Chapter 9: The First Battle

Posted bytheredsargeantJuly 22, 2020Posted inFun Territory Defense

“I think I’ll also go in as bait.”

　When I told them that, both Dee and Espada turned around with their eyes wide open.
Looking beyond them, Orto and the others also had a shocked expression on their faces.

“No! Absolutely not! I won’t allow it!”

　Till involuntarily let out an emotional voice.
The loudness of her voice worried me, but we were quite far away and the raiders hadn’t noticed us due to the bustle of the conflict.

　As I was feeling relieved, Till grabbed my hand.

”Rather than Van-sama being a decoy, I’ll head to the enemy myself! If you all attacked with me as an additional decoy, victory will surely be ours…!”

　Kamsin made a somber nod to Till, who said that with tears in her eyes, with a resolved look on his face.

”I’ll go with you.
If I distract the enemy together with Till-sama……..!”

　For some reason, more and more of those who were ready to die started raising their hands.
Troubled by this, I looked at them all and opened my mouth.

”Just so you know, I’m the decision-maker in this operation.
I’ll inform you adventurers on the situation, but since it’s a matter of my fiefdom, Mr.
Orto and the others who are involved only by contract are not required to take part in any life-threatening maneuvers.”

　Then I look at Orto, and for some reason, he freaks out, with his shoulders shaking a little.
With that in mind, I look at Espada next.

“Espada.
You have already retired from work in the Marquis family.
You have faithfully served our family for so long, there is no reason for you to die here.”

　Espada’s face turns grim at my words.
Did I sound a little cold? While reflecting on that, I turn to Dee and the others next.

“Despite your temporary arrangement with me, you are bound by oath to the family’s knightly order.
It is my father who you should serve, not me.
So you shouldn’t risk your life here.”

　When I told them that, Dee and the others also began to sport a grim look on their faces.
Well, I guess their faces were quite grim anyway.
Finally, I look at Till and Kamsin.

“Till.
It’s selfish of me, but I’ve always thought of you as my sister.
That’s why I don’t want to see my precious sister die here.
Kamsin is older than me, but have ever deigned to also treat him like a brother? When I die, you must enjoy your lives in my place.
You’re free to go.”

　I looked at the two of them as I said this, and tears poured out of my eyes like a dam had broken.

　With a bitter smile, I told them my plan.

“First, I’ll get in a carriage and head for the frontline.
I want you all to attack from the left and right, but only from a distance, make sure not to make any rash decisions.
And if the opponent does not break, please retreat.
My corpse can be left in the mud.
If you don’t give away your identity, the Marquis family won’t have any reason to trouble you.”

　Although I was laughing myself, no one was laughing with me.
I guess no one was in the mood.

　With such sentiments in mind, I unsheathed my sword and pointed my toes towards the village.
Before I was able to depart, however, I heard a deep sigh behind me.

”Okay….
Damn! Just this once! We’ll give our lives too!”

　Orto curses as he steps forward.

“Why, Mr.
Orto…”

　When I tried to deny him, confused, Orto laughed with a troubled look on his face.

 “If you spout off any more, the party members will lose their patience with you.”

　Saying so, Orth draws his sword.
Then a female sorceress belonging to Orto’s party came forward from the crowd.

”To be honest, I made fun of the pampered nature of the nobility.
I thought that there weren’t any good nobles.
But after two weeks on the road with you, I think I’ve changed my mind.
It’s all thanks to Master Van, you know?”

“Ms.
Pluriel.”

　When I called out the name of the embarrassed female magician, Pluriel chuckled as she blurted out.

”I can’t believe you remembered each and every name among our group of lowly adventurers.
Van-sama is a strange one.
But, it’s because of that strangeness that I think I can trust you with my life.”

　Pluriel mutters and pulls out a dagger with a magic imprint on it.

　I can’t say.
I can never say that I only learned Pluriel’s name right away because she’s cute.(T.N.
Note: Man has his priorities set.)

　As I was feeling awkward, all of the adventures began to crowd around me.
As I watched them, stunned, Dee and the others stepped forward, as if not wanting to be outdone.

