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4.17% Lord of Caldera / Chapter 15: Chapter 15 A License For Plunder

Capítulo 15: Chapter 15 A License For Plunder

Once the village chief was hanged, the entire village froze in place. There was a world of difference between vaguely thinking one could die and witnessing an execution firsthand.

"There are quite a few notable faces besides the chief."

"...!"

At Roderick's remark, the villagers trembled. Although they outnumbered the mercenaries and the single knight, most of them were merely farmers.

With just a handful of mercenaries and one knight, a mountain of corpses could be created right here.

"Oh great knight! Please have mercy!"

"It was all the chief's doing!"

"We couldn't resist the pressure!"

The villagers quickly knelt and pleaded their innocence. Roderick, Gaiden, and even the mercenaries looked on in disbelief at the villagers.

Perhaps a noble might not know, but how much power could just one chief wield? Such things could not happen without the whole village's agreement.

The disgusting self-defense made Roderick's blood boil.

"I'll deal with these scoundrels right now—!"

"Calm down, Roderick."

Once again, it was Sylas who stopped Roderick. The villagers looked at Sylas with hope on their faces.

In their eyes, Sylas was their last hope.

"Sylas! No, my lord! Please save us!"

"Please, for old times' sake!"

At the mention of "old times," Sylas clicked his tongue. Had they already forgotten that they had just raided his hut?

In their panic, they seemed to be saying whatever came to mind.

Though Roderick had always followed Sylas's words until now, this time he would not back down.

"My lord, please don't stop me. This is my revenge."

"That's true. But there's no need for you to strain yourself when you're still recovering."

"What do you mean?"

"Let the mercenaries handle it."

Sylas's gaze turned to the mercenaries. The mercenaries, still confused and not fully understanding, exchanged puzzled looks among themselves.

"Do you remember what I said earlier?"

"Yes, we do remember."

"You've heard the circumstances, right? Rain down divine punishment on this wicked village. Take what you need."

"...!"

As soon as Sylas finished speaking, joy spread across the mercenaries' faces, while despair engulfed the villagers.

Sylas's declaration was a license for plunder.

***

There are two types of plundering. One is the kind done under the watchful eye of a noble commander, while the other is completely unchecked looting.

Though it may seem like the same act of plundering, the two concepts are entirely different.

From a noble's perspective, a conquered territory becomes part of their domain. Naturally, turning it into a wasteland makes it difficult to collect taxes later.

However, if they reward the mercenaries and soldiers less, dissatisfaction will build up, so they permit a moderate level of plunder.

During this time, there are even instances where the villagers voluntarily offer their wealth. It's a kind of collusion.

For the village, it ensures safety at the cost of a slight loss, and it suppresses the soldiers' discontent with adequate gifts.

But if they have no intention of occupying the territory, or if the mercenaries are on the verge of rebellion, the situation changes. They completely withdraw and turn a blind eye to the looting.

Naturally, the mercenaries turn the entire village into ruins, uprooting everything. Whatever they plunder becomes their own property.

What was happening in Brick Village right now was precisely the latter kind of plunder.

"Wow, this necklace is nice! It must be worth quite a bit."

"T-That's for my daughter's dowry…"

"What? Are you saying you'll give your daughter to me?"

"I'm so sorry! Please, take whatever you want!"

The mercenaries began to rummage through every corner of the village, taking whatever wealth they could find. The villagers hid their possessions with all their might, but it was futile.

Had the mercenaries not done this before? The hiding places were obvious.

Even the livestock, which could not be taken, were no exception.

"Are you offering this for me to eat? Who do you think I am, a pig?"

"Oh dear, this is the best we can do given our village's circumstances!"

"Am I seeing things? I see a delicious goose over there."

"That goose is meant to be sold in spring… No, wait! I'll prepare it right away!"

Small, valuable items were all swept away, and the large livestock all went into the mercenaries' bellies.

If they had just swept through once, it might have been bearable, but the mercenaries didn't leave at all.

''Since Lord Roderick would recover soon, let's stay a bit longer''.

It was due to Sylas's suggestion. Though the healing was an excuse, everyone knew he intended to punish the village.

Naturally, Roderick agreed without hesitation, and the mercenaries were even more excited.

"Ugh, I thought I was going to be ripped off because of the client, but what a lucky turn of events!"

"This small village is surprisingly lucrative. At this rate, we'll definitely break even."

