Chapter 74 - Volume 2

TL: No, I’m not mean enough to do an April’s fool joke. I rewrote a lot of the pacing within this chapter so there might be some Engrish issues. Please help me check for them. This chapter is sponsored.

Chapter 18 – Blitz

After defeating Xelsa, Brendel led the mercenaries to regroup with Freya and the militia. They moved quickly and caught up with the refugees, and proceeded towards the south. Approximately half an hour later, Brendel discovered another company of undead soldiers, and defeated them with considerable ease as they did not have an elite commander.

[We defeated two companies of undead and have successfully created an opening between their patrolling routes… In front of us are three massive groups of undead units, probably led by Direndall, Ladios and Gloeb. The situation looks dangerous, but if we are careful in our position, we’re in a balanced position where we’re in the eye of a storm.]

Even though there were slight casualties, Brendel’s plan still worked.

In the southern region of the Hunting Deer Mountain, the combined Madara undead armies discovered a huge problem after a while. They had initially thought they have surrounded the group of refugees, only to discover that they had disappeared as if they had grown wings and flew away.

After Medes met up with Wesker and Ebdon, he issued orders to his captains and scour the area. They had searched the surrounded area carefully, but they were unable to discover them.

[Is the information wrong?]

Medes did not believe in coincidences. He immediately wondered if they had hidden in a mountain valley and was waiting for them to move away from this region. He then issued an order to the entire undead army to send their scouts out spread out from their area in order to find the refugees.

But once the orders were issued out, Gloeb and Direndall discovered that there were two companies that suddenly disappeared, and believed that there might be a mysterious army that had broken through their surrounding forces and were at their rear—

“How did this happen? An army of one thousand odd troops that escaped detection from ten combined scouting units?” Gloeb said.

“It can’t be just luck or coincidence…” Direndall agreed.

The two captains did not waste any time and informed Medes with the information of the missing troops. The latter flew into a huge rage and threw the maps from the table on their faces.

He pointed at their noses and roared at them: “You bunch of useless trash! The third batch of graduates from Brumand’s roses are worse than maggots! Get out of my sight now!”

The two captains did not dare to retort him and retreated hastily. Medes took a few moments and calmed down before summoning Ebdon and Wesker to discuss the issue. They quickly decided to divide their forces into two and extend them into two wings to prevent the refugees from crossing the region.

He then issued a second order and ordered the three captains to continue searching for the refugees. Even though he looked down at these new undead nobles like he looked down at Kabias, he had to rely on their strength at this moment.

[In the end this is era of the newcomers. I just hope I did not react too slowly.]

At this point of time, Brendel had led the refugees to bypass Ladios’s army without him knowing, and was approximately three kilometers away from the third undead company.

[Something is strange… Did Medes make a move?]

Brendel quickly rode back and ordered the veteran militias to turn back with a shout. His action did not puzzle anyone as he had done this several times to avoid the undead scouting riders.

The veteran militias respectively led their assigned groups of refugees to move in the opposite direction. One of them asked like he was hoping to gain favor with him: “My lord, did the vanguard discover the undead monsters?”

“No,  they did not. Lead the refugees to the north and throw away all belongings except their food, water and weapons. We’re going to advance forward as fast as we can.”

Brendel looked at them and replied.

His words surprised everyone, as they had just escaped from that direction which were filled with undead with considerable difficulty, and yet they were going back in that direction. People started wondering if he was going crazy.

Brendel pulled the the horse’s reins and let it turn one round. He looked at the uneasy people who overheard him: “Don’t worry. I have not turned crazy yet. Quickly move, as this is the only chance we have if we want to live.”

They looked back at him with palpitations in their hearts. But they could do nothing other than trust in him, as the nobles in Fortress Riedon had long abandoned them. He was the only knight that had stayed behind to lead them out of this desperate situation.

They had also heard of his bravery and wisdom as if he was a peerless fighter who defeated the enemy with ease from the militia, to the point where it sounded like exaggeration. However, the vanguard had brought about the news of victory repeatedly and brought back victory spoils like weapons.

