Trinitas Mundus

Episode 53: Crusader's advance team out.

Mercenary guild chief Duke Selzam and Marcutt mercenary regiment leader Hamish Marcutt headed straight for the guild from the royal palace.

And as well as staging a conscription of prostitutes on the guild's bulletin board, he spoke up to the major mercenary regiments.

Hamish was also delivering a speech in front of the guild as Ray's plan was, while it rained lightly.

"... this demonic invasion is not what it always is! Three months ago, I saw them with these eyes. So I can assure you! Definitely, this time I mean it... I told the Knights this many times. But the Knights don't show a bare gesture to take it seriously. Your Majesty may not have the right information, but his life is in danger this time! If only the Knights would be wiped out. But the fortifications of Chulock, the villages to Bridgand, and the eastern point, even Bridgand, are in danger. I've decided to command the Alliance's recruiting brave army! Anyone who thinks of the country can trust me with their life! Please..."

The young mercenaries respond enthusiastically to Hamish's words, but the veteran mercenaries enter the guild to avoid rain and look at the conditions of recruitment sticking out on the bulletin board, giving them a reluctant look.

It is more dangerous than a regular escort and the reward is not good. To be clear, if returns are too small for the sake of risk.

Worse still, when the commander of the Crusaders advance party found out with Arwell Kilgaroho, the third battalion leader of the Knights of the Springs, the more veterans they questioned the qualities of the commander, thinking about their own safety when they participated, and stepping on two feet.

Although as expected, Hamish and Duke had a bitter look.

"Exactly your speech, but I hear veterans are hard,"

"Yeah, it's natural for a commander to question whether he can fight properly in that man. It would have been nice to have at least another captain, but not that guy who hates mercenaries."

Still, there were nearly two hundred applications that evening, and the two of them, about the organization, were haunting their minds.

Count Victor Rockletter, head of the Knights, had his head troubled by a report of a decree from Bridgand arriving that evening.

"Will regular contact flights arrive yet... no additional information. I can't judge you with this. Sheaver, let me know what Sir thinks."

Baron Seaver Gladstone, deputy commander, begins to speak with a careful choice of words.

"Something must have happened to the order for regular contact, I'm sure. But linking this to the demonic invasion is somewhat impossible. Waiting a while longer here would be the norm. That's what I'm trying to say, but in case it was an invasion of the Demons, we weren't waiting for definitive information in time. I was wondering if we should get the advance party out of here as soon as possible."

Victor is surprised by the unexpected words.

"I didn't know Sir would dedicate such a close measure to beating...... good. Leaving the advance party at my discretion. Lord Kilgaroho will be well informed by Lord Braveburn."

Thus, the Demonic Crusaders advance party, which is dominated by the Third Battalion of the Knights of the Springs, was decided to appear in the early morning of September 27, the day after tomorrow.

September 26th.

Until yesterday the rain subsided, but the unpleasant heat and humidity continued.

The three Rays, Ashley and Stella head to the Adventurer Guild to receive a nomination request from the Knights.

"The request is to accompany the Demonic Crusaders advance party, explore the actions of the Demons, and collect material for consideration of strategies against the Demons. The period shall be the period of action of the Demonic Crusaders, and the remuneration shall be five hundred C (krona) as an advance and fifty C per day. We decided to handle it as a quaternary equivalent."

Hearing the receptionist explain, Ray is surprised by the reward.

(Five hundred C in advance means five hundred thousand yen. The daily fee is 50,000 yen. It takes three days just to get to the bridge, so at least 300,000 yen. It'll probably take a month, so it's all... two million yen. Sounds like the Knights put out their temper, though with the necessary expenses)

In addition, the receptionist will hand over three seals and a class chapter.

"The Knights have asked Ray Arklight to give us the rank chapter of the platoon leader as an extraordinary rank, and Ashley Markat and Stella to give us the rank chapter of the Knight."

The class chapter handed over is shaped to hang a metal top shaped like a medal with a green and white striped cloth, with hardware that allows it to be hung by the neck of the armor.

(Temporary squad captain, right? Still, if the platoon captain would be better suited to Ash, how could it be me? Is it because you had a story? Doesn't really matter either way)

Each of the three seals contained the names of three men, among them the order of Count Victor Rockletter, the Knights Commander.

(This prevents interference from the battalion leader. Well, we'll talk about what's coming later)

The three offer an orb and after receiving the request, they sit at a table in front of the reception of the guild and begin consultations after this.

