The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 30 - Knight of the Principality (16)

 

Count Yakobski struggled to open his eyes.

A knight at his side exclaimed with gleaming eyes.

“Your Excellency! Are you conscious?”

“Ugh, what’s happening…”

The Count looked down at his chest as he suddenly felt pain.

An arrow was deeply embedded between the gaps of his armor.

As he recognized this, the Count let out an involuntary groan from the pain that washed over him and asked the knight beside him in a strained voice.

“Have we… escaped the encirclement?”

The knight shook his head with a grim expression.

“They’re so persistent… It seems they’ve temporarily halted their attack, but they’ll be back soon.”

“This… I guess God… intends to take my life today… haha.”

Though he was a lord bold enough to make jokes even in such a situation, his trembling eyes betrayed unmistakable fear and despair.

The elderly knight bit his lip and declared solemnly.

“Your Excellency, don’t worry. We’ve sent messengers to Permikoff, so help will arrive soon. You must hold on until then!”

The Count gave a bitter smile.

“Even if I were the Administrator… I doubt they’d send help… Well, I’m sorry… to face the Grand Prince like this.”

The circumstances that had brought Count Yakobski here were largely coincidental, but the intentions of the other reinforcements now being slaughtered were as transparent as anyone could guess.

From the city’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange at all to just watch with secret satisfaction.

And it wasn’t like their arrival would provide tremendous help anyway…

‘These barbarians seem more vicious than before… the future of the principality looks bleak.’

When he had participated in the previous large-scale conflict with the barbarians, they hadn’t been this formidable, but from Count Yakobski’s perspective, the ones rampaging now seemed stronger and more experienced.

Perhaps while the barbarians had never forgotten their defeat and continued honing their skills, the principality had grown complacent in its long peace.

‘At least the Grand Prince must have been informed of the current situation… that’s somewhat fortunate.’

His uncle, the Grand Prince who ruled the principality, though aged, was by no means a pushover.

He was probably now fully aware of the defeat in the east, as well as the chaos unfolding before Permikoff, and would be sufficiently wary of the barbarians.

The Count smiled but winced as the pain intensified.

Simultaneously, he saw someone hurrying toward him.

It was Anton, the military priest who had joined this expedition.

“Your Excellency, Your Excellency! They’re attacking again! The knights can only hold them off for so long – you must flee immediately!”

The elderly knight looked at Anton with resolve and said.

“Father, please take care of His Excellency. Get him as far away as possible.”

“Forget it. There’s nowhere to run anyway.”

The Count tried to wave his hand dismissively, but the knight paid no heed.

“As long as Your Excellency survives, we can certainly plan for the future. Father, depart now!”

Anton looked at the knight with regret and quietly made the sign of the cross.

“…May God watch over you.”

“Haha, I believe He will extend His hand of salvation to you two before me. Take care.”

After the knight saluted with precision and left the tent, Count Yakobski heaved a deep sigh.

“How are we supposed to escape from here… Anton. You should flee too. It’s too much with an injured body.”

“Don’t say that! There must be a way!”

Anton, despite sweating profusely, forcibly lifted the wounded Count and exited the tent.

If they could mount a horse and flee toward the city, they might somehow save their lives.

However, upon stepping outside, Anton couldn’t help but wear an expression of despair at the sight before him.

“Please, God…”

A massive cloud of dust had risen.

The barbarians were all charging on horseback, kicking up dust that soared high into the sky, and the sound of galloping horses thundered like lightning.

Anton slowly began to finger his rosary.

The Count cried out in a hollow voice.

“So You truly intend to take me today…”

The few knights and mercenaries standing firm against that overwhelming charge were like candles in the wind.

They too knew well that there was nowhere to retreat even if they tried to flee.

A mercenary, seemingly driven mad with fear, could be seen screaming and attempting to harm himself while others tried to stop him.

The knights were not much different.

Most had lost their horses, so those inevitably stuck on the ground were clutching their weapons while trembling with fear, belying the term “war machine.”

When the elderly knight glanced back, he noticed Anton and the Count collapsing.

‘There’s no way for my lord to escape…’

Nowhere.

A desperate situation.

He gritted his teeth and desperately glared at the mass of enemies before him.

‘Please, let a miracle happen…!’

And, as if a lie, a miracle did happen.

****

Viktor stared ahead with a rigid expression.

The place where the reinforcements were being slaughtered was so close to the city that, with a fairly forced march, they had been able to arrive at the scene quickly.

The mercenaries had been disgruntled, but fortunately, no major issues had arisen.

Captain Georgi was indeed experienced and skilled.

He had successfully controlled the mercenary companies that were scattered and moving sluggishly, cleared out the various peddlers who had mixed in and caused commotion, and somehow managed to make this pathetic group that could hardly be called an army move quickly.

Viktor could recognize from this alone that the Guard Captain was worthy of overall command.

