In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 290

Chapter 290: The Kukkoro Male Knight and the Village at Night 1

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There was a proverb that said, ‘If you do not enter the tiger’s cave, you will not obtain its cub.’ Although it was clearly a trap, we decided to storm into the city of Runga. Of course, we did not do something as reckless as charging in without any countermeasures. We assigned the vanguard to Lady Dalaiya and others who were familiar with the local terrain, and had Lady Orphan’s ‘legitimate’ army protect our retreat routes in a defensive formation.

It was an uninteresting, overly simple formation, but a hastily assembled joint force could not possibly execute complex tactics from the start. We decided to proceed in a cautious, reliable manner. With our defenses firmly secured, we entered the city of Runga.

“Truly, there were no enemies present.”

With an alert gaze scanning the surroundings, Sonia spoke. Just as the elder had said, Runga City had lost all signs of people. Poorly made pit dwellings were faintly illuminated by the bonfires, appearing dimly in the darkness. The only sounds that reached our ears were the chirping of autumn insects, the breathing of our allied soldiers, and the crackling of the bonfires. It felt unsettling, as if we had wandered into another world.

“Not only enemies, I cannot sense any other presence either. It is eerie,”said Lady Dalaiya. She appeared composed, but her hand rested on the hilt of her wooden sword at her waist. She was in a combat-ready stance, able to draw at any moment.

Our Liseben army was advancing at the forefront together with Dalaiya’s faction. After all, my own forces were the smallest among the three factions, and using them as a core unit would be somewhat… no, quite a burden. So it was decided that we would instead support Dalaiya’s main forces.

Well, to be honest, I would have preferred to watch from a safe place. I absolutely did not want to fight forest warfare against local inhabitants. However, if we intended to bring the elves under our control, we could not afford such convenient thinking. A ruler could not be someone unwilling to shed blood. …What a medieval way of thinking. The road to a civilian-controlled state was still far away.

“Lady Dalaiya, how do you see this situation? As for me, I suspect what is known as the empty city stratagem.”

The empty city stratagem referred to a tactic of deliberately inviting the enemy into one’s territory in order to provoke caution and drive them into suspicion and paranoia. It was a classical strategy, but when actually used, it was certainly troublesome. It made it impossible to predict the enemy’s intentions.

“Yes, that is likely the case… As expected of Vanka. She is using an unpleasant method.”

“Is Lady Vanka a capable strategist?”

Since Lady Dalaiya and Lady Vanka were said to have been longtime friends, she should be able to somewhat read her methods. Feeling slightly apologetic, I decided to ask in more detail.

“Yes… that old woman is, contrary to her appearance, quite the military tactician. About a hundred years ago, when Elfenia faced the crisis of division, she displayed her brilliance and cut down the rebels one after another.”

“Great Elder, that was about four hundred years ago.”

“Eh!? Has it already been that long? I thought it was just the other day…”

As always, this loli hag’s sense of time was completely off. The war from a hundred years ago was not just a crisis of division in Elfenia. It was the actual division itself.

“I see… then I suppose we should prepare ourselves as if we are facing a rare, once-in-a-generation general.”

Even when adding both my past and present lives together, I had less than thirty years of military experience. There was no way I could stand on equal footing with an elder who had lived for over a thousand years. Ideally, I wanted Lady Dalaiya, who was of equal standing, to take overall command. Of course, I could not possibly say that out loud.

“Young Lord, it seems some men and children have been bound in the plaza ahead. What shall we do?”

While we were speaking, an elf messenger from the scouting unit we had assigned to clear the way arrived. “Young Lord” again. Was that trending among the elves? For now, that was irrelevant. As previously reported, the non-combatants in the village appeared to have been gathered in one place. It was obviously bait. What should we do?

“Hm… are there any signs of enemies nearby?”

“None. We searched not only around the plaza but also inside the surrounding houses, and only cockroaches and mice were found. Not a single warrior or even a human was seen anywhere.”

So elves had cockroaches too… The mystical image of elves was completely shattered. Well, it was already long past that point anyway.

“There are no traps or ambushes either. Shall we release the men? It seems my younger brother-in-law and niece are among them… I would like to rescue them quickly.”

No traps or even booby traps? That was strange. In my previous life, whenever I encountered a situation like this, it was always filled with vicious booby traps. I could not believe elves would fail to think of such things…

“Wait. Let us proceed carefully.”

What was Vanka trying to do? Questions swirled in my mind. Was she simply trying to discipline the stragglers by making them our burden? That was possible, but it would be dangerous to assume so outright. I was now the commander of the elves, and the fate of nearly a thousand soldiers rested on my shoulders. I had to avoid rash decisions.

A memory from my past life flashed through my mind. During a patrol in a city, the Humvee carrying my subordinates was blown apart by a roadside IED. That three-ton mass of metal flying up to the height of a five-story building was something I could never forget, even if I died. With so many subordinates now under my command, a mistake would lead to a tragedy far beyond that. As I was thinking this and breaking out in a cold sweat internally, Sonia made a proposal.

“Al-sama, perhaps we should secure the area around the plaza with the main force and carefully release the civilians. We cannot simply sit and wait until dawn.”

“Yes, you are right. In the end, abandoning them is not an option.”

I nodded and ordered the main force to enter the plaza where the men and children were being held. Everyone raised their weapons and advanced slowly. Bonfires were scattered throughout the village, but the darkness of the night forest was so deep that such light could not disturb it. It felt as if enemies could be lurking in the darkness just beyond sight, and I felt deeply uneasy.

Occasionally, strange cries and bizarre birds flew overhead, causing our hearts to jump every time. Our mental stamina was being steadily drained even before anything had happened. The Liseben soldiers, and even the elf soldiers, were no different, their beautiful faces covered in cold sweat.

Was this also part of Vanka’s strategy?

As we advanced tensely, one of the soldiers took a deep breath. I quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Eek!”

“Now breathe out. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale… good, deep breathing.”

The young soldier, who had almost reflexively followed my instruction, blinked in confusion. She had probably been about to shout something like, “If you’re going to ambush us, come out already, cowards!” I understood the feeling, but it could not be helped.

“There it is.”

After about three minutes of everyone advancing in anxiety, the elf scout at the front pointed at something. What appeared there was the former elder senate of New Elfenia, and in front of it, bound men and children. The number seemed to be fewer than a hundred in total.

“How cruel…”

Sonia muttered softly. In her line of sight was a young boy tightly bound with rough rope. He looked to be at an age where he had just barely learned to walk, screaming as if aflame. I unconsciously clenched my armored hand.

Still, I could not lose my composure. Calming my mind, I observed them. Most were men and children; among the children were elves, bird-people, and a few hume. However, all of the adults were male. Not a single female elf who should have existed among those who had given birth and begun to age was present.

“There are fewer than expected. Are the other civilians being held somewhere else?”

“That is all the men and children in this city. I do not know where the other women are…”

At Dalaiya’s reply, I raised my eyebrows. In a settlement of over a thousand people, there were only that many men and children? Even for elves, who were a long-lived race, that was far too few. It was no wonder they were on the brink of extinction.

Our ultimate objective was the male captives likely taken from Liseben. If they were gathered here, things would be simple. I cleared my throat and stepped forward from the formation to speak to them. It was a dangerous act, but I was the representative of Liseben, and I had a duty to fulfill my responsibility.

“…Are you all safe!? I am Albert Blondin, Castellan of Liseben! I have come to rescue you!”

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