550

Episode 550: One 'empathy' is enough. (1)

Dark, who had gone out on a reconnaissance mission, approached Giselle and whispered very quietly.

"Master, it's true. Real enemies have appeared. Wow, how did you know?"

"You don't have to speak so quietly. Even if you shout here, they won't hear you."

"Oh, really. Let's lighten the mood."

Dark grumbled and told what he had seen.

"There are twenty of them. They are all coming through difficult terrain. But there were guys on every route the master mentioned?"

"How many?"

"Uh… … About five hundred people in one?"

Dark used to be unable to properly estimate numbers. However, after following Jiselle and gaining experience in war, he now has the discerning eye of a scout.

Jiselle nodded after hearing Dark's words.

"I guess I'll have to miss a few."

The reason they come in such small pieces is to move secretly. As the war intensifies, it is easy for a large army to be discovered.

Five hundred men was not a small number, but they could hide themselves by moving through the forests and mountains, and only at night.

Above all, the revolutionary group is very accustomed to hiding.

"I'll have to chase down the rest and kill them separately. But I'll leave the ones I missed to Claude."

Jiselle grabbed the reins.

It's not hard to guess the route the revolutionaries will take. It's obvious how they can come while hiding.

When preparing for a surprise attack, the important thing is not to predict the enemy's movement path, but to be certain that they will attack you.

And Giselle's prediction turned out to be remarkably accurate.

"It's really convenient to know someone well."

Jiselle chuckled.

In their previous life, the Revolutionary Group used to sneak around and make surprise attacks. Their favorite method was to attack from behind while the Human Alliance was fighting somewhere else.

So it wasn't hard to predict how they would react.

In addition, there was darkness on this side, so it was easy to monitor. If you just figured out the opponent's purpose, you could clearly see their movements.

Jiselle gave Dark a new order.

"Tell the others. They'll be here soon."

"Okay. Oh, I don't want to get eaten on the way."

Dark's body split into several pieces. The tiny crows flew off in their respective directions.

Currently, Giselle had divided the mobile force into ten units of about 2,000 men each. Each unit was led by experienced men such as Yulien, Parniel, Gillian, Kaor, Gordon, and Lucas.

To ensure safety, it was impossible to split them further. Those who missed could be pursued.

"Okay, we'll be arriving soon, so let's get ready."

The place they were in was a very large forest. The trees were so tall that light could not enter.

The mobile force stopped their horses far away and left behind only a few sentries. The rest, wearing black camouflage over their armor and helmets, spread out widely throughout the forest.

The armor of the Fenris Knights was black to begin with, so there was no need for any other camouflage.

"Swoosh… … ."

The mobile force hidden throughout the forest was so quiet that even the sound of breathing was muffled. If the thing that Jiselle trained the mobile force the most was charging, then the next thing was concealment and cover.

Because it was an essential element for Giselle's army, which enjoyed pursuit and surprise attacks.

The forest was soon filled with a quiet silence. Even the birds and insects stopped chirping, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with the uninvited guests who had settled in here.

The mobile force remained in that state for a full half a day. It might have been difficult for others, but for them, that amount of time was nothing.

'Hehehe, it's comfortable.'

'I wish every day could be like this. Hehe.'

'It's better than doing construction.'

'I'm really tired of running around here and there.'

'Oh, my. This is so comfortable. I'm going to sleep.'

For the mobile force that fought without rest, hiding was not much different from resting.

'Come a little later.'

Everyone prayed with the same heart. When I was training, hiding was boring and hard to endure, but as I followed Jiselle, I realized that there were many things in the world that were harder.

Unfortunately, the mobile force's wishes were not fulfilled. As the night grew dark, others who moved just as secretly as they did appeared.

Damn it.

A few scouts from the Revolutionary Corps cautiously entered the forest and looked around to see if there were any beasts or monsters.

They didn't even consider the possibility of people being here. There was no way the Allied Forces would be here.

"No problem."

It was a natural thing. Jisel and the mobile force had already arrived and cleared the area.

The scouts, unaware of this, took out flint and steel from their bosoms and struck them together.

Percussion!

A small light flashed in the dark forest.

