The Third Son of a Medieval Knight Family Chapter 93 - Knight of Ascension (28)

Tents erected everywhere lay scattered about, burned by fire, and black smoke seemed to cover the sky.

Yugrichi was leisurely strolling through it all.

He looked around at the luxuriously arranged outdoor banquet hall, and the food and drink sprawled across the table.

“…Hmm.”

His face wrinkled subtly.

With an expression that exquisitely mixed contempt and admiration, Yugrichi picked up a piece of fruit from the table.

“Winter will be approaching soon, yet you’ve managed to carry around such things.”

The fresh fruit maintained its well-ripened state without being dried.

Crunch!

Red juice flowed down the corners of his mouth.

Yugrichi glared toward the distance with blazing eyes.

The principality bastards were all vermin.

“…These pieces of trash killed Bohdan? What a joke.”

From that distant place, the sounds of clashing weapons and horse cries still echoed.

“How dare they give me such humiliation…”

There would be no more negotiations.

At least on this point, the stubborn Bohdan’s words had been right.

They would accept no surrender.

To the very last person, they would kill them all.

Yugrichi threw the fruit he was holding.

“Clumsy fools… did they think they were the old empire or something?”

The fruit flew toward the face of a commander wearing luxurious armor and burst with a squelch, but he didn’t move a muscle.

He was already a dead corpse.

---

The vanguard was moving busily.

Mercenaries chattered noisily as they continuously loaded materials onto horses’ backs.

At least for the vanguard now, horses were no longer such a rare resource.

They had captured so many horses, and after the supply base conquest, they had even released some out of concern for hay consumption.

And Viktor wasn’t such a stingy commander.

Decent mercenaries who had achieved some merit now naturally possessed at least one horse.

To be precise, it was now difficult to find mercenaries in the vanguard who didn’t have horses.

“Kahaha, though it’s nothing new, who would have thought we’d rise in status like this…!”

When one mercenary burst into laughter while loading cargo, Maksim, the captain of the mercenary company he belonged to, curtly rebuked him.

“Status my ass… just carry the cargo properly. You bastard, I’m watching you. Make trouble one more time after drinking and there won’t be any senior or junior, got it?”

“Ah, why are you being like this again, Captain! I said I was wrong about that… and honestly, if I’d just stayed holed up in the city, would I have even dared to dream of riding horses?”

His words were true.

Horses were absolutely not something just anyone could possess.

At best, commoners were limited to hunchbacked mules or inferior pack horses.

Military horses that could be used for warfare or hunting horses were tremendous wealth that not only commoners but even shabby mercenaries couldn’t dare dream of.

Not only was the price steep, but they required tremendous care to manage, and there were more than enough people who looked unfavorably upon mere mercenaries or commoners riding around on expensive horses.

However, everything changed after joining Viktor’s vanguard.

Viktor was honestly the best commander and employer for mercenaries, only failing to pay wages.

He wasn’t stingy with rewards, respected the mercenaries, and was a knight who stood at the very front on the battlefield.

After defeating the monster encountered in the steppes and sweeping away the barbarians’ supply base, there were countless who had entered not just simple respect but even blind devotion.

When mercenaries for whom money was everything frequently said they would remain loyal to Viktor even if the Count cut off their pay, there was nothing more to see.

“They say when the war ends, Sir Viktor will gain not only a title but vast lands as well… who knows? If I achieve more merit, might he grant me even a small village?”

“Really now, what are you that Sir Viktor would grant you a village? Please fight well first before babbling. Every time I watch you fight, my insides feel like they’ll burst!”

When Maksim beat his own chest while glaring at him, the mercenary laughed shamelessly.

“Hehe, I may be like that, but couldn’t the Captain receive at least a knight’s title if he does really well? Honestly, what does the Captain lack compared to that guy you despise? Every time he brags about receiving a knight’s title, it’s so annoying…”

At his words, Maksim’s face hardened.

Sobol was a mercenary captain who had played the anvil role excellently in the last battle, protecting the witch at the center of the infantry.

He already had tremendous influence with a large mercenary company within the vanguard, and after achieving merit and receiving direct praise from Viktor, he was completely in his element.