”We are honored knights in the service of the Marquis family.
Our oath demands that we serve Van-sama, who is the future of the family.
We believe that by protecting Van-sama here, we are protecting the future of our house.”

　As Dee said this, he held his sword in front of his face and performed the rite of a knight’s oath.
Mmmm… he is a good, although at times cryptic, man.

　And while I was admiring him in a not-so-respectful way, Espada moved to stand next to me.

”Once the battle is complete, I would like to remind Van-sama of the weight and responsibility of a potential heir of the Marquis family.
Please rest assured.
The related lecture will only take half a day to finish.”

　Only half a day, Espada? Don’t be such an insidious harasser.

“I will modify the method I suggested.
First, I will build a defensive wall and attack from a distance.
Vice-Captain Dee and the others will charge from the left side after our first strike.
Orto and his team will then charge from the right side.
Those of you who are specialized in defense and healing will stand by just in case.”

“Understood!”

“Yes, sir!”

　Everyone started to move in unison as Espada gave instructions in a low, calm voice.
Then, Espada quickly chanted and activated his earth element magic.

　A wall of earth is created about twenty meters in front of our current location, and Espada and the adventurers in charge of the long-distance strike head towards it.

　While I was stunned looking at the people that had begun to act in the blink of an eye, Till and Kamsin clung to me.

”….Good.
It’s great, Van-sama.”

“When Master Van is in danger, I’ll be the first one to die as his shield.”

　They tell me in a tearful voice, and I hold back tears that threaten to fall.
They’re more like a family to me than my actual family is.

　I patted their heads as I had this thought.

　I want to bask in this moment, but we’re in the middle of a battle.
If there’s I can contribute, I have to contribute it.

“Come on, guys.
Help me get some medicines and other treatment tools out of the carriage.
If you see anyone in danger, let’s intervene and help them.”

　They laughed when I said that.
and they both wiped away their tears and replied.

“Yes!”

(T.N.
Note: The rest of the chapter is told in the bandit’s perspective.)

　The bandits who had been raiding the village were beginning to become lax.
They knew that the nobles in charge of the estate had been replaced, making the security of the village particularly weak and easy to break.

　Although it was an important stronghold, it was an out-of-the-way place, and the upper management’s hold on the region was loose at best.
When organizing a new knightly order to secure a new region, like the frontier village, a large amount of time will be needed.
Additionally, if one does not first settle things with neighboring knightly orders, unwanted conflicts may occur.
This causes large delays until the various noble factions negotiate and make agreements.
These factors combined made acquiring a competent security force for the village prohibitively difficult.

　It is a large administrative burden to dispatch lords, collect taxes, monitor and record the situation of a settlement, and provide security for every settlement in a noble’s domain.
Therefore, when a noble begins administration of all of their cities, they attend to the most important cities first.
Then they move their attention to medium-sized towns and villages.
After a long period, small villages and hamlets in rural areas are reviewed.

　So, if it’s a small, frontier territory on the outskirts of a noble’s domain, there are cases where small villages on the edge become so disconnected that they are unaware of changes to the ruling lord of their village.
It takes a huge amount of time to manage information and human resources.

　Taking advantage of such a vulnerable gap in the administrative system, this bandit group decided to raid a small village on the frontier.
There couldn’t be an easier job.
All they have to do is shoot arrows, make threats, and bring back a few possessions, supplies, and women and children.

　So even though they were still in combat, the bandits were loosening up.

　Due to the suppressive fire they were laying down, the villagers weren’t able to mount a counterattack.

　”I’m sure the villagers, who refused to open the gate under our threats, will give up if they are shot at with arrows which pour down over them like rain.”

”It’s been a long time since you’ve had a woman.”

“Yeah, nothing since that peddler’s daughter.”

“There were only two women in that carriage.
It ended way too quickly.”

“No need to worry, there’s got to be at least ten of them this time.”

“Hahaha!”

　There is leisurely conversation everywhere, and the atmosphere is similar to a festival or a party.

　”Look at all the drinking and singing going on.
This is why I can’t stop being a thief.”

　My leisurely attitude was broken in the next moment when I saw the tip of an arrow sprouting through the neck of my friend who had been laughing right next to me.