Price of Management

Nigel arrived at royal school with 500 cavalry men like a storm. The royal school was closed and the area was quiet.

Traces of merchants who had settled and traded nearby like the market floor were powerful, but the landscape was empty without any survivors. They all fled the war.

“See if there's anyone left, just in case. ”

“Old!”

The cavalry wandered around and examined the temporary buildings the merchants had built for business. I didn't even know if anyone was hiding without running away. And if you arrest that civilian and interrogate him, you'll get a lot of information.

However, after a while, the cavalry came back and reported.

“Nothing.”

“Tsk.”

Nigel kicked his tongue.

He couldn't have known that Mitchell had expelled all the merchants before the battle. The student council gained control of the merchandise around the school, so Mitchell did so and sent everyone away as if they were expelled. It was because of concerns that the merchant who remained and was caught by the Horn Empire could play forward, but Mitchell's judgment was sound.

“If you see 100 mounted soldiers from the 19thousandth Cavalry continue to search the area, take them captive for any reason. ”

“Old!”

100 cavalry members from the so-called 19,000 tribes scattered their horns and continued their search.

“The rest of you, follow me. I'm going inside the school. ”

“Old!”

Nigel sprints towards the closed gate. You pull out the long sword and strike as hard as you can with a burst of error.

Kuaang!

The gate was roughly opened without overcoming the shock.

‘There's no other lock. I just closed it. That means there were enough people in and out. ’

Nigel guessed that the secret passageway was inside the school and that the military had entered the mansion through it.

Nigel gives the order again.

“The 20,000-gauge cavalry scour the building to find the entrance to a hidden passageway or hidden person. Capture and bring anyone you see. ”

“Old!”

Another 100 cavalry men have left.

Nigel tours the countryside with the remaining 300. It's quite spacious, so it took me a while to explore on horseback.

Nigel told the rest of the soldiers that there was nothing particularly conspicuous.

“Spread out and search the countryside. ”

“Old!”

Nigel himself, along with his soldiers, began to take a look around the countryside.

* * *

I rowed across the secret passageway, and then the shard arrived in front of the royal school's lake. When he reaches the exit of the passageway, John swings his oars in reverse and stops the carving.

“Here, take it. ”

John handed the oars over to Mitchell.

“Swim away? ”

“We should. They'll be all over the school by now. ”

“Can you swim out undetected? ”

“You're not interested in the lake. We should hold our breath underwater and take our chances and get out of here. ”

As Mitchell, it was a rather dull story, but I wanted to do it because it was John the Expert.

“I'll be back then. ”

“Yes."

John quietly steps into the water. I dug deep below the surface and hid the trail. Mitchell was amazed at how he dived without making a sound.

“I beg you to fight. ”

Mitchell swings his oar toward the mansion.

After Mitchell's departure, John peers at the opportunity and sticks his face out of the slumber and looks around.

Although the hooves sounded chaotic, the lake was surrounded by foliage, making it easy to act in secret.

Rest assured, John hides behind a large leafy tree. Then the hoofbeats began to come closer. One of the Horn Empire cavalry approaches the lake.

‘Eek. Be careful. ’

John, who hides himself well, suddenly feels like lightning, breathing heavily. I thought killing that hostile and stealing his armor and horses would be an easy way out. You can also get a horse and move faster.

John shines his eyes silently like a beast.

The cavalry pauses in front of the lake and looks around. In the gap, John narrows his distance.

It was time for the cavalry, judged to have no one, to turn their heads again. John runs out like a guard and puts a long sword in the cavalry's neck.

Pouch.

“ ……?! ”

The cavalry that was pierced through the neck was choked by the blade that even screamed.

“Phew, get used to it. ”

Although the combat experience has familiarized me a lot, John is still uncomfortable with the icy feeling of killing a man.

John removed his armor, helmet, boots, etc. from the dead horseman. Then he dragged the body into the lake. John, who dived into the water with the corpse, found a large rock at the bottom of the lake.

John pulls the body to the bottom of the lake with the power of error and successfully swims to the bottom of the lake, lifting the rocks slightly. You staked a corpse's arm on a rock. To keep the body from floating in the water.

‘It won't be easy to find. ’

This was done because we were concerned that if a body was found near the lake, it might reveal the existence of a secret passageway.

John comes out of the lake, armed with cavalry armor, riding his horse.

“Yippee!”

Hee-hee-hee!

John drives his horse to the school gate. John doesn't look so conspicuous as the horsemen of the Horn Empire are roaming the countryside.

‘Good. Success. ’

John, who made it through the gate safely, immediately ran along the northern road extending east.

* * *

It was about an hour after Nigel realized the ideal.

The Dozens of the 21,000 to the Hundred Companions examined the Dozens under their command and realized that there was one absence. When I searched the campus and couldn't find the missing soldier, I immediately reported to my line manager, White Captain, and this report led to Nigel.

“One is missing? Did you find it?”

“Yes, I couldn't find my precinct. ”

A soldier from the Horn Empire could not have left his post without reporting. Then I should have suspected that I was defeated by the enemy.

We have to assume that the enemy who escaped through the secret passageway killed the soldier and stole his armor and his horses. It's easy to dump the bodies, but hard to hide them from the horses. ’

Perhaps John Spain saw himself on the walls with the cavalry heading for the Royal Academy.

Then, through the secret passageway, one escaped, killing a soldier, stealing a horse and leaving the school.

Why?

I thought deeply about Nigel's mind, and it struck me like lightning.

"Yes! More reinforcements are coming to the mansion!" This happened because I didn't want the reinforcements to find out. ’

Nigel is almost aware of John's intentions. He gives the order to the soldiers immediately.

“Assemble all the men searching the interior of the school building. The 21,000 Cavalry will search the area for missing soldiers and the rest will follow me." I will track down an enemy who has stolen a horse and fled. ”

“Old!”

The cavalry moves swiftly under Nigel's command. Nigel smiled in surprise.

"If I catch the tail, victory is mine! ’

If you've escaped into the secret passageway by yourself and killed the cavalry and robbed the army, that's no ordinary figure. It is the main character with good skills and high status even within the Mansion Guard.

‘No, maybe it's John Spain himself. ’

Until then, Nigel is out of his mind and gives his own instructions to one of the soldiers. You were instructed to check if you can see John Spay among the guards guarding the mansion. If you can't see it, John Spain was the one who stole the horse and fled.