“I told you not to talk about that bastard. Do my words sound like dicks to you?”

When Maksim grew serious, the startled mercenaries shut their mouths and busily loaded cargo again.

They didn’t want to get beaten up for unnecessarily provoking his temper.

As he sighed while glaring at his subordinates, it happened.

“Uh… those bastards over there…”

“Hey, don’t stare.”

When a group of mounted figures appeared from the outskirts, the mercenaries lowered their voices.

They looked around as if patrolling, and upon spotting the mercenaries, disappeared toward the other side with awkward expressions.

Maksim and his subordinates could finally breathe only after they had completely disappeared.

“No matter how much I see those guys, I can’t get used to them…”

“Probably everyone feels that way? Look how fierce they look, ugh…”

Though they should have gotten used to it by now, it wasn’t easy, Maksim shook his head.

After the barbarians joined the vanguard, the mercenaries still didn’t know how to treat them.

They had grown up always hearing that barbarians were monsters, and until recently they had been crossing swords, so whenever he thought about how things had turned out this way, his head ached.

For someone not particularly bright like him, it was difficult to understand.

‘Well… since Sir Viktor is doing it, there must be a reason.’

A thick stench lingered where the beastmen had disappeared.

Maksim frowned but tried hard to accept it.

No matter how much he disliked them, or honestly speaking, even if he was still somewhat afraid, ultimately their joining was because of Viktor’s will.

For him, who respected Viktor to the point of entering blind devotion, he could only follow.

---

Viktor watched those moving busily, then turned his head again.

Before him sat a strange combination never seen before.

Lukovich and Alisa, sitting somewhat tensely with hands folded politely while glancing sideways.

Mikhail and Krupin, trying hard to suppress their unpleasant expressions but with surprisingly no effect.

The benevolent-faced Anton, and Tumen and Kulak glaring at each other as if annoyed.

Knights and clergy, servants and witch, and barbarians – beings that should never mix were gathered in one place facing each other.

Viktor made a slightly apologetic expression and spoke to Mikhail.

“Sir, if it’s too uncomfortable…”

“No, it’s fine. Sir Viktor’s decision is surely rational and understandable. For conducting war long-term, this might be better.”

The experienced Mikhail, though there must be parts he couldn’t accept, wasn’t openly complaining.

On the other hand, Krupin, who was young and despite his cool appearance had a typical knight-like personality, expressed his dissatisfaction more directly.

“But still, to be with barbarians… though it’s to win the war more easily, there’s no need to drag even your honor through the mud! I, just thinking about it makes my heart ache and brings tears to my eyes…!”

“Hmph, Tumen. Are knights always such whiners? To think such guys are treated as warriors – I must have misunderstood the principality’s situation.”

“Watch your mouth, Kulak. Have you forgotten that Sir Viktor is also a knight?”

“Looking at that guy after seeing Sir Viktor makes my eyes feel like they’ll rot.”

As Kulak sneered at Tumen while listening to the knights’ words, Tumen flared up but didn’t particularly deny those words.

At the conversation between the two beastmen, Krupin’s face turned red and blue.

“These lowly barbarians really…!”

“Are you done talking? I’m properly attending this meeting as a representative of the steppe warriors, a subordinate of Sir Viktor. You’d better watch your mouth, young knight.”

“This old fool doesn’t know his place and dares speak such words to me?!”

When the finally exploding Krupin stood up abruptly, Viktor quietly raised his hand.

“Are you trying to fight in front of me right now?”

“Sir, it’s not that, but that guy…!”

“Sir Krupin, Kulak is no longer an enemy barbarian. He’s a steppe warrior who will help us. If you can’t understand this difference, you don’t need to serve under me anymore.”

“…That is, I mean… I’m sorry. I misspoke.”

Perhaps not wanting to be unable to serve under Viktor, Krupin blushed uncharacteristically for a young knight and quietly apologized before sitting back down.

Viktor looked at him and calmly continued.

“I fully understand your dissatisfaction. It would be difficult to accept suddenly being told to get along well with enemies you’ve been fighting. Moreover, they have no concept of respecting you even though you’re a noble and a knight.”

