Chapter 16: A Division of Roles
A knight with prominent cheekbones on his gaunt cheeks and a protruding goatee, Sir Topa, deliberately raised his voice as he looked at the servant John with an uneasy gaze. They had just stopped the carriage and were about to settle down for the night. There were too many eavesdroppers in the open camp.
“Enemy? An attack is coming?”
“Th-that’s right.”
“Disturbing those setting up the camp with such nonsense. Come with me. You’ll receive special treatment.”
The flustered John was reluctant to move, but when Sir Topa abruptly turned and started walking away with large strides, he had no choice but to follow. John frowned deeply, his brow creased, and followed behind Sir Topa.
Eventually, just before sunset, as the dim twilight cast its last light over the world for the day, Sir Topa finally looked back at John after arriving in the forest where the camp was faintly visible. Without a word, he struck John’s cheek with the back of his hand with all his might.
A mere servant could not withstand the blow of a trained knight’s backhand. John immediately fell over, tears streaming as he screamed and groaned.
“Aahh!”
“I held back my strength. Enough with the defiance, get up.”
It was a miracle his teeth weren’t broken. John hurriedly stood up, clutching his already swollen cheek. Sir Topa clicked his tongue watching him.
“Become a man already. Don’t you need some training?”
“…”
“So, you who served the Young Master, why did you let those words leave your mouth?”
“I, I only said what the Young Master told me to convey.”
Fearing another blow if he hesitated, John desperately recounted the situation as it happened. He told only the truth without any exaggeration of his experience.
While aboard the carriage, repeatedly practicing loading the crossbow as the Young Master instructed, he saw a flock of birds take flight from the forest. Suddenly, the Young Master became convinced enemies would come and ordered John to inform Sir Topa.
After explaining, John pleaded his innocence with a sobbing voice.
“I really didn’t do anything to deserve that.”
Sir Topa stroked his protruding goat beard and clicked his tongue, giving John a pitying look.
“Can’t you foresee what would happen if you announce an attack is coming where everyone can hear?”
“Pardon?”
“If untrained servants hear news of an attack coming, how will they act? If they flee at a critical moment when they’re meant to die protecting the Young Master, it will be our disadvantage. Even if they flee, they can’t now.”
“Ohhh.”
As John marvelled at Sir Topa’s logical words, he suddenly sensed something amiss. John, who had narrowly escaped crisis many times with his keen instincts, swallowed hard as he watched Sir Topa’s hand rest on the hilt of his sword.
“A…critical moment?”
Clank.
The sound of chains clashing beneath Sir Topa’s surcoat rang out distinctly. The hand that had merely rested on the hilt was now gripping it firmly.
“S-Sir?”
“Listen well. If the Young Master dies, you all die too.”
Sir Topa stared intently at John as he softly recited this. Receiving the knight’s fierce gaze, John could only nod meekly with a pale face. Only then did Sir Topa ease his demeanor.
Patting John’s shoulder to create a warm atmosphere, Sir Topa said.
“You simply overheard rumors of bandits in the area and overstepped out of concern. If you add even one more word of opinion, you won’t come out of this well.”
“Yes, yes.”
“But I’ll take your point as valid and increase your rations, so don’t dwell on it too much. Let’s go back.”
“Yes, Sir.”
John could not even cry, repeatedly giving soulless responses in a half-dazed state. When they returned to the camp, John’s swollen cheek drew whispers from the other servants.
“Tsk, that’s what happens when you speak to the lord knight first without being asked.”
“His head must have gone haywire from serving the Young Master.”
John trudged back to the carriage, silently lamenting to himself, ‘I just conveyed what I was told…’
But even returning to the carriage did not mean he could rest easily. As soon as John climbed aboard, the arrogant youth who was the root cause of this whole affair greeted him with a haughty smile.
“What servant speaks before a nobleman permits it?”
Narva orin Stregos Glerio Povius.
The boy with tousled black hair and piercing jet-black eyes that shone smooth and sharp like black diamonds. His transparent skin revealed the veins beneath, and his chiseled features and slightly upturned lips gave him a decadent air. Even sitting still, he appeared brimming with confidence.
Seeing that hateful smile, John could only grumble inwardly as he quietly sank down.
“Did you properly convey what I told you?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, I got hit.”
