WeTried Translations
Translator: Hydrogen B
Editor: Hydrogen B
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 186: The Road Home (7)
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It took a little over half a day to reach their destination, just as the captured knights had said.
Falken Bridge, the key trade route linking the Federation and the north. An old castle stood before it as if blocking the bridge.
Several bridges connected the eastern and northern parts of Velia. Among them, Falken Bridge was especially important. It practically monopolized the lower reaches of the Voldra River, the largest river in the southeastern north. While ordinary travelers could take another route, large trading convoys and marching armies had no choice but to cross Falken Bridge. Otherwise, they would have to split their columns and take a long detour.
Kyle had heard about it before. A crucial bridge that most goods from the Federation passed through. Seeing Falken Bridge in person exceeded his expectations. A broad river that looked more than a hundred meters wide. A sturdy stone bridge so old its history could not be counted. Even the small towns formed along both riverbanks where the bridge ended.
“Nothing has changed here, then or now.”
Hermann reined in his horse and muttered bitterly. A massive river flowed relentlessly before them.
The current was quite fast. No, now that he looked closer, it was even stronger than expected. The Voldra River, normally about a hundred meters wide, had swelled rapidly as March drew to an end. Snow that had been frozen all winter had melted upstream, creating a far more violent current than usual.
“It may be the north, but by Hailen's standards, this is still the south. Spring would arrive earlier here. Baldheim is probably colder than this.”
Walter replied quietly to Hermann. Kyle glanced at Baron Falken's three knights, who were still watching their every move, then examined Falken Bridge and the old castle looming before it.
“I don't know what the first Baron Falken was like, but he must've had an excellent nose for money. Just look at how his descendants have been living off this bridge for generations, for hundreds of years.”
Kyle inwardly agreed with Walter. The bridge, said to be the greatest in the southeastern north, appeared to be around ten meters wide even at a glance. Even accounting for the railings, it was enormous. Two cargo wagons from a large trading convoy could likely pass side by side. Its sturdy appearance was merely an added bonus.
Falken Fortress on the other side of the Voldra River was even more impressive. The broad bridge connected directly to the fortress gate. To cross such a mighty river, one needed Baron Falken's permission. To preserve the bridge's monopoly, there was not even a single boat near the riverbanks. Not that boats would be useful this time of year with the current so strong.
“We must capture it, if only to secure the Grand Duke's support later. We can't let someone seize us by the throat from the very beginning.”
Kyle spoke, and the members, including Hermann and Walter, gave small nods of agreement. This was the source of Baron Falken's influence, allowing him to wield power rivaling that of many high-ranking Hailen nobles despite his low title. If they could take it for themselves, it would become a great source of strength.
No, it had to.
“Let's hope the Baron cooperates willingly. Though personally, I'd prefer it if he resisted until the end.”
Walter grinned as he toyed with the star iron sword at his waist. Everyone turned to look at Baron Falken's three knights, who wore vacant expressions. Stripped of their armor and swords, they stared down at the endlessly flowing river. The knight whose arm Kyle had severed had eyes filled entirely with fear.
“You people...”
“...”
“Who exactly are you? What is your purpose in doing this? Surely you don't mean to say you're unaware that Duke Ehrenfeld stands behind Baron Falken?”
The knight whose arm had been severed gritted their teeth and forced their voice louder. They were surprisingly defiant for someone who had been defeated in a single strike and disarmed.
“Release us now, tell the Baron what happened, and beg his forgiveness.”
“...”
“Even if you cut off all our heads here, you won't be able to cross the bridge. Falken Bridge has never been breached by an enemy in at least five hundred years. It would be the same even if you somehow infiltrated the fortress. The inside is like a maze to outsiders. Surely you don't intend for only nine of you to face every soldier in the citadel? No matter how strong you are...!”
“What the hell are you babbling about, you stupid bastard?”
The one-armed knight had been going on and on when Walter suddenly swung his sheathed sword into the side of their head.
Thwack!
The knight with the red bandage around their shoulder tumbled to the ground.
“Urgh!”
“Do we still look like some pathetic mercenaries to you?”
The one-armed knight had fallen from their horse. Walter remained mounted above them. While the knight gasped from the impact, fear deepened in the eyes of the remaining two. They repeatedly glanced at Walter, Hermann, and the other members.
Especially Kyle, whose expression barely changed.
Who are they? Judging by their skill alone, they were stronger than knights from most great families of the Empire or Federation.
The knights could not hide their confusion. They had merely gone around the assigned area as usual to collect tribute payments. They could not understand how things had turned out this way.
And they called that sturdy middle-aged knight the Deputy Commander. These were clearly knights disguised as mercenaries, yet their accents were precisely those of northern local nobles. Was there a knight order in the north with this level of skill?
Could it be...?
As the two remaining knights stood with their mouths open at the growing sense of unease, the one-armed knight somehow managed to rise.
“It is time to move.”
Kyle spoke without giving the one-armed knight even a glance. Hermann, who had been watching, asked,
“Are we proceeding as planned?”
“Yes. Come in when I give the signal.”
“Don't overdo it. If you can't manage it, we'll just break through the front.”
“That won't be necessary. Everyone, wait in the city. It won't take long.”
Kyle dismissed Walter's concern in a single sentence, forced the heavily breathing one-armed knight back onto a horse, and headed toward the middle of Falken Bridge. The eight members watched Kyle leave with Baron Falken's three knights, then slipped into the outskirts of the city a moment later.
* * *
Kyle's plan to capture Falken Fortress was simple. Deception rather than a direct assault. Rather than charging the front gate, he would make them open it from within. It would be easier and faster that way.