Krupin quietly nodded.

Though there were endless complaints to discuss, more than anything else, that part was maddeningly irritating.

Tumen at least formally used respectful language as Viktor’s official slave, but other barbarians showed not a speck of courtesy.

For Krupin, who had strong pride in his status, it was humiliation difficult to endure.

“Ultimately, to receive respect from steppe warriors, you must show powerful strength. You’re a knight I cherish, so you’ll surely be able to earn their respect. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“…Sir!”

At Viktor’s words, Krupin’s head shot up.

“If you don’t like it, formally request a duel. I’ll permit it. If you honorably knock them down and demand respect, they won’t say anything either. I’ll make this clear to others right now.”

Viktor looked around and spoke with strong emphasis.

“I won’t tell you not to fight while harboring complaints. Get proper permission and establish the hierarchy properly. Since the principality and steppes have different customs, it would be better to resolve differences in positions according to my words here. If you have any objections, feel free to speak.”

Though it was somewhat forceful and urgent without considering circumstances, everyone only nodded.

As Viktor said, if they only suppressed such problems, the pus would eventually burst, and to slowly understand each other and harmonize in the standard way would take an unreasonably long time due to the deep rift.

And such time was not sufficient for the vanguard.

Viktor took out from his bosom a wooden tablet organizing what the messenger had conveyed.

“You all probably know, but… the main force is experiencing the most critical threat since setting out. Therefore, our vanguard will go to support the main force.”

“But is it really that urgent? I wasn’t there so I don’t know well, but from what I heard, the main force’s scale could wipe out any decent small principality…”

Krupin, who had unfortunately been out on patrol duty when the messenger came, tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

Honestly, he couldn’t understand how such a force could be in crisis.

Really, if the Count hadn’t been the next heir, they couldn’t have gathered so many in the first place.

More than enough people had gathered to threaten the Grand Prince’s position.

“Besides, if the main force is threatened, what the hell were the reserve and harassment units doing…”

“I don’t know what the harassment unit is doing or where, but they’re probably doing well on their own. The commander is Sir Yelchin after all.”

“…Sir Yelchin!”

Mikhail continued in a calm explanatory tone.

“And that scale was too small to be of much help to the overall situation. If what the messenger said is all true.”

Taking his words, Viktor spoke.

“I don’t know the detailed circumstances either, but the main force seems to have clashed with the enemy’s elite led by the Grand Chief, Yugrichi. In the process, they suffered critical damage and the command is gathering troops while evacuating to where the reserve is stationed.”

Viktor gripped the wooden tablet and slightly bit his lip.

“With so many troops, probably even Yugrichi would find it difficult to annihilate the main force at once. Battle is likely happening even at this moment. Therefore, we need to draw the enemy’s attention before the main force is completely destroyed.”

“In other words, we need to buy time?”

When Tumen slightly raised his hand and asked, Viktor nodded.

“The Grand Chief’s elite forces would be difficult for the vanguard alone to easily handle. I don’t want to be reckless. Our role is to carefully draw attention so the main force can reorganize.”

That would be the best for now.

Then, Kulak’s eyes gleamed as he asked a question.

“Then where do we need to go?”

“Roshtov.”

“…!”

At Viktor’s words, the faces of those gathered in the hall changed.

“Roshtov, that’s the…”

“The castle that was captured. I understood we hadn’t recaptured it until recently, so probably the reserve was deployed for the castle’s capture. In other words, the problem is…”

“The gap between the main force and reserve, is that what you mean?”

At Kulak’s sharp observation despite not knowing the detailed circumstances, Viktor slightly nodded.

“Exactly. There’s considerable distance from where the main force was attacked by Yugrichi to Roshtov.”

Recalling the messenger who had been rambling while spilling blood, Viktor continued with a firm expression.

“In other words, before us are the remnants of the main force retreating in disorder toward Roshtov and the Grand Chief’s elite hunting them like prey, and we need a strategy to draw the enemies’ attention to resolve this situation. Very urgently at that.”

Kulak lowered his head with a grave expression, and people’s faces changed beyond pale to ashen.

The situation was worse than they had thought.

But Viktor’s words were not yet finished.