WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 83

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Prey and Hunter (6)

The surprise lasted only a moment. Once the rangers saw the barbarian captain's head, they quickly lowered their guard.

That was how infamous the barbarian cavalry had become throughout the Duchy of Tervan. The fact that they recognized his face on sight proved it. Just as Kyle had expected, the man had indeed been the captain of the cavalry unit blocking the entrance to the auxiliary trade route. On top of that, countless mercenaries and merchants had died at their hands.

"I thought something was off when he started shooting arrows filled with mana. So there was a reason."

"Yes. Even if people pay for their lives, they often kill them anyway depending on their mood."

"Were rangers among the dead?"

"...Shamefully, yes, to some extent."

After that first meeting, they exchanged a brief conversation.

Kyle's group and the ranger unit were now moving together toward the checkpoint. At first, the rangers had looked at Kyle with distrust in their eyes, but after seeing the barbarian captain's severed head, their gazes changed completely.

The same went for the ranger scout captain leading them. Unlike their first meeting, when he had spoken casually, he switched to respectful speech after seeing clear proof that Kyle's group had nearly wiped out the barbarian cavalry unit. He had realized they were far stronger than his own men. Thanks to that, there was no life-or-death clash with the rangers. The carriage, which had stopped for a while, rolled slowly along the road to match the rangers' brisk pace.

"Still, wiping out the Krakes Tribe's cavalry with only three people... It is astonishing. Even after seeing the proof, it is hard to believe."

The scout captain, walking beside the horse pulling the carriage, looked back and forth at the three people riding inside.

A dark brown-haired man sat in the coachman's seat. Behind him sat a black-cloaked mercenary who seemed to have killed the barbarian captain. Last was a woman who appeared to be a mage, the hood of her white robe pulled low over her face.

"The person sitting in the coachman's seat... is he perhaps the coachman?"

"What?"

Jade, who had been quietly driving the horse, snapped at the scout captain's words. The scout captain ignored him and kept looking at Kyle.

"No. He is a mercenary. He is traveling with us for a while due to certain circumstances."

"I see. I suppose you would need at least one person to handle odd jobs."

"Hey, Kyle! Are these guys really rangers from the Duchy of Tervan? How can they be this bad at judging people?"

Jade spat the words out without hiding his irritation. Snickers came from here and there, from the rangers walking quickly near the carriage. Only then did Jade realize the scout captain had been joking to loosen the mood, and his face flushed red.

Quick-witted or not, he was rather easy to bait if you scratched his pride.

"More than that, there is something I want to know. Earlier, it looked like you were lying in ambush. What were you doing?"

Elysia, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. Unlike the low male voices, hers was soft and gentle. The scout captain's eyes widened.

"Well..."

"You do not have to say it if it is difficult."

"No. Thinking about it, there is not much reason to hide it."

He glanced at the rangers following behind, then continued.

"We were scouting the surrounding area as part of our routine."

"Scouting?"

Kyle asked. The scout captain nodded.

"Yes. Normally, all outposts and fortresses in the duchy send rangers out to scout at set times every day. The duchy's main income comes from the tolls paid by trading convoys and travelers whenever they pass through checkpoints and fortresses, so we clear out any monsters or barbarians in the area beforehand to prevent trouble. But..."

"It became meaningless."

"That is correct. It has been especially true for the past month. Our scouting range has shrunk considerably."

"Is the checkpoint intact?"

Kyle asked again. Since the rangers were still active, there was a high chance it had not fallen yet, but he asked just in case.

"It is intact. The outpost itself has not been destroyed."

"That sounds like something else is the problem."

"...There has been damage, but it is not severe. We still have soldiers left to defend the checkpoint."

"And?"

"It has simply lost almost all of its influence. With things as they are, almost no trading convoys or travelers pass through anymore. Since the barbarian cavalry unit is gone, things may improve for a while, but..."

The captain who had led the barbarian cavalry unit was dead. Since his troops were gone, the rangers could expand their range of activity. Even so, the scout captain's expression did not look good.