"Now I can accompany the advance party of the Expeditionary Army, the Demonic Crusaders. We're out of staff, so we have to get everything we need for food. Ash, what do you think we should prepare for?

To his inquiry, Ashley thinks a little and asks "how long you expect it to last".

"Right. Assuming things go well to Chulock, considering the 10-day operation period in Chulock, one way at a time, maybe a month in total?

"Right. Same as I expected. A month's worth of food makes for a fair amount. Ray, it looks like your example will help."

Ashley expected Ray's storage magic, the item box.

"I'll have enough food for ten days at a time, and I'll have the rest. Still, it's not cold, so we just need to have about a blanket, and we'll take the spare arrow for the bow that Ash and Stella have. After that, it's Stella's sword throwing spare, right? My spear looks sturdy, okay, but is there a spare for Ash and Stella's sword?

"I take the spare sword, Stella, what do you do?

She nods and replies, "I would like to prepare only one bottle".

Afterwards, Ashley and Stella go buy a spare sword to the weapons store district, but it was already after Hamish's speech, and the affordable weapon had been bought at the root.

When I went to Bartel's store, where I had Stella's two swords made, I also prepared a two-handed sword for Ashley, as well as Stella's dagger, plus a throwing sword.

"I thought you guys were supposed to come, so I took it. The apprentice struck, but a spare weapon would suffice."

The three men thanked Bartel, and bought Ashley's sword for five hundred C, and Stella's sword and ten sword-throwing swords for four hundred C.

(Thanks. Still, you're still before noon and you're moving fast. Is there more prostitutes than expected, or is there someone buying up for speculative purposes... right! Merchants! Mr. Hamish and the others went to tell Lord Braveburn that story yesterday, so he should be talking to the commercial guild last night. So, did you hang on to buying weapons for munitions? Wait, if you do that, they might be buying up some preserved food too...)

Ray tells Ashley about it, and she's leaning her neck.

"I know that the fathers, through Lord Braveburn, took the story to Lord Inverhollow, but it would be difficult to go into the buying of preserved food with that story. The Knights should have enough reserves."

"What if I thought the battle with the Demons would be prolonged? Just in case, you should go around the grocery store you know."

As he expected, dried meat, dried fruit, etc. suitable for preserved food had disappeared from the city's grocery store in Fonce.

With Ashley's handover, he was surprised at the magnitude of the impact his measures had on him, although we managed to secure what we needed.

(You didn't think this would happen. You have to think carefully when you move a great man. Something I didn't think could happen and annoy a lot of places......)

The three men assembled the necessary supplies and returned to the mercenary regiment headquarters.

morning of September 27th.

Until yesterday the rain stopped, but the sky was drooling with thick clouds.

Captain Arwell Kilgaroho of the Third Battalion trained about six hundred knights and three hundred mercenaries to go out in the Springs Square in the center of the King's Capital.

"This mission could (...) be in Turok, exorcising demons. With the capability of our battalion, it is an easy task. Just before the harvest festival, but an immediate order from His Majesty. Everyone's got a job to do!

To a lesson lacking in his nervousness, Hamish had the look of a bitter bug chewed up.

(Harvest festivals, etc., need not be added. In a situation where the enemy's power is unclear, what is a lesson that would induce an ally to be alert? This battle will be compassionate…)

On Arwell's signal, everyone rides and leaves the Knights in the lead.

At the behest of Knights Commander Victor Lockletter, he lent the Knights' spare horses to a mercenary who was a proselytizing soldier in order to remove the slow legged heavy force and increase his mobility.

The three Rays were going to rendezvous after they went out onto the street to avoid being spotted by Hamish before they left.

(If you leave, you can make excuses for anything. As much as I could yesterday, I was trying not to see you, and if you think I gave up, it would help...)

The three set off slowly after the tail of the prostitute had left the Wang capital.

From Fonce, the Wang capital, it is about three hundred and forty km to Turok. The city of Bridgand, the entrance to the border, is about one hundred and seventy km just half of the entire itinerary.

The road is good to Bridgend, and an advance team made up of riders alone can arrive in three days.

However, the advance party took many breaks and marched only thirty-five km away on the first day.

We arrived around 2 p.m. in Burnham, a city that was thought to pass, and stopped the march as it was.

