/
After continuing to converse with Count Winslon for a little while longer, Eugene left the castle before sunset. Although the count suggested that Eugene should stay at the castle until tomorrow, he politely declined. It was annoying just to even think about having to stay at the castle with the arrogant noble knights who had clearly expressed their hatred towards him. It was much better to retire to the campground for the night and to strengthen his ‘camaraderie’ with the free knights.
Eugene returned to the campground, and that evening, he once again generously served the free knights with food and drinks. In addition, he provided those who had lost their matches ten silver coins to help them with their situation.
The knights were greatly moved. In the first place, people were more emotionally vulnerable when they were in a tight spot, and following the same logic, they felt even more grateful towards Eugene.
As such, Eugene’s recruitment for the upcoming mock battle continued until the morning of the battle. Including those who were staying at the campground and the village, more than forty knights vowed on their honor to battle alongside Eugene in the mock battle. Including the aides of the knights, there were nearly 100 people in Eugene’s army. It was a huge number.
But the armies led by the aristocratic knights numbered twice or thrice Eugene’s group. They had recruited a huge number of mercenaries using their capital. It felt a little underhanded, but a mock battle was a smaller model of an actual war. In wars, money played a huge role, and as such, it was naturally accepted as a tactic.
Eugene had already expected as much, so he didn’t consider it an issue. He didn’t care too much about it. But shortly after everyone started to arrive at the county’s hunting ground for the mock battle. An unexpected situation arose.
***
“What? Is that true?” Eugene asked.
“Yes. I was surprised as well. Who would have expected that a holy knight would flee during the night?” Lanslo answered with a shrug.
“Ha…” Eugene felt dejected. Jung Dircht, the arrogant holy knight, escaped with his aides at dawn.
“What were the guards doing? They must have seen the holy knight leaving the castle, right?” Eugene asked.
“Apparently, he told them that he was going to pray at the church in the village. What could they have done when a holy knight was going to visit a church? Moreover, today is the day of the mock battle, right? They assumed that he was going to pray for victory during today’s battle,” Lanslo answered.
Eugene frowned. He had been looking forward to finally killing Dircht during today’s battle. Everything he had worked for to prepare for the mock battle was in vain if Jung Dircht didn’t die.
‘Dammit. Should I go after him?’
Eugene ignored his sudden impulse and calmed himself down.
‘No, it’s too late. It’s been more than five hours. If he galloped the entire time, he would have already left the county.’
Even with a vampire’s ability to smell, it would be impossible to chase after Dircht after such a long time.
‘This is rather good. Now that he’s run away in shame, he’ll surely try to get rid of me. I can finish him off then.’
There weren’t many justifications to kill a holy knight. But if the opponent was trying to kill him, it was within his right to retaliate. It was only natural for knights to fight back.
‘Hurry up and come after me. I will finish you off for good this time.’
Eugene once again reaffirmed his determination, then responded as if he was surprised. “I can’t believe that such a thing has happened. How preposterous.”
“Hoho. Take a look over there.” Lanslo gestured with his eyes.
Eugene turned his head. “He doesn’t know a thing about honor! He doesn’t deserve to be called a holy knight!”
“We can’t stay still. Don’t you agree that we should file an official complaint to the central church?”
The noble knights expressed their strong opinions. They were greatly shaken by the incident. It was to be expected since two of the holy knights were killed and the third had run away.
“Was the holy knight going to lead the army?” Eugene asked.
“They had divided their numbers into three units because of their large number. The holy knight was responsible for leading one of the units. It must be a headache for them that he disappeared all of a sudden. Hoho,” Lanslo responded.
“Hooh. Did you hear this from the castle?” Eugene asked.
“There are quite a few blabbermouths. In addition, there are even more who are quite greedy. So currently, the situation is…” Lanslo explained to Eugene what he saw and heard while staying at the castle. In the meantime, the noble knights turned their focus away from Dircht and started to argue about who would fill Dircht’s void as the new captain.
“Shouldn’t Sir Carl be in charge?”
“Nonsense! Sir Ishmael, who has tons of first-hand experience, should be the one to take charge. Last year, he led his troops to victory in a territorial war.”
