WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Genius Knight of a Fallen Race ◈

Chapter 64: It Is Fine to Cut Down All Who Resist

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The Butcher Rabbit, Ravana, was one of Pendia’s most famous mercenaries.

As her nickname suggested, she was an Alto with rabbit ears. She was also a woman.

Those were terrible disadvantages for a mercenary.

Yet Ravana had overcome them all and established herself as one of Pendia’s finest mercenaries.

She possessed a physique and brute strength that overwhelmed even most knights, as well as axe skills that seemed almost divine.

After watching monsters get carved apart by the enormous axe called Rabbit’s Foot, no one could dismiss her for being a woman or an Alto.

“Hmm.”

“What is it, Boss?”

Ravana’s expression soured as she looked down at the enemy army gathered beneath the wall, prompting the subordinate beside her to speak.

“Can you see that?”

“Pardon? Who?”

“That knight over there. The one who looks like he stole his big brother’s armor and put it on.”

“Ah...”

Looking closely, there was indeed a knight who fit the description.

He was not particularly large, but he rode a warhorse about half again as large as the others, making him stand out immediately.

“What about him?”

“He’s probably the commander that knight who came earlier mentioned. Shan Barendil, the one who tore out an ogre’s heart while it was still alive.”

“Ah.”

The army that had arrived at Zerkan City earlier had demanded its surrender, claiming to be led by the Green-Eyed Knight.

They said they would requisition strategic supplies in Princess Serin’s name to stabilize the country.

Naturally, Ravana had refused.

Defending this city was her only choice.

“So, what do you think? He’s still no match for you, right, Boss?”

Ravana had an instinctive ability to gauge an opponent’s strength without fighting them herself.

No one knew whether it came from her sensitive rabbit ears or was simply a sharp instinct.

What was certain was that it had saved Ravana and several of her subordinates more than once.

What would she think of that famous Alto knight?

Ignoring her subordinate’s usual eager question, Ravana stared down from the wall and clicked her tongue.

She could not find the words to describe the feeling she had received the moment she met those green eyes.

Her skin prickled as though she had been dropped into a swamp full of deadly venom. It felt as though icy liquid flowed from her heart through every vein in her body...

Every piece of flesh in her body seemed to scream that she would die the moment she faced him.

After a moment of thought, Ravana tried to put her impression into the most playful words she could.

“Honestly, I thought the stories were exaggerated... but he’s really an impossible monster. Even when I faced a basilisk, I didn’t get chills like this. At this rate, we’re all going to die.”

Silence hung over the wall for a moment before a subordinate muttered.

“Wow. Now I really want to surrender.”

“Then get lost if you don’t want to die. I won’t stop you.”

“How could we leave you and Kiri behind, Captain?”

The subordinate grinned foolishly and rubbed their hands together.

* * *

“The Butcher Rabbit? You mean Ravana?”

“Yes. Those ears, that build, and that huge axe... I doubt there are two women like that.”

Roden answered Shan’s question respectfully.

Shan had heard of an Alto mercenary stronger than most knights before, so he had guessed her identity as well.

Serin had once shown interest in Ravana. Since she had already appointed one Alto as a knight, she had wondered whether having two would really be a problem. Unfortunately, they had never crossed paths.

“I heard she’d been taking part in Libert’s civil war since last year.”

“That was my understanding as well. Setting aside when she returned, why would she side with Viscount Zerkan, an adherent of the Old Faith?”

Shan glanced behind him and noticed the troubled expressions on the Alto mercenaries’ faces.

Before Shan Barendil, the first Alto knight, appeared, Ravana had been the idol of Pendian Altos.

They could not help feeling conflicted about having to fight someone like her.

Of course, they would not dare refuse to fight.

They ate, slept, and fought as soldiers under Shan’s command, paid with Shan’s money.

A few minutes later, Yurk returned after shouting back and forth with the enemy across the wall for some time. He shook his head.

“The negotiations failed, Sir Shan. I am ashamed.”