“You should have hinted at it first. Even with a commoner knight, he’s still a nobleman associated with most of the nobleman. If you don’t show the proper deference to a nobleman, they’ll only get more aggravated.”
“But you never get in trouble for things like that, Young Master.”
“That’s because I’m special. This body is.”
“I see now, I see.”
John admitted there may be reason to reevaluate Narva. John of Riverside may be a coward, but he gives credit where it’s due. Even the infamous good-for-nothing had some positive qualities.
Seeing John’s begrudging acknowledgment, Narva gave a satisfied smile before turning his gaze outside. Sir Topa, having received his orders, was hurriedly having the servants fortify their defenses.
“There are rumors of some brazen bandits in the area. If you don’t want to be killed by them, start moving now! Quickly!”
The servants who suddenly found themselves in peril, all turned their eyes toward the inside of the carriage – specifically toward John, who was pulling the crossbow’s trigger. It was fortunate John was inside the carriage for the first time.
“Then we should get out too.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you mean ‘pardon’?”
By the time the flustered John turned his head, it was already too late. Narva had calmly exited the carriage and was staring straight at John.
“Couldn’t we use the carriage wheels as a barricade?”
“Who would remove the wheels?”
All John received in return was an unspoken instruction in Narva’s smooth eyes and silence. With a sigh at his assigned fate, John followed Narva out of the carriage.
***
As soon as I stepped out of the carriage, Sir Topa’s objection greeted me.
“Young Master, it’s truly dangerous out here. You’ll be much safer inside!”
From his position as my guard, he must be about to go mad with worry. But my thoughts were a bit different. Originally, if Sir Topa and the soldiers were overwhelmed, their lives would be forfeit.
I judged that if we only had one carriage to defend, we’d have a better chance than staying inside. However, to persuade the knights, rational and logical arguments alone would not suffice.
I needed an impassioned statement to move their abundant sensibilities.
“Sir Topa, from your actions, I surmised my father has informed you to some extent. However, although I am young and lack strength to fight alongside you, I can still walk on my own two feet without issue.”
“Young Master…!”
“If I cannot trust those who guard my life, how could staying inside the carriage be safe? Sir Topa, I am only safe when I am with you.”
After all, it was a matter of a child’s life at stake. Unless Duke Aselton was an utter madman considering culling his incompetent children, I assumed he would have assigned suitable protectors.
In that regard, Sir Topa was certainly up to standard. While his abilities were unknown, his loyalty was assured—a valuable asset, as reliable loyalty is sometimes worth more than skill.
Sir Topa seemed quite moved by my words, meeting my gaze with a resolute expression and he spoke.
“I will protect you with my life.”
“Father must have foreseen this and made preparations to support us. Rather than simply repelling the enemy, if we solely focus on enduring, we can buy time despite being outnumbered.”
“Indeed…! Yes, Young Master!”
From then on, it was carried out swiftly. The carriage I had ridden in instantly became a pile of junk. Since the goal was just to endure, there was no need to protect the horses. Human lives were most precious now, and soldiers more valuable than horses at this time.
From then on, things proceeded swiftly. The carriage I had ridden in was quickly dismantled. Since the goal was to endure, protecting the horses was unnecessary. Human lives were more precious now, and soldiers were more valuable than horses at this time.
Except for one horse, all were tied to stakes and reduced to cover. The only one who objected was the carriage driver, who wailed.
“Oh no, my babies! How could you do that to those precious horses?! Tie me up instead!”
I looked at the driver, blinking.
“Really?”
“…If I neglect stable duties sometimes, horse thieves come around.”
This makeshift camp was set up with our backs to the west, straddling the forest and roadside. This was to reduce how much lighting from inside would shine directly on the enemy.
The crossbows I had brought under the pretext of hunting were also suitably distributed. Three remained with me. Giving them to servants who had never properly held a sword would just waste bolts, but giving them to soldiers would leave us shorthanded on the frontlines.
As he constantly reloaded those three crossbows, John bluntly commented.
“Young Master. I think we’re screwed.”
“Then practice.”
By this point, our group was largely divided into two. One was Sir Topa and the soldiers, tense and looking around with the intuition an attack was imminent.
The other was the servants who still hadn’t grasped the reality, simply doing as told while seeming completely spaced out, showing no signs of actually believing it would happen.
