The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 79 - Knight of Ascension (14)

Tumen wasn’t entirely inexperienced.

Being born and living as a member of the steppe tribes, who were closest to nature, was literally a continuous struggle.

For Tumen, who had spent a long time rubbing shoulders with rough and utterly ferocious tribesmen, being surrounded and glared at by fierce-looking captains was the kind of thing he could handle well enough.

Therefore, what made him nervous was something else entirely.

‘Good… the time has come. I need to prove my usefulness here. I can’t be miserably abandoned and left to die!’

Tumen glanced briefly at Viktor’s face, which was looking at him with a calm expression, then carefully opened his mouth.

“What would you like me to help you with?”

Watching Tumen awkwardly offer a principality-style greeting as he had learned from Lukovich, people chuckled, but Viktor’s face didn’t change in the slightest.

He replied to Tumen’s question with a face as hard as steel.

“Tumen, as the Grand Chief’s son, you were well-informed about their intelligence.”

“Yes… however, I’ve been away from my tribe for some time following Bohdan, so I don’t know much about recent situations.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. I won’t ask such questions, so don’t worry.”

Viktor took a small drink from the leather pouch of water he’d been handed, then continued speaking.

“Tumen, what do you think about our plan to advance straight to the Grand Chief’s main force like this?”

“Uh… what do you mean by that?”

When Tumen tilted his head, unable to grasp the intent of the question, Viktor gestured and gathered the surrounding people.

Then he picked up a small branch and began explaining while writing something on the ground.

“Now, everyone take a look. This is roughly our expeditionary force’s strategy.”

With simply schematized drawings and clear, easy-to-understand explanations, not only the captains but also the knights and even Tumen nodded their heads.

“In the end, our vanguard’s role is to advance at high speed, somehow tie down the Grand Chief’s army, and buy time until the main force arrives.”

“…I see, so that’s how it was.”

“Now I understand how we should fight.”

The captains were by no means stupid.

To lead a group of mercenaries required wisdom, whether it came from experience-based seasoning or natural talent.

A mercenary captain with poor judgment wouldn’t have been able to reach such a position in the first place.

Even if they didn’t understand the difficult words like strategy that came from Viktor’s mouth, they were fully capable of understanding the general situation through his overall explanation.

Tumen too, being quite sharp-minded, seemed to easily understand Viktor’s explanation.

“Well, now that you all seem to understand roughly, let’s go back to the beginning.”

Viktor rubbed the ground with his foot to erase the drawing, then turned his gaze back to Tumen.

“Tumen, do you think we’ll be able to capture the Grand Chief if things proceed like this?”

“Hmm…”

Tumen’s face gradually scrunched up.

“To be honest… going out with just us like this would be no different from wandering the steppes naked.”

“How dare a slave be so presumptuous!”

Krupin flew into a rage and raised his fist, but Mikhail, catching Viktor’s gaze, held him back.

“Why do you think so?”

When Viktor calmly threw out the question without being bothered, Tumen touched his horns and answered with a serious face.

“Thinking of the Grand Chief’s forces as I last remember them… with this level of troops, far from tying them down, we’d obviously just get trampled.”

“Hmm… Tumen, we’re not trying to fight and win. We just need to buy time until the main force arrives.”

“…It seems difficult. The Grand Chief’s guard is elite among elites. If they seriously get on horses and run, it won’t be easy for most people to even escape. And anyway, listening to the story now, there’s something I don’t understand…”

Tumen swallowed his saliva and, though seeming afraid to say such things, eventually spoke out.

“With an army centered on people who don’t ride horses like this, it’ll be hard to even chase the Grand Chief’s army. The activity range of scouts from my tribe is tremendously wide. We’ll definitely get caught in the middle. If that happens…”

‘So you’re saying the vanguard’s small numbers could lead to being counter-encircled instead.’

Viktor nodded.

Tumen’s thinking was not only valid but something he himself had been anticipating.

‘Then we have no choice but to do as Sir Vasilev said.’

Just as Viktor was about to make up his mind and speak.

Mikhail, who had been calming Krupin while listening to Tumen’s story, suddenly opened his mouth.

“Sir Viktor. May I add a word?”

“By all means, your opinion is always welcome.”

Mikhail gave a light nod and continued in a calm voice.

“As that barbarian slave said, rapid operations seem impossible when the vanguard’s mobility isn’t sufficiently guaranteed. Though we’ve supplemented with captured horses to some extent, there are limits.”

That was exactly right.

The mercenaries who still made up most of the vanguard were mostly infantry.

“Then there’s nothing to worry about. While advancing toward where the Grand Chief’s camp is, we’ll first strike the surrounding tribes. It wouldn’t be right to rush forward leaving the rear unattended anyway.”

“But Sir Mikhail, His Excellency the Count ordered the fastest possible advance! If those bastards move and the location information we’ve secured becomes useless, what will you do…!”

Krupin jumped up from his seat to object, but Mikhail only replied calmly.

“They’ve been staying in the same place for weeks anyway. Unless something major happens, it’s hard to see sudden changes occurring. And, as that slave said, no matter how fast we move, falling behind those on horseback is inevitable. I trust you understand the situation sufficiently.”