“You did well. It looked like they had no intention of accepting from the beginning anyway.”

Several people nearby looked puzzled at their exchange.

A few had expected Shan to take this opportunity to harshly rebuke Yurk and seize the initiative.

There was no need. Shan already held the psychological advantage, so he could sincerely comfort him.

Yurk nodded at Shan’s encouragement, hesitated briefly, then spoke.

“This is only my personal impression, so you may disregard it, but they did not seem eager to fight either.”

“There is a difference in troop numbers. Is that not only natural?”

A knight under Count Paless responded as though that were absurd, but Yurk shook his head.

“Not like that... It felt more as though they were being forced into fighting. Even when they refused to surrender, they answered as if they wanted to surrender in their hearts.”

“Could it be because of a contract?”

“They are not from some mercenary village. I doubt they would place a contract above their own lives.”

Unless they belonged to groups like the Steel Lion Legion, which valued trust with an employer as much as life itself, most mercenaries did not stubbornly insist on fighting battles that were clearly lost.

They were not knights. What use would immortal honor be after they were dead?

“Either way, they refused to surrender, so we have no choice but to take the city by force. Shall we begin immediately?”

“No. It is getting late, so we will rest today. Prepare everything, then begin the siege tomorrow morning.”

At Shan’s command, the army immediately began unloading and assembling the equipment they had brought.

There was a battering ram made from a huge log pulled on wheels, long ladders that reached the tops of walls several meters high, and even siege towers that could quickly create a path to the battlements.

They did not have any catapults capable of directly damaging the walls.

Pendia rarely used weapons of that kind.

They built stone walls so often that large stones were harder to obtain than expected. Besides, if the walls collapsed after taking a city, monsters could enter and cause harm.

Naturally, Zerkan City erupted into chaos at the sight.

More than two hundred soldiers hurried around the walls, piling up arrows and stones. Even from outside, they could see it happening.

Judging by their equipment, most were likely conscripts hastily gathered from the city. Unlike in field battles, though, they were still dangerous in a siege.

Even simply throwing rocks from above would make them useful.

It seemed they would have to expect some casualties in tomorrow’s siege.

While they prepared for the siege, Roden returned after slipping away at some point.

He spoke to Shan with a grave expression.

“Sir Shan, I learned something important.”

“What is it?”

“I captured and questioned several residents who could not get into the city. They said Ravana remains in Zerkan City because her daughter is being held hostage.”

“A hostage?”

“Yes.”

According to what he had learned, Ravana had been passing near Zerkan City about a month ago.

After returning from the Libert campaign and hearing about Princess Serin, she had hoped she might be able to join her.

Prince Conrad, who currently led the succession war, had gone so far as to expel the Altos from his territory.

Princess Serin, who had gathered Altos, including Shan Barendil, the first Alto knight, and built an army, was an attractive employer.

Yet while Ravana and her companions were traveling toward Pales territory, the lord of Zerkan City kidnapped her daughter.

She had been detained and forced to become the city’s guard dog.

“How would ordinary residents know such details?”

“It is already quite a well-known story around here. The mercenaries following Ravana complain about it in places like taverns.”

“I see...”

At last, Shan understood why an Alto mercenary was risking her life to hold out for an Old Faith lord.

Her daughter’s life was at stake.

The knights who heard the story exchanged uncomfortable looks.

“This makes the fight feel unpleasant.”

“Well, what can we do? It’s not as if we can rescue her daughter.”

They could not refuse to fight simply because their opponent’s circumstances were pitiful.

For that matter, how many of the soldiers over there truly wanted to risk their lives fighting?

As the knights argued among themselves, Shan looked at Zerkan City’s wall and spoke.

“If Ravana’s daughter is being held captive, where would she be?”

“Probably in an underground prison in the inner castle. If they kept her somewhere less secure, someone might take her away.”

Roden answered respectfully from beside him, and Shan asked another question.

“If we secure her daughter first, could we win Ravana over by doing her a favor?”