And as time passed, the latter group grew more numerous. As people huddled around the campfire under the darkening night sky, nodding off, and even the soldiers too began letting out weary sighs one by one.
Someone even offered an optimistic observation. Some servants were making baseless assertions in this quiet night, seemingly forgetting how easily their voices carried in the stillness.
“Even if they meant to cause offense, who would dare lay a hand on a son of the Povius Duchy?”
“Shh. Let’s just pretend to go along with what the knight says.”
“Haaah…why are we even doing a night watch like this?”
In contrast, the human alarm John was clearly different. He was already gritting his teeth, repeatedly pulling and releasing the crossbow trigger faster than anyone else. Though no bolts were loaded, the desperate determination in his motions was obvious.
“Pull and release, pull and release, pull and release.”
The quiet, though not as quiet as expected, camp time. Sitting with my back to the carriage, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the distant campfire. The sound of rustling leaves on the ground could be heard.
No matter how stealthily one tread, some noise was inevitable for a human. I could tell from the unnatural stillness that inevitably accompanied human movement.
“They’re here.”
“Pull and…”
“I said they’re here.”
I snatched the crossbow from the meditative John and immediately took aim ahead. At that moment, the sound of wind parting rang out through the entire camp. The result was soon apparent.
One of the servants huddled around the campfire suddenly dove straight into the flames. The servants who hadn’t grasped the situation yet, mistook it for someone falling asleep and collapsing, causing an uproar.
“Hey, hey! What if he really fell asleep!”
“Th… then get him out first!”
“What’s going on here?”
Roused by the commotion, those who had been sleeping also began to stir. But seeing the arrow embedded in the collapsed servant’s head, John reacted differently.
“Young Master?!”
“I didn’t shoot. Don’t you see it’s not even loaded yet?”
“Th-then who did…”
They only realized the situation when a few more arrows came flying. This time the shots weren’t as precise – some embedded completely off target, while the few that actually hit only struck relatively non-lethal areas like arms or legs.
But the servants didn’t see those details.
“We’re under attack! Attack!!!”
“R-run away!”
Facing mortal peril, it was only average human nature for them to flee without a second thought about anything else. As much as I wanted to save them…I looked up to meet the gaze fixed intently on me from over here.
Sir Topa.
The knight deliberately kept himself hidden in the shadows where no light reached, shaking his head slowly. Not long after, the inevitable occurred – the voices of the servants who abandoned me and fled began dropping off one by one.
Some coughed up bloody froth as they collapsed, others crawled while clutching their throats and wheezing. A few tenacious ones dragged themselves across the ground, reaching past the carriage to look this way with pleading eyes.
“Y…Young Master…”
“…”
Regrettable, but they were already in too deep. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t save them now. Instead, their deaths were not entirely in vain. While the servants fled and were slain, Sir Topa and the soldiers did not remain idle either.
Among the corpses littering the forest were those who had ambushed us. But their limits were clear. The counterattack exploiting the ambush was soon drowned out by the sounds of clashing blades.
The rasping of steel scraping against steel to rend flesh only made the stench of blood thicker and richer. When the ragged breaths of a person reached my back, I immediately turned around.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice if you just stared like that?”
“!”
Without hesitation, the bolt pierced the enemy’s brow. He only wore a gambeson with a single cloak over it – at a glance, he could be mistaken for a real bandit. But what he refused to let go, even as he collapsed was not something a bandit would possess.
I rose, planted my foot on his wrist and ground it to pulp before forcibly prying the sword from his grip. It was immediately apparent this was no shoddy quality weapon.
The exceptional weight and balance that would only feel slightly cumbersome even to a child. The suitable length for fighting in tight spaces. The steely surface that could be felt with just a light caress.
If not quite a masterpiece, it was built to last. I tossed the crossbow back to John and gripped the sword with both hands.
“From now on, John, you’re the ADC.”
“Yes… pardon?”
“I’ll tank and you’ll be the ADC… you shoot the crossbow.”
“But I’ve never even used a crossbow before?! Ah, no! More importantly, you can use a sword?!”
Originally, the ADC’s role is for the team to spoon-fed them. Just dishing out kills well, or even just pressuring back and forth, was enough to earn one’s keep in that role.
And one more thing.
It wasn’t baseless confidence.
“Last time I gave it a try, I wasn’t too awful at it.”
In my first possession, I seemed to have dabbled decently with swordsmanship.