The rest of the revolutionary group, having confirmed the signal, entered the forest. They had put on fur shoes and applied camouflage to their horses so that they could not hear the sound of their hooves.

They moved in unison, quickly forming a line and starting to move.

Even though they weren't regular troops, their movements were very nimble. That meant they were used to this kind of thing.

The one who entered the forest was the 2nd Battalion of the Revolutionary Corps. The 2nd Battalion Commander, Tarim, let out a deep breath of relief.

"It's not far. If you just go past here, you'll reach the Kingdom of Arthrod."

You've come this far safely. If you just put in a little more effort, you'll be able to reach the hideout you've prepared.

You just have to wait there until all your comrades gather.

Their goal was not to attack the Allied Forces. With these numbers, that would be impossible.

'But it's different when you're in combat.'

The Allied Forces are also a large force, so in order to secure a supply route, they must occupy each stronghold in the Kingdom of Arthrod.

So the Allied Forces had no choice but to split into several corps. The Revolutionary Army planned to select one of them and attack from behind during the battle.

"Come on, let's go quickly. Let's try a little harder."

Tarim led his men, sighing repeatedly.

I'm tired, but I have to get to the next location before daybreak. If I can just get there safely, I'll be able to get some rest.

'Damn, I joined the revolution because I was afraid of war… … .'

He joined the revolutionary group on the condition that he would take on the role of drill instructor. Although he was a junior member, he was still a high-level man with a knight background, so he was able to make the condition.

At first, it was great not having to fight and just staying in hiding.

But now that the revolutionary group has joined hands with the social groups, I can't just step down and say I'm an instructor.

'Ah, I guess I'll just have to find a chance and run away.'

Surely there would be an opportunity during the battle. This time, I was planning to run very far away.

No matter what Tarim thought, the 2nd Battalion of the Revolutionary Corps crossed the forest at a very fast pace.

They lived like a secret organization, hiding in various mountains and forests, so they were skilled at moving secretly.

When nothing happened even after crossing halfway through the forest, Tarim finally felt a little relieved.

"Okay, everything is going well this time. We can get to the next location before daybreak. But… … ."

But something felt oddly strange. Having always lived in the forests and mountains, he soon noticed something strange.

"It's so quiet. Is this the way it is? Or is it because of us?"

Tarim tilted his head as he moved. It seemed a little strange that it was because of them.

Because no sound was heard, not even from far away, let alone nearby.

Although he felt strangely uneasy, Tarim soon shook his head.

'That's ridiculous. There's no way the Allied Forces knew we were coming and would be lying in wait here.'

This would have been impossible if the spy had not provided the information.

No, it would have been impossible even if there had been a spy. They moved as soon as the operation was decided.

As I was running with my mind calming down, I saw that the reconnaissance team that had set off first had stopped.

"What? What's going on?"

As we got a little closer, we saw that the scouts were surrounding someone.

Tarim approached the scouts and asked.

"What is that guy?"

"I don't know. I just kept him alive because he kept insisting on seeing our leader."

"What? Me?"

I tried to sharpen my eyes to examine the opponent, but it was dark and I couldn't see his face very well. It was suspicious, but he was alone, so he didn't seem to be in much danger.

"fire."

At Tarim's command, several people lit torches. Then, the surroundings brightened slightly and the opponent's face was revealed.

Tarim looked at the man standing with both hands raised and asked.

"What are you? Why are you here alone? Are you lost?"

The man who was standing alone, Jiselle, answered with a sly smile.

"I will charge a toll."

"...what?"

"To pass through here, each person must pay 100 gold."

Tarim, who had been staring blankly for a moment, soon burst into laughter.

"Pfft."

"Sob sob."

The other people were the same. They didn't laugh out loud because they had to hide, but they all let out small laughter.

The reconnaissance team that had been surrounding Jiselle also relaxed and laughed.

One of the scouts shook his head and said to Jiselle.

"Do you know who we are and say such things? Tolls? You want to charge us a toll right now? And you do it alone?"

Blocking roads and collecting tolls is their specialty. The revolutionary group was not called a bandit group for nothing.

How dare you show up alone in front of those experts and try to extort a toll.

"You seem crazy, I'll just kill you."

