Chapter 550
Empathy Is Enough. (1)
Dark, who had gone out for reconnaissance, approached Ghislain and whispered in a hushed voice.
"Master, it's real. The enemies really showed up. Wow, how did you know?"
"You don't have to whisper like that. Even if you shout from here, they won't hear you over there."
"Ah, come on. Just trying to set the mood."
Grumbling, Dark relayed what he had seen.
"There are twenty groups. They're all coming through difficult terrain. But every single route you mentioned had them."
"The numbers?"
"Uh… around five hundred per group?"
Dark used to struggle with estimating numbers accurately. But after following Ghislain and gaining war experience, he had developed a keen eye befitting a scout.
Hearing Dark’s report, Ghislain nodded.
"There are some we won’t be able to catch."
The fact that they were breaking into small groups meant they were moving covertly. As the war intensified, large armies became easier to detect.
Five hundred wasn’t a small number, but by traveling through forests and mountains and only moving at night, they could conceal themselves.
Above all, the Revolutionary Group was extremely skilled at staying hidden.
"We’ll have to track and eliminate the rest separately. But any we miss, we’ll leave to Claude."
Ghislain tightened his grip on the reins.
Predicting the Revolutionary Group’s routes wasn’t difficult. There were only so many paths where they could move while staying hidden.
When preparing for an ambush, the key wasn’t just to predict enemy movements it was to be absolutely certain that they would attempt an ambush.
And Ghislain’s prediction was right on target.
"Knowing someone’s capability well is really convenient, isn't it?"
He chuckled to himself.
Even in his past life, the Revolutionary Group had relied on stealth and ambush tactics. Their favorite method was to strike from behind while the Human Alliance was engaged in battle elsewhere.
So, predicting their movements wasn’t hard.
Moreover, having Dark made it easy to keep them under surveillance. Once he figured out their objective, tracking their movements was simple.
Ghislain gave Dark a new order.
"Spread the word to the others. The enemy will be here soon."
"Got it. Ah, I better not get eaten on the way."
Dark’s body split into multiple copies. Tiny ravens took off, each flying toward their designated directions.
Ghislain had divided the Mobile Corps into ten units of around two thousand soldiers each. The units were led by experienced individuals like Julien, Parniel, Gillian, Kaor, Gordon, and Lucas.
Splitting up any further would be too risky for maintaining safety. Any groups they missed could simply be pursued later.
"Alright, since they'll be here soon, let’s get ready."
They were positioned in an enormous forest. The trees were tall, casting deep shadows, and sunlight barely reached the ground.
The Mobile Corps stationed their horses at a distance, leaving only a few sentries behind. The rest applied black camouflage paint over their armor and helmets before dispersing throughout the forest.
The armor of the Fenris Knights was already black, so they didn’t require additional camouflage.
"Hoo…."
Hidden throughout the forest, the Mobile Corps even silenced their breathing. Ghislain had trained them most in charging tactics, the second most emphasized skill was concealment and cover.
For Ghislain’s army, which specialized in pursuit and ambushes, these skills were essential.
Soon, the forest was engulfed in absolute silence. Even the birds and insects ceased their calls, unsettled by the presence of unfamiliar intruders.
The Mobile Corps remained completely still for half a day. For ordinary soldiers, this would have been grueling, but to them, it was nothing.
‘Heh, this is nice.’
‘Wish everyday was like this. Hehehe.’
‘Better than construction work.’
‘Running around everywhere is exhausting.’
‘Ah, damn, this is too comfortable. I might fall asleep.’
For soldiers constantly on the move, hiding felt no different from taking a break.
‘Just take your time getting here.’
They all shared the same thought. Back when they were training, remaining in stealth for long periods had been tedious. But after following Ghislain, they realized that far worse hardships existed in the world.
Unfortunately for them, their wish wasn’t granted.
As night deepened, figures as stealthy as themselves emerged into the forest.
Step.
A small scouting party from the Revolutionary Group cautiously entered the area, scanning their surroundings. They were checking for the presence of wild animals or monsters.
They never even considered the possibility of enemy soldiers being there.
After all, the Alliance Forces had no reason to be in this place.
"All clear."
It was only natural. Ghislain and the Mobile Corps, who had arrived earlier, had already cleared the surrounding area.
Unaware of this, the reconnaissance team took out a flint and tinder from their gear and struck them together.
