Read Novel Full Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Chapter 287 – The Whereabouts of the Noble
As I extinguished the flames and smoke rising from the building, I collected corpses and their belongings relentlessly.
Those who had died on high ground, such as the roof, clutched cheap bows. However, most of the melee types weren’t carrying weapons.
The ridiculous amount of weapons swirling in the midway tornado was surely because these guys had thrown them in without restraint.
(My magic power… is still naturally replenishing at a comfortable rate, I suppose?)
Deciding it was fine to leave things as they were, I glanced at the large, sealed metal gate, then leaped over the stone wall to the other side.
Just as I had seen earlier, soldiers clad in somewhat more presentable armor greeted me.
About fifty of them stood in a neat formation.
Among them, a middle-aged man with a thick beard stepped forward a few paces.
“We greatly appreciate your efforts. You must be the mercenary who came after seeing the request from the Mercenary Guild, correct?”
“Yes, but you’re wearing slightly different armor than the soldiers outside. Why are you here?”
“We are the lords’ guards. Our primary duty is to protect the lord’s immediate vicinity. Therefore—”
As he spoke, the man took a parchment from one of the men standing behind him and handed it to me directly.
“Well done. This is the request completion certificate from the Lord. Take it.”
After checking the contents, I saw that it indeed stated: “Confirmation of the Bernard family’s annihilation.”
The name at the end was Viscount Drit Nogmaia. Is he the local noble?
“It’s a matter behind stone walls. How did you know the family was annihilated?”
“You’ve ventured this far. Isn’t that proof enough?”
“Is that all there is to it?”
“I’ve delivered what needed to be delivered. That’s all there is to it. We have a mountain of cleanup to handle.”
His words practically demanded that I leave now that business was done.
When I turned my gaze to the man in front of me, he simply stared at me, his expression unchanged.
I could sense the tension of his subordinate behind him, but he showed no sign of being intimidated.
I thought that showed incredible nerve in this situation—or was it something else?
Did he have another hidden card up his sleeve?
“…Do you really think this will suffice?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s no way to hide it, is there? The collected items were transported to a warehouse in this district. The moment the gatekeepers outside moved to protect the family’s associates, it meant that the soldiers and the Bernard family must be connected.”
“…”
“Not a single soldier provided me cover or helped evacuate the townspeople. Instead, they blocked my escape route from the rear. Weren’t you the ones giving those orders?”
“I can’t believe you’d dare lay a hand on us! We’re the lord’s soldiers! That goes beyond a mercenary’s contract. This time, you’ll be the criminal.”
Ah, I see.
The man’s words, delivered with a sneer, finally made everything click.
So that’s why they never backed down.
Freyville is state-run, meaning the head of the mercenary guild must be a high-ranking noble in this country.
So they’ll protect them?
…No, that’s not it.
Fundamentally, no mercenary would risk taking on the state itself to accomplish anything.
A mercenary’s goal is to use their established position to “make money.”
Therefore, it’s only natural that they’d avoid trouble with the state that could cost them their position.
But you know…
“What are you babbling about? My objective is the annihilation of the entire family. Naturally, that includes you lot. If any nobles are involved, I’ll make sure they get what’s coming to them, too.”
As I said this, I lightly shook the letter I’d received. His face gradually turned pale, and with a look of unease, he began to speak over me in a rush.
“Kill us…? Do you think you can survive by opposing the nation itself!?”
“I don’t intend to oppose the nation exactly. Still, ‘us’? You treat the lord, your master, rather casually, don’t you?”
“It’s absolutely unthinkable to lay a hand on Viscount Nogmaia!”
“Hmm… The relationship between you, the noble Nogmaia, and the Bernard brothers was unclear, but—”
“…?”
“I still haven’t seen a single ‘noble’ reaction in this town. Could you have imprisoned them somewhere else? Or perhaps, being close to them, you have already killed them?”
“Huh!? I-I didn’t—”
“Ah-ha!”
“Wh-what the hell are you scheming!?”
“C-Captain!?”
“Y-you bastard!”
Luckily, this captain is the incredibly dim-witted type.
I can’t tell the difference between soldiers and knights, but judging by their skill level, they’re probably rank D or C hunters.
Still, their arrogance the whole time probably means they hold a strong position in this town.
The reason the so-called captain flew into a rage when I cut him down, even though he drew his sword himself, is likely because he’s usually the one who cuts people down unilaterally.
Like fish on a hook, the men who drew their swords were cut down one after another—six in total. Only then did reality sink in. The other soldiers who hadn’t drawn their swords began kneeling and surrendering one by one.
Seeing them, I felt irritated. However, with the battle starting so suddenly, there hadn’t been time to issue a surrender warning. It couldn’t be helped.
I decided to turn the situation to my advantage. With a broad smile, I made them sign a standard “slave contract.” After extracting the truth from them, I assigned them the tasks they should have been doing all along:
“You cannot leave this town.”
“Capture all members of the Bernard family and gather them in the town center.”
“No one is to be killed.”
With terms this lenient, there were no complaints. I watched their retreating backs as they hurried off to patrol the town.
In any case, many noncombatants from their group were still lingering within the town.
This was evident from the Investigation results, but leaving them be wasn’t an option.
Someone must find them and hand them over to the country through proper channels so they can be judged.
So this is fine.
Keeping them alive is the best course of action; they possess adequate strength and know the town well.
I let out a deep sigh at the words I was telling myself.
Hah, this is bad.
“I don’t think I failed to kill them at all.”
Muttering to myself as if I were speaking to someone else, I headed out to finish the last cleanup task. I went to the most splendid building situated on the highest hill in the deepest part of the Special Zone.
And to one of the small huts nearby.
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