Tarim, who was a former knight, was a little worried at the scout's words.

"We can't help it if we don't want our identities to be revealed… … But I think we can leave him alone if he's crazy… … Hmm?"

Tarim, who was speaking, frowned slightly. For a crazy person, his clothes looked quite luxurious. His appearance was also neat.

As expected, it's suspicious. Tarim reached out.

"Wait a minute, don't kill me… … ."

But the scout had already grabbed Jiselle by the collar and was growling.

"If you don't even know who we are and you did something crazy like this, then you're prepared for it, right? Die, you little shit."

When the scout raised his sword and tried to stab Jiselle.

Kwajik!

Jiselle was the first to take out an axe from her waist and cut off the scout's neck.

thud.

The scout who had his throat cut fell to the ground without even being able to scream.

"Looking at the dead scout, Jiselle said:

"What are you? Even if you show off, you're just a revolutionary."

Window! Chacha window!

All the revolutionaries took out their weapons.

Tarim's expression had hardened. The other party knew their true identity.

He opened his mouth slowly.

"Who are you…?"

"The Duke of Fenris."

"...what?"

"Don't you know me?"

"… … ."

Who doesn't know the Duke of Fenris? Probably everyone who took part in the war knows his name.

But I couldn't believe that the crazy guy who showed up alone in the middle of the night was the Duke of Fenris.

"I'm really the Duke of Fenris?"

"Okay. Can you show me your identification?"

Tarim gulped at the sight of her so relaxed.

It was hard to believe, but I had no choice. There weren't many people on this continent who could move so boldly.

"Oh, you came alone… … right?"

"I brought people who will prevent you from running away."

Ss ...

Tarim and the revolutionaries looked around. A group of people appeared with the sound of rustling leaves.

They had already surrounded the revolutionaries. They were completely surrounded.

This is ridiculous. How could they have been waiting for them so precisely in advance?

Tarim asked in a trembling voice.

"Oh, how did you know? Why, the Duke is here?"

"I don't know about that. 100 gold per person. Are you going to give it to me? Are you going to tell me?"

Tarim didn't know what to do. If the person in front of him was the Duke of Fenris, then they must be the famous Mobile Force.

The enemy has already surrounded the area and is much more numerous than the capital city itself. There is absolutely no way that the number of people here can handle it.

No, even if it was only the Duke of Fenris, they wouldn't have been able to win. No matter how skilled they were, the one in front of them was a monster among monsters.

Tarim got off his horse. Still, seeing as he was asking for money, it seemed like there was room for negotiation.

"Well, I don't have that much money right now… … ."

Who carries 100 gold coins around in a time of war? No, even when there is no war, you don't carry them around like that.

Then Giselle said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Then we all have to die."

"Oh, is it not okay to do it on credit?"

"This Duke has never tolerated trauma."

"I, I'm a former knight, so I always pay off my debts. I don't cheat."

"The world is a mess. A former knight is now a bandit. Anyway, credit is not allowed."

Being a knight was a source of pride for Tarim. Although he was now a member of the revolutionary group, he still believed that he was different from the others.

Tarim, his pride wounded, cried out in anger.

"Everyone run! Get through this somehow! The operation has failed!"

Pride is pride and life is life. There was no way I could beat the Duke of Fenris.

I don't know what happened, but the enemy knew about the plan. I had to get out of the siege quickly and let them know.

Tarim shouted and immediately turned around and ran. He mustered all his strength to the point of death and exploded his mana.

Other revolutionaries also began to spread out in all directions.

But I couldn't escape from Giselle's hands.

Kwajik!

"Kkaaaak!"

Tarim, who was running away, suddenly fell down after being hit on the back by an axe.

"Ugh, ugh… … Sa, save me."

Jiselle stepped on Tarim's leg without saying anything.

Ugh!

"Eww!"

Tarim's legs were crushed in an instant. Looking down at Tarim, who was trembling in pain, Jiselle said.

"I'll spare you for now. Kill the rest of you and then come back and talk."

Jiselle twirled her axe around with a ferocious laugh.

There was no need to use any other weapons when dealing with these guys.

His hatchet for small tasks, 'empathy', was enough.