The mercenaries of the proselytizing army thought that they would train to work with the Knights, awaiting instructions, but never had that instruction, only to be contacted by the Knights the following morning departure time, etc.

When Hamish was contacted about it, he remained flat and speechless.

(What do you think Lord Victor forced me to leave for?)

He headed to a luxury inn in the city to visit under Arwell. Arwell was already out of gear and had a jock with booze in his hand.

Hamish was about to make a very yelling voice of anger, but he made a lot of effort to create a calm voice and confirm his sincerity.

"Such a slow march. What do you think, Commander?"

Sitting in a chair, drinking, Arwell glanced, but didn't answer anything in particular.

Again, when Hamish asks the same question, he starts talking like a pain in the ass.

"There's no hurry. It doesn't contain any demonic information yet. Besides, it's not a battle to tire soldiers. Can't you even say that, mercenary?"

Hamish needs to talk, leave Arwell's room and look for Niges Leland, his deputy captain.

Hamish, who found Leland in a camp outside the city, asked the same question.

Leland looked sorry and bowed his head,

"I've pleaded with the captain many times, but he doesn't seem to be going to listen. Proceed at this pace and you will arrive in Bridgand on October 1st. I thought you probably wanted to go into town gloriously on the day of the festival... I'm so sorry"

Hamish, who was exhausted, could not even explode his anger, leaving behind the Knights' camp.

And when I returned to the camp of the prostitute, I found a presence that would further ignite his anger.

In his eyes, he saw the mercenaries and the three Rays who collude.

"What are you doing! Outsiders are off-limits!

Ray answers the words with a grin.

"We're not outsiders. I, Ray Arklight, the fifth adventurer, am officially (...) asked by the Knights to be here."

With that being the case, show the rank chapter of the Knights.

Hamish put himself on a busy schedule and regretted not monitoring the Rays' behavior.

(I was underestimated. There was no way this guy would pull off so much. But I didn't know there was such a way... to work evil wisdom... do you know how dangerous this fight is?)

"You... it's not too late. Go home to Fonce!

Unlike the mild tone he had when he showed the class chapter, Ray answers Hamish with a serious look.

"I'm not leaving. No, I can't go home. Because we can't lose you in this fight."

In one of his words Hamish loses his word for a moment, but speaks to the three of them to suppress the tone of his voice and teach him.

"If you don't lose me... do you think I'll screw you so easily? I will definitely go home alive. So you guys go back to Fonce."

Ray suddenly lowers his head deeply and asks me to take him with him over and over again to appeal to his emotions.

"Mr. Hamish, please! Think about Ash and do it! Please! Please take me with you. Let me fight with you!

Hamish tried to say something more, but is blocked by Alberic, his deputy.

"You lost Hamish. Ray, I shouldn't lick you. This child has wisdom to turn. Even if we push him back here, he's bound to think of something else. So I think you should take her with you."

Hamish roared at the words and went into the tent without saying anything.

"Now you're okay. Because Hamish has to admit it too. Still, that's you, Ray. I didn't think you'd come with that."

Ray laughed lightly and thanked Alberic.

"Thank you. If Alberic hadn't told me, I might have been pushed back with strength."

"You don't have to worry. Hamish must be happy with it. Besides, I thought I was sorry to die in a fight like this, so it would have been better if you'd come."

The three are welcomed by the Marcut Mercenaries, but Ray had been depressed in this operation that he would be breaking up forever with some of the people here.

(Unless even the most lucky thing happens that the Demons aren't invading, we're going to be breaking up with our people here forever. With that battalion captain, you can't take proper command, and Mr. Hamish can't move freely. I told the Knights chiefs I'd help Mr. Hamish, but the truth is, I want all my people back alive. But if you believe in Mr. Hamish's reckoning, you can't go home alive with half the people you're laughing at right now... I think it's a funny story to be depressed by just an ”reckoning” without a basis)

And I was also frustrated with this slow march.

(Keep going, if you're going slowly, the fort of Chulock will fall. If it's true, it should take three days to get to Bridgand, and about four days to get the scouts out of Bridgand. In exchange for that, at the current pace, it would take Bridgand five days, and it would take as long to get ahead of it... if we keep going like this, the Demonic Raid's early horse might get to Fonce faster. That would increase our chances of survival... and then the people fighting in Turok would suffer even more. Don't be really upset)

Ray told his deputy captain, Niges Leland, that he was only in the proselytizing army and decided to act with Hamish and others.