The Branded Female Fencer

Chapter 47

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When Peaceful Times Cease To Exist : Vandal Valthus Blackhawk, Part 2 — Gathering

Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV

 

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「A—NE, SA—N! I don’t want to take one more step!」

「…That’s all you’ve been doing for the past three days.」

「Four days ago!」

 

Rui almost pulled out her sword, but she just barely caught it.
If she were to lose she temper over this, she would have to kill him ten times a day.
Rui and Lexus, Blackhawk’s second squad, were ordered not to gather directly in the city of Thirdid, the meeting place ordered by Valthus, but to meet at a rendezvous point in the mountains near Thirdid just before that point.
It was the usual exchange between the two that took place along the way.
To the uninitiated, it might look like a spoiled mother and child.
Or it may look like a lover’s quarrel.

 

「I’m tired already! I’m tired—! It’s a hassle—! Miss is so cold~ I can’t help it if she’s an ice blade~ It’s so cold.」

「I know how to make you tired.」

「D–Don’t tell me! Finally, I can dive into those ample tits⁉ …Huh?」

 

Rui was drawing her sword with a thin smile.
Moreover, to Lexus’ eyes, the sword does not appear to be shining white.

 

「Cocytus Sabre? M–Miss! That’s seriously unfashionable!」

「Well, you’re on the same page.
I don’t like jokes either.」

「R–Really—!? We’re a pinch from the first fight of the day!」

 

Lexus backed away reluctantly, but Rui, for the first time today, was at the end of her patience.
It was rather well held compared to normal.
In the face of Rui’s killing intent, as she had in battle, Lexus realized that behind him was a cliff.
Just when he think,「Ah, I missed it,」

 

「Hahhahhaa! As usual, Rui, Lexus!」

「Yess, it’s been a while, Rui-chan.」

「If you keep getting angry as usual, you will get wrinkles on your beautiful face♪.」

「Lexus boy, you’re still so cute!」

「Oh, Max and the sisters! Help me~!」

 

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A large man with an eye patch over one eye appeared, and women stared at him with bewitching expressions as they leaned toward him.
Max O’Brien, the Captain of Blackhawk 1st Squad, and his cronies, known as the Lovers.

The first group consisted of only this large man and four women.
These women are not only bewitching, but each is also quite a skilled user.
On the battlefield, they are known as「Lovers」 because they work in perfect coordination with Max.
Furthermore, this first squad not only does battlefield work, but also deals with the group’s money, intelligence, and negotiations with the state.
They were at the helm of Blackhawk.

 

「How about it, Rui! You want to join my Lovers?」

 

A large man, who is only tough in appearance, taps Rui on the shoulder in a frivolous tone.

 

「No, you can’t, Max-san.
Miss’ tits are my ministry!!」

「…Will you all die together?」

「Ahn~ Rui-chan is being scary!」

「You can slay the Lexus boy, but first you have to lend it to me for the night.」

 

Even Rui was not a fond of the Lovers, and she pulled back, not wanting to get angry.

 

「Uhyo—! A dazzling sense of happiness before I die? But one sister seems to be missing?」

 

Despite its frivolous tone, Lexus is not short on observation.
Rui knows this, too, which is why she is sometimes hesitant to give up.

 

「Rimfera is sending them out on a reconnaissance mission ahead of time.
There’s no way I would have assembled without a plan.」

 

Max is also well aware of this and answered honestly.
Lexus does not hesitate to turn on its blades, even on its own people, if there is anything suspicious.
He once tried to deal with Lexus in an appropriate manner, and they were one step away from killing each other because of something suspicious.
Then this time they heard a lowly laugh.

 

「Kekekeke, Max, you owe me a night with those guys.
I’m gonna make it just the way I like it, kekeke.」

「Oh, dear me.
If that’s what you want to say, why don’t you train him, Captain Gergeda?」

 

The man with red hair and a thin face looked cunning and vindictive, while the woman with aristocratic blonde hair in a large braid was elegant, generous, and graceful.

 

「Gergeda and Fandene? Here comes the trouble.」

「I can hear it, you know? Max.」

 

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Gergeda spits on the ground, perhaps hearing Max’s mutterings, which were lightly lisped.