“…Mmm…”

Though he couldn’t object further to Mikhail’s words, Krupin frowned and made a displeased sound as if he didn’t like it.

Having silenced Krupin, he leisurely concluded his words.

“In the current situation, I think it’s best to go slowly like dyeing rather than moving like stabbing with an awl. And though it’s a bit awkward to say this… I think our lord was probably expecting this to happen anyway.”

Viktor gave a slight bitter smile and agreed with Mikhail’s words.

“Sir Vasilev was saying the same thing before we departed.”

“Oh, did he leave some hint?”

“He said not to expect such nimble movements with just mercenaries from the start, so don’t rush and just do what we can…”

“Hmm… that’s always how it is. Actually, such discussions usually happen implicitly, but directly revealing it like this is rarer… if that’s your way, Sir.”

Mikhail finished speaking and bowed his head before withdrawing to his seat.

Viktor looked around.

The captains all seemed to be clearly trying to contain their surprise.

And some among them were blushing and swallowing their anger as if ashamed.

‘Probably because they couldn’t completely deny Sir Vasilev’s words.’

As Viktor thought, or even more than that, the captains were sufficiently surprised.

‘To think he’d tell us even such inside information… amazing.’

‘Since nobles move armies and fight in such ways, naturally we knew nothing… I knew it, but it feels disgusting.’

‘They completely looked down on us… damn it, if I stay quiet after hearing such humiliation, I’m no man of the north…!’

At the same time, they were feeling their fondness for this great knight who was to lead them growing more and more.

Viktor was already famous for his tremendous achievements and as a knight so strong that there was no shortage of people who had directly witnessed his martial prowess.

For mercenaries who had long realized that there were relatively fewer deaths under strong knights, this was a very attractive aspect.

But on top of that, his personality, which seemed like it would be rough and scary, was actually generous, and he even cared enough to include mercenaries who were usually ignored by nobles in such meetings to share information, making it hard to dislike him.

Nobles tended to view mercenaries merely as consumables or just moving pawns.

There were countless people who didn’t care whether they lived or died once they’d paid money, and some were severe enough to deliberately drive mercenaries into death traps to pay less.

So it was rare for mercenaries to meet a commander like Viktor who paid so much attention to them.

The captains’ facial expressions began to change to be much more favorable, but Viktor had already turned his head toward Tumen.

‘As Sir Mikhail said, sorry to the Count, but… right now it’s better to do what we can step by step.’

Viktor opened his mouth in his characteristically low but clear voice.

“You must have heard the discussion so far. I too think it would be better to subdue the surroundings while advancing rather than rushing straight to the Grand Chief.”

“Ah… yes!”

When Tumen awkwardly bowed his head, Viktor continued speaking.

“Tumen, do you know anything about those occupying this area? Or even about those active nearby would be good, so tell me.”

“Uh… this area is mostly occupied by tribes following Bohdan. They were the most active in plundering the western lands.”

Tumen, who had been lost in thought while constantly stroking his horns, suddenly raised his head and shouted.

“This is my prediction, but… since the siege failed, everyone probably withdrew from around the castle. Then the place they’d flee to… would most likely be here.”

Viktor looked in the direction Tumen pointed.

Even in the darkness, he could see the vast steppes stretching endlessly.

“There’s a place that served as a supply base near Radovitz. I’ve visited it once, so I’ll guide you. If it’s there, it’s big enough to accommodate fleeing tribes without any shortage, so it’s probably certain!”

“Good, I’ll trust you.”

The vanguard’s first objective was decided.

Krupin was approaching to pick another fight, probably disliking Tumen’s confident appearance, but Viktor didn’t pay much attention.

He looked up at the night sky.

‘Slowly, slowly building it up will be fine.’

There was no need to move hastily.

He was now properly the commander of an independent unit.

If there were aspects he hadn’t liked or that had bothered him until now, he could gradually correct them from here on.

The captains murmuring while watching Krupin berate Tumen.

Mikhail watching that scene with a pitying expression, Lukovich and Alisa being restless.

Even Priest Anton sitting far away, busily writing something.

A slight smile appeared on Viktor’s face.

Then suddenly he tilted his head slightly and asked about something that had been bothering him all along.

“Tumen, what kind of beastman are you?”

“Pardon?”

Tumen, who had finally gotten hit and was rubbing his face with a dissatisfied expression, raised his head.

“Those horns. Seeing how they grow curved, are you a sheep beastman after all?”

“…!!!”

Tumen’s face was colored with shock.

It was an expression as if he’d heard something he absolutely shouldn’t have, to the point that even Viktor, who had brought it up, felt awkward.

“I’m… I’m a deer beastman! Even though I’ve become a slave, how could you insult me like this…!”

“Ah, yes. Sorry about that.”

Tumen seemed extremely upset about being mistaken for a sheep beastman, even having tears well up in his eyes.

“What did I do so wrong!”

It seemed deer beastmen and sheep beastmen really hated each other terribly.

It wasn’t particularly useful information.