to me, tracking him with a Searcher Scouter that had no data on him would have been difficult. But he had appeared right in front of me, bold as brass, and the Scouter had saved his information.
That was why I was leading the cavalry toward Dellingen instead of Schafen. The members found it strange that we were heading west, but they followed me without a word.
Beort and Drek seemed thrilled to be under my command for the first time. Their retainers were the same. The Gale Knight had become the idol of every knight and horseman in Beren.
Halberds and polearms had even come into fashion. I couldn’t believe it when I first heard they were the latest trend, but there’s no denying they’re more effective than swords in knight-versus-knight combat.
For now, those hopeless sword fanatics were simply copying what they saw me use, but it wouldn’t take long before the practice established itself as the standard.
Personally, I find it encouraging.
Maybe the jeers about knights being cowards for using halberds will fade into history.
This hefty Halberd of Hades had become my trademark. The Streit family crest was two longswords crossed in an X over a blue shield, but there was a chance the swords would be replaced by a halberd.
Changing the crest of the ducal knight Streit family was impossible, but revising the crest of the Baron of Rosenheim’s Streit family was within my power. After all, I was the first baron of that house.
Hmm, adding the five stars and the rose that symbolize Rosenheim wouldn’t be bad either.
As we advanced slowly along the trail with torches raised, I spotted something up ahead. It was hard to make out in the dark, but the smell told me it was the corpses of horses and men.
I ordered Beort to check.
"It looks like a battle took place here."
"Can you tell whose bodies they are?"
"They look like mercenaries, but I can’t say for certain."
Count Palatine Heinlein’s body wasn’t among them. All I could confirm was that his footprints led toward the forest. We split into a recovery team and a search team, and I personally entered the forest to find Count Heinlein.
We couldn’t bring the horses in, so everyone dismounted.
Count Heinlein’s footprints, displayed on the Searcher Scouter, looked like the tracks of a man fleeing in a panic. The problem was that it was also displaying footprints with no identifying information.
Did he flee with his men?
Or...
I activated the Commander Scouter. Not far away, I spotted a group of troops. It was a mercenary unit, and they had a small detachment surrounded.
The leader of that small detachment was Count Heinlein.
And he was in clear and immediate danger. Damn it, Count Heinlein can’t die here. The whole affair only wraps up once I hand him over to the grand duke. I can’t let him be silenced for good in this forest.
The horse archers led by Debrecen Herto could have opened the attack, but a stray arrow loosed into the darkness could just as easily have hit Count Heinlein, so in the end, close combat was the only option.
Once we had closed the distance, their torches let us make out the enemy with the naked eye.
And best of all, the enemy had their backs turned to us, completely defenseless.
The conditions couldn’t have been better for an ambush.
A melee in the dark was extremely dangerous.
Telling friend from foe was difficult, and a blind blade could cut you down all too easily. So I split the members into pairs, one man attacking while the other held a torch.
It was a measure we could afford only because our numbers were overwhelmingly greater.
At the vanguard, Drek gripped his sword tight.
"Gale Knights, attack!"
At the command, the members burst from the undergrowth and fell upon the stunned mercenaries. The sound of clashing blades rang out through the darkness like a performance of the Moonlight Sonata. On this chillingly silent night, no less.
Aaargh!
Gyaaah!
"Damn it, what the hell?!"
The screaming sopranos came free of charge.
The night commemorating the birth of Christ was stained with blood.