It was only natural. The cavalry captain and barbarians Kyle had killed were only a small part of the barbarian forces in these highlands. Unless the leaders, including the Great Chieftain and the count who had committed treason, were removed, a new barbarian unit would arrive before long. Then they would keep blocking the road and robbing the trading convoys brave enough to pass.

"So there will be no major change unless the root cause is removed."

"Yes. That is right. We also do not know how long this will continue..."

The scout captain swallowed a sigh and muttered in a fading voice.

Kyle said nothing more. The same went for Jade, who was driving the carriage, and Elysia.

The carriage carrying the three of them and the ranger unit moved silently toward the checkpoint. They rested occasionally along the way. They did not eat anything elaborate. The rangers chewed the dried rations each of them had brought, while Kyle's group ate dried fruit they had bought in advance from Nibelmund.

By the time late afternoon came.

"We have arrived. It is over there."

The scout captain at the front spoke. Where he pointed, there was a checkpoint of considerable size.

Sloping rocks rose at an angle on both sides. Here and there, wild grass and broken trees grew in strange shapes. Beneath the road where the carriage passed was a dizzying ravine, almost like a cliff. Beyond it, a wooden palisade stood blocking the route, twice as tall as a grown man. A bridge spanning the ravine and two watchtowers had been built there.

A few soldiers on the watchtower noticed them and greeted them.

The scout captain waved back, then turned to Kyle and spoke.

"Could we borrow the barbarian captain's head from earlier?"

"Why?"

"I think it will help when we make our report."

"Take it."

"Thank you. I will go ahead first. Please wait a moment."

The carriage stopped. The rangers entered the checkpoint first to make their report. The three watched the rangers' backs as they disappeared into the distance.

"Whoa. Look at that terrain. Those peaks over there. We have to cross those, right?"

Jade, forced into an unexpected rest, looked at the scenery beyond the checkpoint and clicked his tongue. Far away stood rocky ridges lightly covered in white snow. They had to be incredibly distant, yet they were so massive that the sense of perspective blurred, making them look almost unnaturally clear.

"If we keep moving, it will not take that long."

"You said two weeks if we're fast. Close to a month if we're slow, right?"

"Probably."

"I hope nothing happens."

The three of them each said their piece and waited. Not long after, a group of rangers approached from the checkpoint.

At the very front was the scout captain who had guided them there.

"Please come in. Permission has been granted."

The scout captain spoke once he came close. The three exchanged looks, nodded, and entered the checkpoint.

***

The inside of the checkpoint blocking the ravine was bigger than expected. As soon as Kyle's group got down from the carriage, they were taken to the building where the person in charge of the outpost stayed.

Unlike the exterior of the checkpoint, which was surrounded by wooden palisades, the commander's building was a two-story stone structure. Guided by a ranger, they climbed the stairs and entered a room, where a middle-aged man stood by the window.

"Ah, you are here. I confirmed the head you handed over. It truly was the captain of that Krakes cavalry unit. Frankly, it was hard to believe even after seeing it..."

"With the situation as it is, I do not have much to offer you. Is that acceptable?"

"It does not matter."

"I thank you for your generosity. I am Kellan Fell, the senior knight in charge of this checkpoint."

"Kyle. The two beside me are Jade and Ellie. All three of us are mercenaries."

"Mercenaries..."

Kellan looked at Kyle's group with a subtle gaze. Kyle glanced at Jade beside him. Jade raised an eyebrow and took his Mercenary Badge from inside his clothes.

"A Gold Badge?"

"Well, more or less."

"Then the others..."

"One is a Silver-rank Mercenary, and the other is a mage from a Magic Tower. I will vouch for the two of them. Do you need anything else?"

Jade said. This was not a Silver-rank Mercenary vouching for them, but a Gold-rank Mercenary. As expected, Kellan shook his head.

"No, this is enough. To be honest, I wondered what method you used to cut off that man's head and bring it here... Now I understand. A Gold-rank Mercenary."

That was how high the status of a Gold-rank Mercenary was. They were comparable to elite knights of most great houses, and some were even stronger. It was a rank only an extremely small number of the already rare Silver-rank Mercenaries could reach.