“How could you call that a war? It was a tiny battle with at most one hundred troops involved.”
“Sir, don’t you think you’re going too far?”
“In addition, this is a mock battle with cavalry involved. Things will be completely different than ordering around some mercenaries to take charge.”
It appeared that Jung Dircht’s escape had a significant impact. It was extremely regrettable that Eugene couldn’t kill him this time, but the holy knight had left behind a gift in the form of conflict among the noble knights.
‘Should I consider myself lucky?’
Eugene spoke to Lanslo while feeling satisfied with the situation, “Judging from their atmosphere, it won’t be strange if their army gets divided into five or six, rather than three.”
“I agree with your thoughts. But don’t forget that they hold the advantage in terms of equipment and skills,” Lanslo answered.
“But what if they come at us in groups of twenty or thirty? Could they still gain the upper hand? With both you and me in the same group?” Eugene said.
“Hahaha,” Lanslo chuckled softly. There was nothing more to say about Eugene’s abilities. But those who were worthy of being called heroes or conquerors among knights also needed to be competent in strategies. In that aspect, Eugene had passed Lanslo’s standards.
“I’m thinking of throwing them a bait. What do you think, sir?” Eugene asked.
“An excellent choice. Why don’t we do this?” Lanslo answered with a grin. He was convinced that Eugene’s thoughts were aligned with his own.
Eugene nodded after hearing Lanlso’s plan. “Very good. Anyways, the mercenaries won’t be using real swords, will they?” Eugene asked.
“That’s correct. If they do, the knights will immediately unsheathe their longswords. The only reason the mercenaries can participate without much concern is that everyone will be using wooden swords and spears, even if they possess real weapons,” Lanslo explained.
Even though the mock battle was a simulation of actual war, real weapons weren’t used, since most of the participants would end up dead or seriously injured if that were the case. Even so, the knights would keep real weapons in their saddles just in case – there would always be mercenaries who were willing to resort to cowardly measures to score it big against knights.
‘If we can handle the knights, the mercenaries won’t pose a big threat. It’s not a real war anyway, so they will surrender quickly if they lose the momentum.’
“Sir Eugene!”
Eugene’s allied knights flocked while calling his name.
“What should we do? Even if it’s rough, we should have a plan prepared,” one of the knights said. Their expressions were rather somber. It appeared as if they had been discouraged by the high-quality equipment of the noble knights.
After sharing a gaze with Lanslo, Eugene responded in a confident manner, “Just as I said yesterday, they have little experience fighting alongside each other anyways. When the battle begins, I am confident that they will come charging in. I’m not sure if they will even have a proper formation.”
Eugene’s words were based on Galfredik’s extensive, practical experience. Nobles and lords preferred mercenaries in wars because they had experience fighting with their colleagues. On the other hand, knights were solitary creatures who enjoyed fighting alone. Moreover, their opponents were noble knights who were always drunk on their own magnificence. It would be strange if they could cooperate well with each other.
“And they will likely split up into at least three units, or at most five or six,” Eugene continued.
“Huh?”
“Even if they do look down on us, would they really do that?”
The free knights expressed their doubts.
Lanslo stepped up with a grin. “Sirs, let me explain.”
The gazes of the free knights became fixated on Lanslo. The Golden Moon Knights consisted of members that were personally chosen by Count Winslon. All of the knights were rumored to be brave and excellent in strategy.
“What will be the biggest merit for those knights over there? I think it would be knocking down or capturing the one who won the twin crown. No?” Lanslo said.
“Hmm.”
“That’s true.”
The free knights nodded after hearing his words. Even they would charge while hoping for a miracle if they were against the twin crown. Capturing or eliminating Eugene would award the biggest honor and achievement to the one responsible for it. A grand finale for the victor.
“But one of their captains, the holy knight, has suddenly disappeared. Now they have an empty, commanding role to fill. But would they truly follow their new captain? Especially since all of them are similar in status and strength? In the end, there is a high possibility that they will act independently while targeting Sir Eugene,” Lanslo explained.
“I see your point, but there’s no guarantee that they will split into five or six units, is there?” One of the knights asked.