 

「Oh my goodness, I wish you wouldn’t lump me in with these people.」

「What do want, you bitch⁉ Do you want me to skin and fuck you right here?」

「Oh dear, if you can do it, go ahead.
I just hope my sweet little ones don’t hate me……」

 

As she said this, a snake peeked its head out of Fandane’s clothes.
It was a poisonous snake that can ascend to heaven without waiting a moment if it bites you.
Fandane smiles at Gergeda, but the snake threatens him with fangs out in hostility.
Gergeda clicks her tongue in frustration and leaves.
This Gergeda is the captain of the Blackhawk 5th Squad and a man known for his brutality.
He is a man who kills women, children, and the elderly at someone’s request, and even when he is not asked to do so, he kills them out of spite.
Whenever Blackhawk gets a bad reputation, you could say that Gergeda is the main culprit.
While he does the dirty work, he is not well-liked even among his own men.

Fandaine, on the other hand, is the captain of the sixth squadron, but there is only one Fandaine in her squadron.
The reason why it works as a squad is because she is a magical beast tamer (beastmaster).
Normal beastmasters can only follow a few, but this Fandane can handle dozens of them at the same time.
Hence, a single person can establish a unit.

 

「Well, I don’t see the Zelver guy.」

「He’s coming after he meets up with the second-in-command, who’s been separated.」

 

Gergeda looks around and blurts out to no one in particular.
When Max addresses the question, Gergeda turns his vulgar gaze on Lovers.

 

「So what are you going to do, Max? Are you going to lend me your girls or not?」

「Ahn? You’re such a prick.
Why should I lend my pretty girls to a prick like you?」

「You say that.
So you’re okay if I use force?」

「Try it if you can.」

「Iyaa—n, Max is so cool!!」

「What a vulgar man!」

 

Max and Gergeda are in a state of flux.
Rui and Fandane watched on without seeming to stop.
Just as they were about to pull out their respective weapons,

 

「Everyone, there should be no strife.
In times like these, have mercy on the seed, ×××men.」

「…There he is, Großfeld, the sexual harasser.」

「…Good grief, I’m totally demotivated now.」

 

A large man with round glasses, dressed in a black priest’s uniform, appeared between Max and Gergeda, who had lowered their weapons with dismay, their motivation having been quickly sapped by the vulgarity of the words they heard.
He has a beaming smile and a sweet mask, but unfortunately only obscenities come out of his mouth.

 

「Love and peace are the best things in the world.
If I may say so, hugs & sex! But for this to happen, however, the cooperation of women is essential.
Come on, you Lovers out there, join me— Bubera—!」

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The priest was kicked off by the beastman’s daughter who came from behind and stepped on his head.
The rabbit beastman who kicked the priest away apologizes to everyone with her hands together.

 

「I’m sorry, guys, okay? If I take my eyes off the road for a moment, this will run out of control.
I’d still rather drive a Lexus, wouldn’t you?」

「Mireille! You’re the one who understands me, as expected of Zero Squad!」

「It’s okay, Lexus.
You’re disgusting enough as it is.
Get away from me.
Shoo shoo.」

Lexus, chased away by a hand, ran off crying.
Gergeda sighed and spoke to Mireille.

「That Valthus bastard must be serious to even call up the Zero Unit!」

「Right? That’s why the squads will be struggling with each other and——」

「They asked us to show you around.」

 

Großfeld rose from under Mireille’s feet and explained to everyone with a smile as if nothing had happened.
When Mireille was interrupted in her explanation, she kicked Großfeld in the back in frustration, but Großfeld’s smile did not waver.

 

「Hahaha.
Well then, let’s hurry up and get going, since we’ve taken up more time than we expected.」

 

While everyone wonders whose fault it is, the group travels to the town of Thirdid.

 

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This is one of the bars in Thirdid.
It was still early, but the people in the bar were quietly passing the time without drinking.
Although not in a deadly mood, the atmosphere is so intense that even the signboard girl who is trying to take an order is only half crying and staggering around looking at the owner.
There, the opening door was opened vigorously and a cheerful voice was suddenly heard.

 

「Commander~ We brought them!」

 

The voice was Mireille.
She had the people she had brought wait outside and reported to Valthus.
She was slender and slender, with long ears that swiveled, but her tone was as cheerful as a child’s.
She had a figure of a woman who was slender and slender, but had a strong protruding part.
Although it was still early in the summer, she was dressed lightly, wearing shorts on the bottom and a revealing shirt on top, showing off her magnificent abs.
Mireille spotted Valthus in the back of the bar and ran up to him happily.

 

「Commander, you’ve been reading books since before I came to pick you up~, Play with me a little bit~!」

「You’re too loud, Mireille.
Go quiet for a second.」

「Then Grace can play with me~!」

「I guess I’ll have to decline.
Your games always turn into a killing spree.
I don’t know if I can handle it.」

 

With that, a female warrior of the Titan tribe turned her head to the side.
She was three or four times larger than the average male, and the sword propped up beside her was a broad sword about the same size as a human.
Mireille pouted, but when she saw that Valthus was wearing a more stern atmosphere than usual, she couldn’t help but sit down on a chair in the vicinity.