Shan did not want to recruit Ravana because she was an Alto.

Serin wanted to gather capable, loyal knights.

An Alto mercenary with no one to rely on and outstanding skill would make an excellent gift.

“That is true, but first we would need to break through the outer wall...”

“That cliff.”

“Pardon?”

Shan pointed to the massive cliff behind the city, which served as a natural wall.

Part of its lower section connected to the inside of the inner castle, just as Roden had said.

“We might be able to climb down it.”

Everyone stared at Shan as though he had lost his mind.

They were not spiders or lizards. How could that possibly make sense?

* * *

Shan’s improvised plan was simple.

Once night fell, the main force would conduct a nighttime siege.

Of course, actually doing so would result in enormous casualties. They would only make a loud commotion and fire arrows to draw attention, without launching a real assault.

The true attack would come from the rear.

A separate force would climb down the cliff, capture the inner castle, isolate the troops at the outer wall, and force their surrender.

Capturing the lord would be ideal. Even if they could not, securing Ravana’s daughter would deprive the enemy of an enormous fighting force.

The plan sounded plausible, aside from the fact that the cliff they needed to descend was about one hundred and fifty meters high, and they would still need to face more than several dozen soldiers even if most of the enemy forces were stationed at the outer wall.

“Sir Shan, this is far too reckless...”

“If it succeeds, we can capture the city without major losses. It is worth the risk.”

Shan used his authority to silence the knight who objected to the end.

He understood their concerns, but he had complete confidence in his own physical ability and combat strength.

He could climb walls without hesitation, much less a cliff that was far lower.

“Be careful not to suffer unnecessary casualties until we succeed over here.”

“Understood. To be honest, I am more worried about your safety, Sir Shan...”

“Are you truly going without anyone else?”

“If anyone can climb down a cliff about one hundred and fifty meters high, they can come along. I do not think there is anyone.”

Some explorers trained in cliff climbing, but it was difficult to expect knights or soldiers to possess such skills.

Climbing down from that height in full armor was literally suicide.

There was a reason Zerkan City had made no separate defensive preparations on the cliff side.

Who would reasonably expect anyone to climb down something like that?

Even if one or two people somehow succeeded, that number would not be enough to threaten the city.

Unless it was this monster.

“I will leave command of the main force to my head squire, Roden. You two should follow Roden as well...”

“We will follow you, Sir Shan!”

“Th-that is right! We cannot send the lord we serve alone!”

The ones who shouted were Shan’s two young squires, Biko and Tavera.

Fear was clear on the boys’ faces, yet their eyes were filled with determination.

“As I said, you need to know how to climb cliffs.”

“We can do it!”

“Really?”

“...Even if we fall to our deaths, we will not scream!”

The two squires shrank back under Shan’s gaze, but neither changed his mind.

Then Yurk spoke up for them.

“Take them with you, Sir Shan. I would never doubt your abilities, but there are many things a person cannot do alone.”

For example, if the people he pursued split into two groups and fled in different directions, he could not catch them all unless he split his body in half.

With even two people, they could protect each other’s backs as they fought.

Shan hesitated briefly, then nodded.

If he only needed to slaughter everyone, he could manage alone. Yet more people would be useful for a rescue and capture mission.

“All right. They are both still light enough, so I should be able to manage.”

No one there understood what Shan meant by managing the two of them.

He looked at Roden and lightly tapped his chest with his fist.

“I leave this side to you, Roden.”

“Do not worry, Sir Shan.”

Roden grinned and nodded.

He was not worried because he knew that climbing down a cliff and fighting several dozen soldiers was not even dangerous for Shan.

That evening, a few hours after the plan had been made, Shan climbed the mountain and reached the top of the cliff.

He sent a signal toward the outer wall by switching a lamp magic device on and off several times.

Before long, a commotion broke out in the distance.

It sounded faint from here, but hundreds of people were shouting and firing arrows at once. The city guards had surely become completely occupied with defending the wall.

“All right, tie these ropes around yourselves.”