“We just need to throw them a bait,” Lanslo answered.
“Bait?” The knights asked.
Lanslo turned his gaze towards their ‘captain,’ and the eyes of the free knights followed suit.
“Sirs, we will be dividing our army into two. Of course, it will only appear like that on the surface, we will actually be together,” Lanslo said.
“…?”
“Here is the plan,” Eugene said.
He explained the plan he discussed earlier with Lanslo. The expressions of the free knights gradually loosened while listening to Eugene’s plan. When he was done explaining, the free knights were left staring at him with awe and determination.
“I pay tribute to your courage, Sir Eugene.”
“We must win, sirs!”
“We cannot let Sir Eugene’s sacrifice be in vain. I will not forgive anyone who becomes blinded by their greed and leaves the line of battle!”
Wuaaaaaah!
The free knights raised their weapons and cheered.
***
The location of the mock battle was a vast hunting ground that seemed to hint at the reputation of the Winslon County. Its diameter was more than five kilometers, and one would need to walk for more than half a day to cross from one end to another. In addition, there were forests and small hills scattered everywhere, which made it an excellent environment to hold a mock battle.
The red army, which was led by the free knights, and the blue army of nobles headed to their respective ends. Everyone had colored bands of their respective sides hanging on their arms and helmets.
The two armies were placed in locations where they could not see each other due to the forests and hills. The ringing of a bell in the castle would signal the beginning of the mock battle.
“That forest will do, sirs,” Eugene said after moving along a hill for a while. The free knights immediately switched directions and swarmed around the forest without a word.
“Master, everything seems fine,” Luke reported back along with the other aides. Eugene proceeded to give further orders.
“Then let’s begin.”
Most of the free knights and aides headed to the shade of the forest. Only around twenty people were left outside the forest, including Eugene and Lanslo. If viewed from the distance, the enemy would surely mistake them for a separate unit or a group of scouts.
After about ten minutes...
“Sir, sir!” Mirian buzzed while quickly flying toward Eugene. She continued while taking a seat on Eugene’s shoulder. “Three guys riding horses are coming over the hill! I don’t think they’re knights. Probably mercenaries!” She continued.
‘They’re finally here.’
Eugene looked in the direction Mirian pointed toward. In a short while, he saw some movement at the top of the hill.
“Ah! The enemy’s scouts have already come this far?” Some knights with good vision exclaimed.
Eugene hurriedly dissuaded them. “Shh! Sirs, this is just the beginning. We can’t get agitated already. Luke,” Eugene called out.
“Yes, master,” Luke answered before picking up a flagged spear.
The black dragon which symbolized Eugene’s crest fluttered vigorously in the wind.
Lanslo turned his head before speaking, “Sirs, let’s move slowly as if we’ve just arrived here.”
“Understood.”
The knights slowly rode their horses along the border of the forest, and the enemy’s scouts hurriedly disappeared after spotting them. But another group of scouts appeared from a different direction in a little while, and they also ran away like the wind after seeing Eugene’s flag. A few minutes later, another group of scouts appeared, and after they disappeared, another group appeared.
“How many times will they send their scouts?”
“It’s just as Sir Eugene and Sir Drak said. Are they desperate for achievements?”
“Then they must truly be out of their minds.”
The free knights muttered. Even with the disappearance of the holy knight, they wondered if the noble knights would truly be so foolish.
However…
“Sirs, I think it’s actually happening.”
Tududududududududu!
Even before Lanslo could finish speaking, a group of galloping horses appeared over the hill, accompanied by the sounds of hooves.
“I can’t believe they actually came!”
“Without the mercenaries!?”
“Are they arrogant? Or are they out of their minds?”
“I think it must be both.”
The free knights were dumbfounded. No matter how much the nobles looked down on the free knights, what could they possibly do with just twenty of them?
“I will capture the owner of the twin crown!”
“Nonsense! I, Rodelso, will handle the champion!”
“Master! Let me help you!”
After seeing the noble knights and their aides charging at him on their horses with their wooden spears held at their sides amidst the brilliant gleams of their armors, Eugene muttered in a quiet voice.
“Human greed is endless, and they always repeat their mistakes.”
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