Chapter 33: Forest Pursuit

The battle on the second day drained significant forces from both sides.

Our army, which had numbered 4,500, was reduced to just 2,000.

The 20 knights shrank to 15, and the Mages were all completely exhausted.

On the enemy’s side, out of 5,000 soldiers, 3,000 had died, and all but four knights were killed.

Compared to the first day, our side had suffered tremendous losses.

But contrary to expectations that morale would drop, the spirit of our troops soared as if piercing the sky.

It wasn’t just morale; it was because Count Lakazet had been consistently losing territory wars until now.

But since I had joined, we had been winning one after another, so morale simply could not falter.

Moreover, the Tristan Marquisate suffered heavier losses, so our soldiers were delighted, feeling like they had dealt a solid blow.

Night finally came.

Our soldiers remained on high alert while carefully observing the enemy’s movements.

We stood at the entrance with the forest behind us—the second defensive line.

The enemy soldiers moved restlessly and continuously, so our soldiers watched them tensely.

But nothing unusual happened throughout the night.

The next morning.

At the center of the battlefield stood a knight carrying a flag with a white banner, accompanied by three soldiers and a stout man.

Count Lakazet requested that I accompany him, saying he wanted to resolve things through dialogue instead of fighting.

The reason was simple—just in case anything unexpected happened.

I agreed to the request.

It would be easy for just the Count and me to fight, and if it really got dangerous, I was confident I could handle even the entire group alone.

So, the Count and I headed toward the center of the battlefield, accompanied by two knights, and met them.

The stout man spoke first.

“The marquis said it would be best to end things here.”

His face and tone were as if bestowing mercy upon us.

His arrogant expression and gestures irritated everyone watching.

The Count explained that this stout man was one of the few subordinates trusted by the Tristan Marquis.

He was known for using clever schemes to annoy opponents or for skilled rhetoric that could turn negotiations in his favor.

At this, Count Lakazet spoke firmly.

“That won’t happen! We will go all the way!”

No matter how polite I was, this kind of attitude from such a cornered situation meant there was no chance of negotiation.

The stout man, clearly displeased with the Count’s words, continued the dialogue with a sullen face.

“We still have plenty of forces. I believe the Count’s side is at a disadvantage. Will you continue?”

The Count sneered.

“You’re saying we’re at a disadvantage? Let me ask again.”

He glanced at me slyly.

I noticed the stout man stealing glances at me from earlier.

After a moment’s thought, his face turned into a sly smile.

Then he fixed his gaze on me and said,

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Adolphe. I am honored to meet the famous Butcher of the Battlefield.”

“Solo,” I replied.

He tried his best to put on a friendly expression as he continued.

“I’ve heard that mercenaries’ loyalty depends on their payment. How about it? We can offer more than the amount the Count proposed just now.”

He spoke as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

He praised my abilities, saying that thanks to my exploits, our side’s heavy losses were minimized and that all the Mages on standby had collapsed from complete mana exhaustion.

‘Wow, you speak well.’

He truly selected words that anyone would want to hear.

At that level, it really was skill.

‘I’m going to either kill or capture him.’

I said nothing and simply stayed silent.

“If you tell me how much you want, we’ll prepare twice as much.”

He said, eyes expectant.

But the answer Adolphe wanted was not from me—it came from Count Lakazet.

“The Barony title and 1,000 gold. Can the Marquis prepare that?”

Adolphe was startled by the Count’s words.

The Count smiled and continued,

“The Viscount title and 2,000 gold. I can hear the Marquis’ backbone cracking already. Besides, your power is solid, so there’s no way we’ll lose. Hahaha.”

Adolphe’s expression darkened at the Count’s words.

Unlike him, I looked at the Count’s face with surprise.

I thought the reward was too small for just one Barony title, but surprisingly, they would pay an additional 1,000 gold.

It was an unexpected windfall.

“The Viscount title is impossible, but we can prepare the gold.”

Surprisingly, Adolphe said it was possible.

But his eyes were twitching badly.

It wasn’t just me who noticed; a smirk came from the Count’s side.

“Tsk…tsk…. Interesting. Very interesting,” said Count Lakazet.

“It’s not an advance payment, but you plan to spend it like a fool right away. Isn’t that how you operate?”

The Count’s words made me lose the will to respond further.

There was no need to move over there anymore.

All that remained was to complete the Count’s request.

Seeing my expression, Adolphe said one last thing.

“Hmph! Then try and stop us!”

Then he led the knights and soldiers away.

The Count turned his back and headed toward our front lines.

Then he whispered to me.

“Crush them.”

“Ahhh….”

That was the knights’ answer.

I chuckled lightly.

One thousand gold.

It was time to earn my keep.

***

When the Count returned to our front lines, the knights moved.

Thud thud thud.

The knights dashed straight toward the still disorganized enemy formation.

Soldiers followed behind the knights, and I rode Toma alongside them.

Then I shouted,

“I will not attack those who surrender. Surrender now!”

My shout was met with the knights shouting in unison.