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「Ahh, it’s so boring.
I can’t wait to get out of control.
Is Amarina not here yet? How many times are we going to send them on recon?」

「I’m trying to be discreet about the whole thing.
Unlike you, Amarina is a woman who can hide in the storm for three days.
You know, the woman who was once considered the closest thing to a dragon master?」

「That’s why it’s not a hassle, you know.
I’m going to grow roots in their butts at this rate, Gramps, play with me~.
Let’s get serious for the first time in a long time – let’s see Gramp’s secret sword!」

「Oh, no.
I ain’t got no sword to swing.」

「Even if it’s just the tip, come on.」

「Don’t you dare mislead me!」

 

Betts, the deputy chief, was about to get angry, but then Kanaat, the sensor, twitched.

 

「Don’t worry Mireille, Amarina is back.」

 

As Kanaat said this, the whinnying of a dragon could be heard from outside the tavern.
Then, as if a gust of wind blew, a woman in armor and twin-tailed hair pushes open the bar’s door and enters.

 

「Commander Valthus, the fourth squadron was sighted from the sky.
I expect they will be on our feet shortly.」

「……How did the reconnaissance go?」

「It was as expected by the Commander.
Would you like to report here?」

「No, let’s hear about it later.
First, get everyone into the bar as soon as you have them.
If you put all the strong faces together, the city’s inhabitants won’t feel at ease.」

 

Valthus, who was stationed at the far end of the room, closed the book, and the female dragon knight called Amarina nodded silently and turned on her heel to go out again.
Mireille no longer seemed to be complaining, and a sense of tension enveloped the bar.
Within a few minutes, the Blackhawk squads entered the bar one after another.

 

「Miss, this is amazing.
Not only is the replacement unit for the wiped out 4th Squadron, but the whole of the Zero Squadron under the captain is here.」

「…Shut your mouth.
Look at Valthus, he’s pretty pissed off.
Any careless flirtation and you’ll get sanctioned.」

「…Yes, ma’am.」

 

Indeed, the atmosphere around us was unusually tense.
Neither Großfeld, who had spoken so casually, nor the gruff and tangled Gergeda seemed to speak a word.
All of this tension is created by a single man, Valthus, sitting in the back of the bar.
He sits in the dark in silence, but still exerts a pressure that silences everyone here.
Normally, he is so quiet and book-loving that they wonder what the name『mad beast』means.

They all think that this is due to the fact that the fourth squad was wiped out.
To begin with, the Blackhawk, a mercenary group, is unusual and may usually act in pieces.
Most of the time they work as a unit, but they may be requested individually, and it is sufficient for them to be enlisted or discharged as long as the captain of each unit approves.
It is customary to report one’s activities and current location to the head of the group, but this is often not followed.
Yet somehow, the whereabouts of each troop were known to the leader of the group, and at a gathering of all the members like this one, they were accurately communicated to.

Evensuch a free mercenary group has one ironclad rule.
That is,「If a fellow is beaten for an unjust cause, we should all retaliate.」Unlike the military, the mercenary profession is not about where to win, but how to survive.
While knights contracted by blood, honor, or land with the state are not allowed to flee before the enemy, mercenaries contracted by money may flee if the odds are against them.
For this reason, many military officers and countries did not trust mercenaries, and mercenaries were often treated as decoys, lords, or other disposable items.

To avoid such unfair treatment, Blackhawk has established a code of retaliatory behavior.
It was based on an actual tragedy that occurred in a mercenary group that was the predecessor to Blackhawk.
When the person in charge of a hired unit is treated in a manner that is not satisfactory, he/she may leave the request midway at any time, and in the event of damage, retaliatory action will be permitted.
The previous third team also had such a contract, which made it possible for them to leave their Master’s request in the middle of the day.

Nevertheless, the Blackhawk is still regarded as the strongest on the continent, probably because of its overwhelming results on the battlefield and the severity of its retaliatory actions.
They rushed into Gruzald’s main army and annihilated it; they pushed back the Archfiend’s army with a few men; they raided the fortress of the commander who had given them false information and sent them toward the fiend horde in the opposite direction, and annihilated about 500 men with only 15 men.

And what kind of demanding request can he make by gathering everyone with that much military power? The team members waited for Valthus to speak, but he showed no sign of speaking at all.
Just as a few people were beginning to wonder, the door to the bar opened with a bang.