Kellan accepted it at once and sank into the chair in front of his desk. In truth, Kyle was the one who had killed the barbarian captain, but he did not step forward to correct it. Since this was a checkpoint, the office interior was extremely practical and plain, but it had everything it needed. Kellan spoke again.

"You seem like someone who dislikes pointless chatter, so I will skip the preliminaries and get straight to the point. What do you want?"

"Can we pass through this checkpoint?"

Kyle asked the question he had prepared without the slightest hesitation. Kellan sighed as if he had known this was coming, then wiped his face with his hand.

"Hoo... You want to pass through here."

"Is there a problem?"

"There are many problems. So many that the number of them is a problem in itself. I will tell you in advance. My answer is no."

"Reason?"

"Are you truly asking because you do not know?"

Kellan frowned. Then he explained the circumstances.

"A short while ago, an official notice came down from the capital. It ordered all checkpoints and fortresses on the trade roads, including the main trade routes, to close."

"When exactly was that?"

"Two days ago. The news came by messenger hawk the day before yesterday."

According to Kellan, trade had nearly stopped for the past month because of the barbarians and the defecting Count Barkan. The same went for travelers.

As of a few days ago, they had stopped seeing anyone passing through the checkpoints or fortresses at all. Rumors had spread little by little as far as the Kingdom of Brendel and the Kingdom of Sarmaren. Around then, the barbarians began to run even wilder. Unable to watch any longer, Duke Tervan sent an official order telling them not to force themselves out, and to stay holed up inside the fortresses and outposts. That letter had arrived at this checkpoint two days ago.

"So I cannot let you pass. This is the will of His Grace the Duke, ruler of the Duchy of Tervan. It is an unavoidable stopgap to prevent any more victims..."

"Ridiculous. Say it properly. It is not to prevent victims, but to keep trading convoys from getting robbed by the barbarian tribes and filling their bellies any further, is it not?"

Kyle spoke sharply. Kellan, struck right on the mark, opened and closed his mouth for a moment as if words had failed him.

At any rate, from the moment Count Barkan defected, the duke had no way to make a move. Even if he gathered the capital defense force and the troops from fortresses and checkpoints all over the duchy, they would only be equal to the barbarians, or slightly fewer. In this situation, trading convoys growing greedy and trying to pass were feeding the barbarian tribes more and more. The duke had clearly decided to hold out until he could receive support from Brendel or Sarmaren.

"So... what do you want me to do about it?"

But Kellan's silence lasted only an instant. Gritting his teeth, he continued as if arguing back.

"The order has already been issued. It is the same not only at this checkpoint, but at the other fortresses too. That means you cannot pass until the matter is resolved."

"......."

"Even if you somehow pass through the checkpoints and fortresses, the barbarians will attack the carriage. Are you saying you will deal with every one of them?"

"Is there a reason we cannot?"

Kyle glanced at Jade and Elysia beside him. Even if the barbarians had three thousand fighters and the count's regular army numbered five hundred, those troops were not gathered in one place. If they used the terrain and defeated them one by one as needed, they had a good chance of winning.

"Arrogant. No matter that you have a Gold-rank Mercenary, a Silver-rank Mercenary, and even a mage from a Magic Tower, there is no exception to the violence of numbers. Besides, those bastards are experts in guerrilla warfare who move through these highlands as if they were their own backyard."

"So you cannot let us through? Even if we pay ten times the toll?"

Kellan shook his head firmly. His will was unshakable.

After that, Kellan launched into a long speech about all the reasons Kyle's group could not pass. His agitated voice rang loudly through the modest office. To anyone listening, it would have sounded almost tedious. Kyle could hear the man's rigid personality and faint concern in the voice directed at him.

"So..."

"Then we can go together."

Kyle cut him off.

"...What did you just say?"

"You said the problem is the barbarian tribes ravaging the duchy and the traitors who joined them. If there is a cause for the problem, removing it should be enough."

"That means..."

"I will kill them for you."

Kellan's expression hardened. Kyle spoke again in a low voice.

"That Great Chieftain called Zakan, and the defecting Count Barkan too."

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