Clack!
A small spark flickered in the dark forest.
Upon seeing the signal, the rest of the Revolutionary Group entered the woods. Their horses had been fitted with fur shoes to muffle their hoofbeats, and they had applied camouflage ointment to their faces.
They moved in perfect coordination, swiftly forming a formation and beginning their advance.
Despite not being regular soldiers, their movements were highly disciplined. It was a testament to their experience in such operations.
The unit that had entered the forest was the 2nd Battalion of the Revolutionary Group. The battalion commander, Tarim, let out a deep breath of relief.
"We’re almost there. Once we cross this area, we’ll be in the Kingdom of Atrode."
They had made it this far safely. With just a little more effort, they would reach their designated hideout.
Once there, they simply needed to wait until all their comrades had gathered.
Their goal wasn’t to attack the Allied Forces directly. That would be impossible with their numbers.
But if they were in the middle of a battle, that’s a different story.
Since the Allied Forces were a large army, they would have to secure supply routes by capturing key locations in the Kingdom of Atrode along the way.
As a result, the Allied Forces would have no choice but to split into multiple legions. The Revolutionary Group planned to pick one of those legions and ambush it during combat.
"Come on, let’s move quickly. Just a little more effort."
Tarim let out a sigh as he led his battalion forward.
They were exhausted, but they had to reach their next destination before dawn. If they could get there safely, they would finally be able to rest.
‘Damn it, I joined the Revolutionary Group because I was afraid of war...’
He had enlisted under the condition that he would serve as a training instructor. Though only a low-ranking knight, he was still a trained professional, which gave him some bargaining power.
At first, it had been great he didn’t have to fight and only had to stay in hideouts.
But now that the Revolutionary Group had allied with a cult, he couldn’t just withdraw and remain an instructor.
‘Ugh, I need to find the right opportunity to escape.’
There would surely be a chance during battle. This time, he planned to flee as far as possible.
Regardless of what Tarim was thinking, the 2nd Battalion of the Revolutionary Group swiftly cut through the forest.
They were experts at moving in secret, having lived scattered across various mountains and forests in a decentralized network.
By the time they had crossed half the forest without incident, Tarim finally allowed himself to relax a little.
"Good, things are going smoothly again. We should be able to reach the next point before dawn. But..."
Something felt off.
Having spent his life in forests and mountains, Tarim immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"It's too quiet. Is this place always like this? Or is it because of us?"
He tilted his head in confusion as he continued moving. It didn’t seem like it was just because of them.
Even in the distance, there wasn’t a single sound.
The eerie silence unsettled him, but Tarim quickly shook his head.
‘That’s ridiculous. There’s no way the Allied Forces knew we were coming and set up an ambush here.’
Unless a spy had leaked their information, it would be impossible.
No, even if there was a spy, it was still impossible. They had moved as soon as their mission had been decided.
As he calmed himself and continued running, he suddenly spotted the reconnaissance team that had departed ahead of them standing still.
"What’s going on? What happened?"
As he got closer, he saw that the reconnaissance team had surrounded someone.
Tarim approached them and asked,
"Who’s this?"
"We don’t know. He insisted on seeing our leader, so we kept him alive for now."
"What? Me?"
Tarim squinted, trying to get a better look at the man, but it was too dark to see his face clearly.
The situation was suspicious, but the stranger was alone, so he didn’t seem like much of a threat.
"Light."
At Tarim’s command, several men lit torches, brightening the surroundings and revealing the man’s face.
Tarim stared at the stranger, who stood with both hands raised, and asked,
"Who are you? Why are you here alone? Did you get lost?"
The lone man Ghislain grinned and answered.
"I’ll be collecting a toll."
"...What?"
"If you want to pass through here, each person must pay 100 gold."
Tarim stood dumbfounded for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Pfft."
"Heh... Heh..."
The others also laughed.
Though they couldn’t laugh loudly in their situation, small chuckles slipped out.
Even the reconnaissance team surrounding Ghislain relaxed, unable to hold back their amusement.
One of the scouts shook his head before speaking to Ghislain.
“You know who we are, right? And you’re still saying that? A toll fee? You’re seriously trying to charge us a toll? By yourself?”
Charging tolls on the road was their expertise. It wasn’t for nothing that the Revolutionary Group was called a band of thieves.
