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 144

Chapter 144   Night Attack

In September of the year 569 of the Unified Calendar—

The royal army, led by Chancellor Sauer, was defeated by the rebel forces headed by the Grand Duke’s house. Moreover, the rebel army relentlessly pursued the retreating royal forces, inflicting devastating casualties.

Although the rebels claimed a significant victory, not all nobles were pleased with the outcome. One such noble was Viscount Hall, who, after withdrawing from the battlefield, regrouped and used espionage to pinpoint the location of the rebel main camp. He awaited the night to launch a surprise attack on the enemy headquarters.

“The vanguard has successfully set fire to the enemy’s main camp.”

“Good.”

Upon hearing the report of the successful arson, Viscount Hall felt the tension among his 200 men rising.

“Men, let’s move! Pay no attention to the foot soldiers! Our target is Grand Duchess Ril!”

“Understood!”

With that, Viscount Hall spurred his horse, leading a silent charge toward the village where the rebels were likely fast asleep. The flames were already spreading through the village, and its residents were fleeing in panic to escape the blaze.

Viscount Hall’s men had disguised themselves as local villagers, allowing them to pass unnoticed by the rebel sentries and preventing the enemy from realizing they were under a night raid.

Blending in with the fleeing villagers, Viscount Hall’s unit was able to identify the rebel headquarters.

“That house looks suspicious! Everyone, quietly advance!”

“Yes, sir.”

With a swift, silent motion, Viscount Hall’s men drew their concealed swords and stormed one of the larger buildings in the village.

“Who’s there?” a voice called out.

“Out of the way!”

The raiders gagged and tied up the maids they encountered in the hallway to prevent them from raising an alarm. Then, identifying a large room, they kicked down the door and charged inside.

“Drop your weapons!”

“Who are you?! Show yourselves!!”

As Viscount Hall’s unit urged surrender, the rebel guards all drew their swords at once.

“Let Her Grace escape!”

“Don’t let her get away!”

Shouts and curses flew between both sides, and the rebels extinguished the lights. The lack of illumination led to friendly fire incidents on both sides. Additionally, maids and attendants were caught up in the chaos, and the room quickly descended into a scene of carnage.

However, by the time Hall’s men managed to light a flame, Grand Duchess Ril was nowhere to be found. The room’s carpet was soaked with the fresh blood of fallen warriors, dyed a deep red.

“She can’t have gone far; search the area quickly!”

“Yes, sir!”

Just as Viscount Hall began searching the surroundings, rebel soldiers rushed in, and the village erupted into a fierce battle.

◇◇◇◇◇

“It’s a night raid!”

“Everyone, run!”

“Your Highness! Where are you?!”

Hearing the news of the night raid, I immediately rushed toward the building where Her Highness should have been, sword in hand. But by then, the interior of the building had already been ransacked by enemy soldiers.

“…Was I too late?!”

I regretted not waking the guards last night. However, the absence of Her Highness here meant she had either been captured by the enemy or had fled to safety.

“Get out of my way!”

I cut down every enemy soldier I encountered. The fact that they chose to engage rather than flee suggested that they had not yet succeeded in capturing Her Highness. Holding onto that hope, I continued to slash through the enemy ranks.

◇◇◇◇◇

As my allies’ guard unit rushed in and drove away the enemy soldiers, I unfurled a magical scroll.

I summoned the magical beast, Pokorina.

“Poko?”

“I’m sorry, but I need you to guide me in the direction where Her Highness is!”

Pokorina couldn’t speak human language, but she could understand simple commands.

She sniffed the air and began to lead me. Following a treacherous animal trail, we entered a dense thicket.

“Your Highness! Where are you?!”

Occasionally shouting aloud, I pushed through the thick underbrush. I didn’t know exactly where Her Highness was, but I trusted that Pokorina’s nose wouldn’t lead me astray.

As we hurried through the undergrowth, a narrow and steep river appeared before us.

Pokorina moved upstream along the river, and I waded into the cold water up to my waist, following her upstream.

◇◇◇◇◇

How far had I traveled upstream? The river had narrowed considerably, making it feel more like I was climbing over rocky terrain.

The autumn wind should have been harsh against my soaked body, but I felt no chill. It was likely due to the fine scales that had sprouted when I was revived.

When I finished climbing up the steep waterfall, I spotted what appeared to be a torchlight in the direction I was heading.

I hurried across the rocky terrain toward the visible light.

◇◇◇◇◇

Grand Duchess Ril was fleeing with just two guards.

“Your Highness! Please put this on.”

One of the guards draped a cloak over Grand Duchess Ril.

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Grand Duchess Ril was drying her wet clothes by a campfire, resting her hands in the warm flames. Her escape through the cold river had left her completely chilled.

“…!?”

At that moment, the soldier who had lent his cloak was suddenly slashed by another veteran soldier.

“…Hey, what are you doing!? Are you out of your mind?”

“I’m not out of my mind. I’ve been waiting for this moment. There’s a bounty of a thousand gold coins on the Grand Duchess from the royal side. I’m getting old. My time as a warrior is limited. I need to make the most of my opportunities…”

With that, he swiftly dealt the finishing blow to the injured soldier.

“You… have you betrayed us!?”

The Grand Duchess, with hands frozen from the cold water, struggled to grip her sword, but she lacked the strength.

“The ones who have betrayed are you all, aren’t they? The leader of the rebels,” the veteran soldier sneered, knocking Grand Duchess Ril’s sword from her hands.

While Grand Duchess Ril was a decent swordsman, the cold had rendered her body nearly immobile.

“…Ugh, you scoundrel!”

“Call me whatever you want. I won’t kill you. If I take you alive, the promised gold will be doubled…”

The veteran soldier bound Grand Duchess Ril’s hands behind her back with rope. Ril was only wearing the cloak she had borrowed, leaving her skin nearly translucent in its whiteness beneath.

“Not killing you is the least of my concerns. A little fun is punishment enough…”

“No! Stop it, you lowlife!”

The veteran soldier mounted Grand Duchess Ril, roughly tearing the cloak away from her.