Kyle planned to cross the bridge with Baron Falken's three captured knights. The others would hide on the outskirts of the city and move once Kyle gave the signal. That was why he had not immediately killed the knights who had come to collect Arenbach's tribute payment. The guards at the gate would recognize their faces.
That was also why they had deliberately spent another day in the village. Returning too soon might arouse suspicion. The soldiers on the wall would find the Baron's knights strange in their unarmed state, but would open the gate if they heard there was an urgent matter to report.
At least, Kyle needed them to believe that.
The level of the knights alone made it clear how lax the discipline of Baron Falken's soldiers would be.
“Pant... Pant...”
On Falken Bridge, which crossed the lower reaches of the Voldra River, easily over a hundred meters wide, three unarmed knights rode across a massive stone bridge that was well over several centuries old.
“It isn't too late even now.”
“...”
“If you repent, I will personally plead with the Baron for you. You are skilled knights. If he makes proper use of you, you will surely be of help.”
The one-armed knight spoke while looking ahead. Their voice was almost pleading.
“Are you listening to me?”
“...”
“Why aren't you saying anything? At this rate, we'll all die...!”
But no answer came.
That was also how it appeared. At present, only Baron Falken's three knights were crossing Falken Bridge. At least, that was what it looked like.
“Damn it. What kind of person are you? A knight using Illusion Magic? I've never even heard of such a...!”
“Shh.”
The one-armed knight was about to turn around when Kyle's low voice brushed against the ears of all three knights. They could not see him, but a sharp blade touched the one-armed knight's back.
“Quiet.”
“...”
“You talk too much. Don't you want to live?”
The one-armed knight's body stiffened. The other two knights, riding slowly beside them, did the same.
Roooar.
The swollen river still rushed violently beneath the bridge. The sound of water pounding against their ears felt like an auditory hallucination heard at death's door. With a current that strong, anyone who fell in would be swept away before even their body could be found. Every year, one or two people drowned in the river around this time.
“Haah... Haah...”
Perhaps because they did not know when death would come, the one-armed knight's breathing gradually grew louder. The other two were much the same.
“Stop! Halt there!”
A booming voice suddenly rang out from above. The three knights crossing the bridge pulled their reins and stopped.
The distant castle walls had already drawn close enough to stand directly before them. Falken Citadel was as grand and imposing as Falken Fortress. Its weathered outer walls alone looked as though they could withstand the attack of any ordinary army.
It would take at least two wyvern knights to breach something like that.
The walls are roughly twenty meters high.
“Sir Nils?”
A soldier's surprised voice came from above. The commanding boom from before was nowhere to be heard.
“Sir Nils? Where?”
“Damn, it really is them. Have they returned?”
“They left yesterday morning, so it is about time.”
“But why do they look like that...?”
“An arm? Their right arm is gone.”
The soldiers keeping watch on the wall whispered among themselves at the sight of the three returning knights. Their appearance was far different from usual.
They were not wearing the armor they should have had. The same went for the swords at their waists. All they had were their horses and the light clothes covering their bodies. Nils, the strongest of the three, had even lost their right arm, leaving only their left.
“Sir Nils! What happened?”
Unable to bear it any longer, one soldier leaned over the railing and shouted down.
“There was an incident!”
“An incident?”
“Yes! It's an urgent matter! I must see the Baron and report to him in person! We don't have time for this!”
The one-armed knight shouted desperately. The soldier leaning over the railing looked back with confused eyes.
“What should we do?”
The soldiers looked toward their captain. The captain carefully examined the three unarmed knights and Nils, whose arm had been severed. Fear could not be hidden from their faces. They looked exactly like knights defeated on the battlefield.
Only three people returned.
They were injured, but no one had died. This may truly be urgent.
“Open the gate. Let them in first.”
After only a brief moment of consideration, the captain gave the order. Not long afterward, the massive gate rose with a deafening sound.
Creeeak.
“What happened? Why have you returned like this?”
The three knights passed through the gate and entered the fortress. The captain and soldiers who had come down from the wall surrounded them in a semicircle near the entrance. Whether from fear or the cold seeping through their thin clothes, the knights trembled.
The one who spoke was Nils, standing in the middle.
“It is too long a story to explain here.”
“...”
“So, is the Baron inside?”
“Yes. Though I don't know whether you can see him immediately because of the banquet that was arranged yesterday. Is it truly that urgent?”
“Yes. It is extremely urgent. It may even concern the fate of the country.”
“What do you mean by...?”
The captain and soldiers furrowed their brows.
“The truth is...”
“...”
“Behind me are traitors who would humiliate the Baron and defy Duke Ehrenfeld...!”
Nils widened their eyes and spun around to point behind them.
At that moment, a faint Sword Light flashed through the empty air.
A colorless blade passed in an instant, grazing Nils's neck. A beat later, their severed head flew upward.
Splash!
Bright red blood sprayed everywhere.
The abnormality did not end there. The other two knights' heads were cut off in an instant as well, at a speed they could not react to. Then, a man appeared amid the rippling scenery.
Jet-black hair and eyes.
A fluttering cloak, and a sword shining like a star in his right hand.
“Th-That...”
“...”
“An enemy attack! We're under attack!”
Only after the three knights' severed heads struck the ground did the soldiers finally come to their senses. Kyle fearlessly charged into the soldiers surrounding him.
“Do not panic! There is only one of him! Spread out and surround him from a distance...!”
The captain forced out orders while trying to conceal their shock.
But it was already too late.
Each time Yurian's sword swung, another soldier fell.
Before long, no one remained near the open gate.
Only Kyle stood there.
After looking around once, Kyle climbed onto the wall. Far in the distance, at the end of Falken Bridge, eight members rode toward him on horseback.
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