“Drop your weapons and surrender!”

The knights followed my words.

From this battle onward, I was the on-site commander.

This sudden decision came because not only had I been made a Baron, but also because of my tremendous performance during the past few territory wars.

The first day had been a massacre of the enemy, and the second day saw me attacking the enemy from all sides, reducing our own losses.

Seeing this, the Count willingly handed over command to me.

“I don’t particularly like this kind of honor.”

He said it like a commander, but it was really a burden he had to bear alone.

But once assigned, I had to do my best!

I decided to do just that and, first of all, recommended surrender to avoid ruthless slaughter.

“Shoot.”

“Those who surrender, I will kill.”

“Surrender should be done by you!”

Five enemy knights shouted back.

But the soldiers seemed hesitant, unsure whether they wanted to surrender.

At least if they surrendered, they could survive.

There was no need to act like moths drawn to the flames.

“You there!”

One knight swung his sword and killed a nearby soldier.

Then the enemy soldiers reluctantly raised their weapons.

They would die if they attacked, and they would die if they stood still.

So naturally, they had to do something.

They raised their weapons and charged toward us.

“I will first subdue the knights. It’s best not to kill as many enemies as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

At my command, the knights quickly spread out.

Their target was the direction of the enemy knights.

Since it was two knights against one enemy knight, the outcome would be swift.

Meanwhile, I headed toward where the enemy’s command was.

I was told that aan old knight named Marquie, a veteran knight commanding the knights and soldiers along with Adolphe, was there.

The Count had requested me to kill these two first.

He said there was no point in sparing them.

So, I rode Toma and raced to find the two.

Meanwhile, soldiers clung to me, but instead of using attack Magic, I blocked their approach.

“Grease, Dig, Stone Edge, Fog!”

I slicked the ground, dug holes, blocked paths with jutting soil, and covered the area with fog to confuse their sense of direction.

While doing so, I moved using detection Magic.

The large tent where they should have been was empty.

If that was so, they must have fled into the forest, so I quickly dismounted from Toma.

“Jenny.”

Jenny came running between the knights and soldiers.

She had been waiting nearby to ensure my safety and arrived quickly.

“We’re going into the forest.”

“Yes.”

Jenny quickly dismounted.

She flicked the horses’ rears.

“Hyiing!”

With loud neighs, the two horses moved on their own.

The two horses knew to head back to our front lines on their own.

That alone showed how intelligent Toma was.

We entered the forest.

***

Two people were rushing through the forest.

“Hik, hyuk, hyuk.”

The heavily built man ran forward, gasping for breath.

His speed wasn’t fast.

Considering his physique, that was natural.

Adolphe had only wielded a sword briefly in childhood, so physical labor like this was rare for him.

If this had been open terrain, riding a horse would have been faster, but that might have delayed them even more, so he ran on foot.

“Hyuk, hyuk, huff.”

The person running beside him was in a similar state.

Gasping harshly, he stumbled as if he might collapse at any moment.

His white hair flying, his bent waist would not be surprised if it collapsed at any second—this was the Marquis.

Both desperately ran through the forest.

It would take three hours to cross the forest, which was enough for ordinary soldiers, but for these two, who struggled to even walk or run, it would take five hours.

In any case, they had to hurry and get out of the forest.

Knowing Count Lakazet’s temperament, these two would never survive otherwise.

So, even now, they bit their teeth and ran.

“Let’s rest a little.”

“All right.”

At the Marquis’s words, Adolphe stopped walking.

Although they should ideally run without rest, continuing would only exhaust them, and since the Count’s army had already moved before they fled, they had reached deep into the forest.

Judging that they could afford a moment of rest, they leaned against a tree.

“Phew, I’m glad we hurried out.”

Adolphe looked toward where our front lines should be.

Though it was too far to see or hear, he already expected it.

He himself had said he could fight more.

He already told the Marquis, who said there was no such thing as surrender for the five knights left.

They even sent a false message that our forces were passing through the forest to make them fight there.

“Indeed. They should just finish it quickly.”

“If I were the Count, I would have ended this by now. Only the soldiers who care about honor are dying.”

“What a stupid fool. He’s been stubborn since before, and his attitude toward civilians was always unpleasant.”

The two cursed Count Lakazet, who was not here.

The reason Adolphe and the Marquis fled was simple.

They were the ones who created the cause for the Marquis, their lord, to fight.

And the proof of that was in their possession.

If this evidence fell into Count Lakazet’s hands, it would be disastrous.

So, they fled hastily.

“We must take this back. Only then can we survive.”

“Right. That’s why we’re running.”

Discarding it would be perfect, but the reason they hadn’t was because they didn’t fully trust the Marquis.

Knowing well that the Marquis would discard anything unnecessary for his safety, they still carried it for their own survival.

“Let’s return with the evidence that will corner Count Lakazet.”

“Agreed.”

They were about to stand but froze.

Swish.

Cold blades were at their necks.

“Oh? You have evidence, do you?”

Standing there were the Butcher of the Battlefield and his escort knights.