Dragon Knight Chronicles ~ From a mere mercenary, rise to success through tactics! A small harem with the princess and the lord's daughter!? I'll also develop my territory! ~ - Chapter 104

Chapter 104   Lindsay Westbury

“What is that ship!?”

Just as Duke Chad’s forces lifted their siege on Hardy Castle, a large warship and four medium-sized ships suddenly appeared from behind the rocks. The sails of the warship bore the prominent crest of the Rillburn family.

“Land at once!”

Commanding the Rillburn fleet from the warship Leviathan was Admiral Scarlett, her beautiful silver hair flowing in the sea breeze.

Her fleet docked at the pier on the seaside of Hardy Castle, and with them, they brought 1,000 soldiers, along with food and military supplies.

“Hurry! The tide is going out!”

After unloading the soldiers and supplies into the castle, Scarlett’s fleet departed once again, vanishing somewhere into the distance. This development forced Duke Chad’s forces to restart their campaign to capture Hardy Castle from scratch.

◇◇◇◇◇

Ten days before Admiral Scarlett delivered the supplies…

I had led a force of 25 men to the northwestern region of Sork, aiming to intercept Duke Chad’s supply convoy.

As we climbed a certain hill, we spotted a caravan moving along the road below. It appeared to be a trade caravan, but it could have been a disguised supply unit.

“Adelheid, what do you think that is?”

“…Hmm? It looks like a caravan, but it could be a disguised unit.”

Using a spyglass, I observed that the convoy had about 15 mercenaries as guards.

“Alright, let’s attack!”

“Yes, sir!”

I mounted Comet and led my men to intercept the caravan on the road.

“Stop! Stop!”

“Who are you?”

As we blocked the road, the mercenaries moved forward to defend the convoy. However, the difference in numbers and equipment was obvious. We were a legitimate cavalry unit.

“Hey, boss, this isn’t worth the fight. Even if you pay me extra, I’m out of here!”

The leader of the mercenaries, who seemed to be in charge, threw a parting shot at the merchant who appeared to own the convoy and then fled the scene. With the mercenaries gone, the leader of the caravan trembled in fear, dismounted, and collapsed onto the ground.

“…If you spare us, you can take all of the cargo.”

It’s worth noting that this area was technically part of the Owen Alliance Kingdom, and as a noble of this kingdom, I couldn’t very well rob a fellow countryman.

“There’s no need to fear. We’re just inspecting the cargo! Let’s see what’s inside!”

When we uncovered the tarp on the merchant’s wagon, we found wooden cages filled with a large number of slaves.

“Here is the license.”

In the kingdom, slave traders operated under a licensing system, making their trade legal. The merchant, trembling with fear, presented the permit to me.

“Hmm…”

I inspected it but couldn’t make much of it. When I had Adelheid examine it, she confirmed it was genuine.

The cargo consisted of a few slaves, making it clear that this was not a supply unit for Duke Chad’s army.

“What should we do, my lord?” asked Nataraja.

If we acted on a sense of justice and freed the slaves, the merchant would be left destitute. On the other hand, we needed to conserve our military funds.

“Noble sir, if you buy us, I promise we will be of great use to you. Please, I beg of you,” one of the female slaves pleaded earnestly. Clearly, they were desperate to survive.

“And what use would you be?” I asked, not expecting much.

“I am skilled with the sword and can handle horses!”

…Her response was unexpectedly intriguing. Could she be a former noblewoman?

We only had 25 men with us. Having skilled fighters would be invaluable for raiding the supply lines.

“Can you serve as a concubine?” I asked, half-jokingly.

“…If that is what you desire!”

Her resolute answer was admirable, even though I had only been teasing.

“Merchant! I’ll buy all of these slaves!”

“Thank you for your business!” The merchant eagerly rubbed his hands together and approached. I paid the asking price from a leather pouch filled with gold coins.

“Thank you! I will never forget this kindness,” the female slave said gratefully.

“Of course, I can’t afford for you to forget! From now on, you’re one of my precious soldiers,” I replied with a smile to her expression of gratitude.

“By the way, you mentioned you have some skill with a sword? Where did you learn?”

“Well…”

As I probed further, the female slave revealed her name to be Lindsay Westbury. She was the leader of a band of outlaws operating in the northern part of the Sork region.

Apparently, a few days ago, her long-time subordinates betrayed her while she slept, leading to her defeat. As a result, she was sold into slavery.

The others who were enslaved with her were her close aides, all skilled with swords as well. …Perhaps I had gotten quite a bargain.

As they wanted to wash up, we headed towards a nearby stream. During the journey, I informed her of our plan to raid Duke Chad’s supply lines.

“Um, if I may suggest, don’t you think you’ll need more manpower for this?”

“…Oh? Do you have something in mind?”

“Yes, if you could help me reclaim my position as the leader of the bandits… my followers would surely be of great use to you.”

“Hmm.”

From what she told me, the Westbury Bandits numbered around a hundred—a large group that could greatly boost our strength.

“Alright, once you reclaim your leadership, you must fulfill your promise.”

“Yes!”

And so, I set off towards the hideout of the Westbury Bandits.