[It looks like my authority is starting to be established since they are not questioning my order. Sadly, this glory is pointless and cannot be used since I’m a fake knight. The only true advantage that can be gotten here is my personal gain in strength. I need to see how the path of the future is coming and walk on it carefully, instead of enjoying the fame and what not.]

He started to move ahead while he thought about the distant future.

After a short while later, there was a repeated rumble within the mountain valley, and everyone stopped to look at the scene. It looked like a king was calling forth his knights. Brendel gave the order to signal the mercenaries and militia to gather up as he needed to instruct them.

A battle was about to happen again, and their nerves began to tighten up.

Brendel had made things looked like they were fine, but he was truly fighting against time every moment. Aside from battles, he had constantly looked at the pocket watch, to the point where visible perspiration formed on the surface of it.

No one except him knew how dangerous some of the previous battles were. Some of them took longer than expected and lasted for several more minutes, and that amount of time could have been disastrous as the main undead army might be able to encounter the refugees.

The mercenaries and militia gathered at one spot and wondered what the youth’s intentions were. They had bypassed several Madara undead armies and fulfilled half of their expected journey, but they suddenly retreated back to where they came from a while ago. Even Freya who trusted Brendel greatly was filled with uneasiness. She looked at him several times with the intention of speaking but stopped herself every time.

Brendel rode to their front.

“Some of you have already known this from the scouts that returned. Madara’s undead armies have changed their formations and started to spread into two wings to seal off the routes. A third force is regrouping and spreading out to search for us.”

The mercenaries who knew this wondered if the youth plan to race against time and bypass the wings. It was not strange to avoid the battles, but in order to do so the refugees have to move at least twenty kilometers ahead in order to completely avoid any contact with the enemy.

This was hardly a realistic option.

Brendel suddenly stopped and looked at Freya. She was looking pale and was about to fall off her horse.

“Freya, why don’t you rest for a while?”

She merely glared at him, and he had to give a wry smile in response.

“I already asked you to let me bandage your wounds, but you didn’t want to listen to me…”

She blushed all the way to her neck when she heard his words.

[What is this moron doing in front of everyone? How can I let him bandage my body, damn it.]

She hated Brendel for spouting nonsense, averted her head away and shut her eyes. Brendel was so stunned at her response that his mouth was open.

[Didn’t you say Freya likes me? This is liking me? You’re not lying to me right?] Brendel looked at his squire suspiciously.

“My lord, can I do something for you?” Ciel felt nervous when he saw Brendel trying to burn holes in him with his eyes, and could only try to ask carefully.

“No, nothing at all.” Brendel shook his head.

When he turned back, the mercenaries were staring and giggling at him. They had heard the story between him and Freya from Ciel one day ago about the relationship between him, Freya and Romaine.

The scene made the mercenaries look at him in a different way. His results were beyond imagination when he led them to fight Madara’s undead, and as much as they respected and trusted him, they also feared this genius. However, this flaw in him had made everyone realize that he was still very much a normal person.

“What are you all laughing at?”

“””No, nothing at all. My lord, you’re mistaken.””” Everyone answered at the same time.

“I hope that’s the truth,” Brendel looked at them in frustration, “Otherwise, you will get it from me! Alright, I don’t want to explain too much. This is the only thing I want to say.”

“Prepare for battle!”  He pulled out his sword.

[After defeating all the undead troops we encountered so far, we have gathered enough weapons to create an army about five hundred… Since the undead is spreading out their troops with such haste, their central force is going to be weakened. With the advantage of the gargoyle, I can pick a battle anytime with controlled numbers. Now is the best moment to strike at Madara’s heart, and make our movements even more unpredictable…]

Brendel’s tactical plan was to blitz Ladios’s army as hard as possible.

After a minutes later, Brendel led the army of five hundred odd men and struck at Ladios’s left company of two hundred undead soldiers, and the enemies were unable to defend themselves properly.

The youth swept the undead army like a hurricane, and it was only thirty minutes later that Ladios finally realized he had lost his entire left flank. When the intermediate-ranked undead wizard brought back the news to Medes, Brendel had advanced to another location three kilometers away, and destroyed another of Gloeb’s company of undead troops.

Brendel continued to blitz into the enemies’ ranks.

He took out his pocket watch and checked the time. The constellation of the King of Knights was approximately fifty minutes away—-