And the place they arrived at was truly a hell on earth.

Corpses were not just abundant but piled up everywhere, and the ground was stained red from so much killing.

It was a horrific sight that even the most experienced mercenaries found sickening.

Georgi spoke with a hardened face.

“I wonder how many reinforcements had gathered… I didn’t expect the situation to be this bad.”

“Don’t the barbarians accept surrender?”

“That shouldn’t be the case. They take prisoners unless they’re in a hurry. This is probably… because they’ve killed so many, even excluding those taken prisoner.”

“…It’s beyond comprehension.”

Since the corpses hadn’t been handled separately, they were so numerous that one would step on them with just a short walk, making it pointless to count how many had died.

“We’ll have to burn them all later or else plague might spread… but now’s not the time to think about that.”

Georgi pointed toward the front.

The barbarians were all charging together.

“Fortunate or not, they don’t seem to have noticed us yet… but look there.”

Hundreds, if not more, horses charging and creating a dust storm was a spectacular sight, but more noticeable were those resisting by forming lines in front of them.

Viktor’s transcendent vision discovered several things even through the thick dust storm.

Mercenaries and knights holding swords with expressions of despair.

A middle-aged man and a young man sitting down.

And… a banner flying above a tent.

‘A lion roaring on a shield?’

Squinting his eyes a bit more, it was clear.

A shield drawn on a red flag with a lion roaring toward the sky above it.

Beside him, Georgi asked with a puzzled expression.

“Sir Viktor, what’s wrong? Can you see something?”

“Ah, I can see an emblem over there.”

“What? You can see that? What kind of emblem?”

Georgi looked at Viktor with suspicious eyes.

How could anyone see anything in this haze…

But at Viktor’s next words, he was shocked.

“A shield on a red flag, and a lion… Good heavens!”

“Is it the emblem of a noble you know?”

“Th-that’s… Count Yakobski’s emblem! Damn it all! We must go to his rescue immediately!”

“…!”

After being momentarily stunned, Georgi hastily gestured, and soon horn signals echoed.

Without time for proper organization, mercenaries moved hurriedly, and various captains could be seen rushing about in disarray.

‘At this rate, we’ll be too late…!’

Though the distance was short, since most were infantry, even if they issued orders and charged in, they would likely be too late.

Viktor, as if having made up his mind, drew his battle axe and tightened his helmet straps.

“Georgi, advance as soon as you’re ready.”

“Y-yes? Sir Knight, what are you—”

“I’m going ahead. It’s too dangerous as it is.”

“Sir! Sir! Didn’t you say you would follow my command?! Come back!”

“Lukovich, take good care of the Guard Captain! And give me that!”

“J-just wait a moment!”

Viktor snatched the javelin that Lukovich was holding and rushed forward before anyone could stop him.

From behind, he could hear desperate calls, but he ignored them.

Viktor’s heart began to race.

To think he would charge alone into such a vast horde.

He had considered himself quite rational, but now it seemed that wasn’t entirely true.

With excitement, his heart pounded wildly, and as blood seemed to circulate from head to toe in an instant, his entire body felt feverish and tense.

‘Can I do this…?’

He didn’t know.

But his whole body, his instincts, his clenched hands were shouting.

Go and tear them apart!

He decided to momentarily suppress his reason and surrender to his instincts.

A warrior raised in the harsh north roared.

****

“Hmm…? What’s that?”

The enjoyable hunt was reaching its climax.

It was quite amusing to see these people, cornered like rats, trembling yet baring their teeth as they were slowly driven into a corner.

Now, all that remained was to finish them off.

Adan, feeling an exhilarating thrill as he charged forward with the warriors around him, suddenly looked to the side.

Beyond the dusty haze, someone was rushing toward them.

“A knight who fled?”

The shadow, growing gradually as it approached quite rapidly, seemed to have a substantial build.

Adan sneered.

‘If you’re going to flee, you should flee all the way.’

To choose death due to petty pride.

Trying to join in during the warriors’ charge would only result in being swept away like a storm.

‘I’ll kill you!’

Adan mentally exclaimed as he drew his sword.

As he hoped, the knight was getting closer.

But something was strange.

The approaching knight’s build was… much larger than expected.

‘What is this…? Was there someone like that?’

Adan gripped his sword handle tighter with an inexplicable chill.

‘Why am I so uneasy… it’s just one man, and a runaway at that…!’

Finally, when other warriors around him also noticed the opponent’s charge.

The man emerged through the dust storm.

A massive, brutish build, well-equipped armor.

An overwhelming killing intent seemed to emanate from his eyes visible through the helmet.

“W-what…!”

Adan opened his mouth in shock.

In that moment, something flew quickly and embedded itself.

The spear tip pierced through Adan’s face, creating a fountain of blood.

Almost simultaneously, the monstrous knight collided with them, charging on his horse like a chariot.

Crash-!