And yet, here was some lunatic, all alone, trying to shake them down for money.
“He’s crazy. I say we just kill him.”
At those words, Tarim, who was at least a former knight, hesitated slightly.
“If we don’t want our identity exposed, we don’t have much choice… But if he really is just a madman, wouldn’t it be fine to leave him be…?”
He trailed off, his gaze narrowing. The man’s clothes were far too luxurious for a mere lunatic. His appearance was well-kept too.
Suspicious.
Tarim reached out a hand.
“Wait, don’t just kill him yet—”
But the scout had already grabbed Ghislain by the collar, snarling.
“If you really didn’t know who we were and still pulled this kind of shit, that means you were ready to face the consequences. Die, you bastard.”
The scout raised his sword, ready to stab Ghislain.
Crack!
Ghislain was faster. He pulled a hand axe from his waist and buried it into the scout’s neck.
Thud.
The scout collapsed to the ground, unable to even scream.
Ghislain looked down at the corpse and muttered,
“And who the hell are you supposed to be? Acting tough when you’re nothing but a lackey for the Revolutionary Group?”
Clang! Cha-chang!
Every single Revolutionary member drew their weapons.
Tarim’s expression hardened. The man knew exactly who they were.
Slowly, Tarim spoke.
“Who… are you?”
“Duke of Fenris.”
“…What?”
“You don’t recognize me?”
“…”
Who didn’t know the Duke of Fenris? Anyone who had taken part in the war would have heard the name.
But to think that the lunatic who had shown up alone in the middle of the night was claiming to be that Duke of Fenris it was simply unbelievable.
“Y-you’re really the Duke of Fenris?”
“Yeah. Want me to show you my identification?”
The man was too relaxed. Tarim gulped.
It was hard to believe, but he had no choice but to believe. There were few in this entire continent who could exude such effortless confidence.
“D-did you come alone…?”
“I brought just enough people to make sure you bastards can’t run.”
Rustle…
Tarim and the Revolutionary members looked around. With the sound of rustling leaves, a group of figures emerged from the shadows.
Before they even realized it, they had been completely surrounded.
Impossible. How had they known exactly where to wait for them?
Tarim’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“H-how did you know? And why… Why is the Duke here?”
“You don’t need to know that. Now, 100 gold per person. Are you paying or not?”
Tarim was at a loss. If the man before them truly was the Duke of Fenris, then the forces surrounding them were undoubtedly the famed Mobile Corps.
The enemy had already encircled them. They vastly outnumbered them. There was no way to fight back.
No, even if it had been just one Duke of Fenris, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. No matter how skilled they were, the man before them was a monster among monsters.
Tarim dismounted from his horse. If the man was asking for money, that meant there was some room for negotiation.
“I-I don’t have that kind of money on me…”
Who carried 100 gold per person during wartime? Hell, even in peacetime, nobody carried that much in cash.
Ghislain rolled his shoulders.
“Then you all have to die.”
“C-can we pay on credit?”
“I have never allowed credit.”
“I-I used to be a knight. I always pay my debts. I won’t just run off.”
“The world really is in shambles, huh? A former knight turned bandit.” Ghislain scoffed. “Either way, no credit.”
Being a knight had been Tarim’s pride. Even now, despite being part of the Revolutionary Group, he believed himself different from the others.
His pride wounded, Tarim snapped.
“Run for it! Break through no matter what! The mission is a failure!”
Pride was one thing. His life was another. There was no way they could win against the Duke of Fenris.
Somehow, their plan had been exposed. They had to escape and report this immediately.
Tarim turned and ran, pouring every ounce of his strength into his movements, unleashing a burst of mana.
The other Revolutionary members scattered in all directions.
But none of them could escape Ghislain’s grasp.
Crack!
“Gaaaaaah!”
Tarim, mid-escape, was struck in the back with a hand axe and went tumbling to the ground.
“P-please… spare me…”
Ghislain didn’t respond. He simply placed his foot on Tarim’s leg.
Crunch!
“Aaaaghhh!”
Tarim’s leg was crushed in an instant. As the man trembled in pain, Ghislain looked down at him and said,
“I’ll let you live for now. We’ll talk after I kill the rest.”
A savage grin spread across Ghislain’s face as he spun his hand axe.
There was no need for anything else against these kinds of people.
For a job like this, his trusty hand axe, Empathy, was more than enough.