Shan tied two ropes around his own body, then instructed his squires to tie the other ends around themselves.

If either of them fell, he would be left hanging from someone else’s body.

As Biko carefully tied a rope around his waist, he looked at Shan and asked.

“Um, Sir Shan. Instead of this, could we tie a rope at the top of the cliff and climb down it...?”

“I took a quick look earlier. There are many sharp ridges on the cliff. If hemp rope rubs against them, it will snap easily.”

It was knowledge Shan had learned firsthand while traveling through the Demon Realm as an explorer.

An extremely thick rope would not snap, of course, but it would be too heavy to carry to the top of the cliff. It was better to rely on the solid cliff itself.

Once Shan finished preparing and began climbing down first, the two boys swallowed hard and followed their lord.

Fortunately, Shan went ahead and showed them where to place their hands and feet, so they only needed to follow those points.

Still, despite being sturdy and agile knight trainees, both were beginners at climbing cliffs.

Before long, Tavera misplaced his foot.

“Ahk!”

Even as he fell, the boy covered his mouth and held back his scream.

Then he realized that he was dangling from a sturdy rope.

Shan, who was lowest on the cliff, supported his squire with his own body and spoke.

“Hang on again, Tavera.”

“I-I am sorry...!”

Even while supporting a boy who weighed about as much as himself, Shan’s hands and feet did not move an inch on the cliff.

Before long, Biko slipped. Then Tavera slipped again.

Even when both slipped from the cliff at the same time, Shan calmly continued down with both of them hanging from him.

He moved at almost the pace of an ordinary person walking slowly.

Only then did Biko and Tavera understand what Shan had meant when he said he could manage.

He had been confident that he could descend a cliff while carrying two armored squires.

‘Just what...’

What kind of absurd superhuman was the young knight they served, to make something like this possible?

Their legs shook just from looking down at the black cliff below.

Would they ever be able to follow even in his footsteps?

Filled with awe, admiration, and self-reproach, the two boys soon moved their arms and legs as hard as they could to catch up to him, even a little.

Since they were tied together by ropes, Shan would have to stop descending if they hesitated.

Fortunately, the certainty that they would never fall made their hands and feet lighter, so they made far fewer mistakes than before.

By the time they reached the bottom, though, both had exhausted their grip strength completely. Shan had to carry them down while they hung from him.

Once he reached the ground, Shan untied the ropes and put on the metal gauntlets he had tied around his waist.

“We’re here...”

“Huff, huff.”

While the exhausted squires collapsed to recover their strength, Shan looked around with glowing green eyes.

They had landed at the edge of the inner castle.

Several lights gleamed far away, scattered through the darkness.

Since fuel was needed to keep lamps burning, those places likely held important people or items.

After about five minutes, Shan lightly patted his squires.

“You have rested enough, right? Get up. It is time to work.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

“Yes...!”

Fortunately, they seemed to have enough strength left to move somehow.

Or perhaps they were forcing themselves to move with every ounce of strength they had because their knight was watching beside them.

As three armored people moved, the clanking of metal echoed through the darkness.

Following the lights, they arrived at the largest mansion in the inner castle, likely the lord’s residence.

“W-who are you?”

A soldier stood guard at the mansion entrance.

The guard asked in a trembling voice upon seeing the three approaching figures. Instead of answering, Shan asked a question of his own.

“Is Viscount Zerkan inside?”

The soldier saw the green eyes glowing within Shan’s helmet and recognized who he was.

“D-don’t tell me, the enemy...”

“I will not ask twice.”

Shing.

As Shan drew his sword, the soldier shouted desperately.

“Enemy!”

“Then he is inside.”

Before the cry even ended, the loyal soldier’s head rolled to the ground with a wet thud.

The engraved magic pattern on the blood-soaked Guardian of the East gave off a faint glow.

Stepping past the corpse, Shan kicked down the front door and entered.

He gave an order to the two squires following behind him.

“Secure the viscount and his family. It is fine to cut down all who resist.”

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