"Long live the young master! And cheers to the foolishness of this village that tried to ambush a knight!"

The mercenaries chatted merrily while stuffing themselves with rich food. Thanks to that, they would enjoy luxury for the next few days.

One of the mercenaries, while happily eating and drinking, glanced at the thoughtful mercenary leader, Eric.

"By the way, what are you thinking about, boss?"

"No matter how I think about it, something feels off."

"Off? What do you mean?"

"This village seems pretty well-off for being so out of the way, doesn't it? Especially the amount of oil and leather they have; how did they acquire all that?"

At Eric's words, several mercenaries nodded in agreement.

"Now that you mention it, I found it odd too. They cook meat really well. If they didn't eat it often, they wouldn't know how to cook like that."

"Exactly. If half the villagers are hunters or if someone isn't just giving away free meat, that's impossible."

"Who knows? Maybe there were a few talented hunters who all died at once? Just to make it easier for us to loot."

With that silly joke, the mercenaries burst into laughter. Then, as if losing interest, they began talking about something else.

Regardless of the reason, it was a good thing to have plenty to take.

'Come to think of it, that young lord seemed like a hunter too… or maybe not?'


Capítulo 16: Chapter 16 Fetching A Pony

While the mercenaries were busy pillaging, Sylas and Roderick stayed at the village chief's house. It was the best house in the village. After examining Roderick's wound, Sylas spoke up.

"The wound has almost healed, so it won't take long until you're fully recovered."

In fact, there was no need for medicine anymore. Just leaving it to natural healing would be sufficient for a full recovery in about a week.

"That's a relief. Now we can take you along, my lord."

Roderick replied with a noticeably brighter expression. He seemed to feel much more at ease after finding his prized horse and equipment while searching through the village. It was fortunate that the village chief had not been able to sell the expensive items quickly.

At that moment, Roderick seemed to remember something and turned to Gaiden.

"By the way, Gaiden, do we have a cart?"

"A cart?"

"We can't have my lord walking like this."

Gaiden looked at Roderick as if he were dumbfounded.

"Am I supposed to be a fortune teller? How was I supposed to know to prepare a cart before even finding my lord?"

"Well, that's true."

After all, they were searching for Sylas. There was no way to have a cart ready to drag around beforehand. However, Gaiden's true feelings were a bit different.

"Damn it, I was actually planning to make him walk."

Originally, he had intended to give Sylas all sorts of humiliation on the orders of the Countess. But now, it seemed they had to treat him with all due respect. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. Roderick uttered a comment that made Gaiden even more frustrated.

"There's no helping it. You have to get a cart."

"What?!"

"A cart, I said. We need it right now."

"Why do I have to…?"

Gaiden looked at Roderick in disbelief. But Roderick responded with a demeanor that seemed to ask what the problem was.

"I can't go myself due to my injury, and my lord is out of the question from the start. So you have no choice but to use the mercenaries to bring one."

"How am I supposed to pay for that? Do you think carts are cheap? "

"You could write a promissory note and let your lord know. He's not the stingy type."

"...."

Faced with such a reasonable argument, Gaiden found himself speechless. While Roderick was right, the thought of going through that annoying process was unappealing. After all, if he returned without fulfilling the Countess's orders, he would face her wrath, and he would have to bow to a bastard throughout the journey.

And now, on top of that, he was being asked to fetch a cart for the bastard to make his journey easier! Gaiden hesitated, looking uncomfortable, when Sylas, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.

"I'm fine with walking."

"Oh, would that be alright?"

"Yes, I might look shabby, but I wouldn't want to trouble you."

"...."

Seeing Sylas smile, Gaiden was at a loss for words. How could he refuse that? He couldn't just ignore it after Sylas's considerate words.

As expected, upon hearing this, Roderick glared at Gaiden.

"…I will go fetch a cart."

Under the pressure from both sides, Gaiden raised the white flag.

***

"Damn it, those mercenaries are just having a good time."

As Gaiden stepped out of the house, he gritted his teeth at the sight of the boisterous mercenaries. After going through the trouble of hiring them, they were just playing around instead of working. It was infuriating to see them plundering while giving him nothing, all the while chanting "Long live the young master."

"Hey, you there, mercenary! Come over here; I have some work for you!"

"Damn…"

"What did you say?"

"Nothing, sir. What can I do for you?"

One of the mercenaries, caught off guard, quickly hid his grim expression and forced a smile. Gaiden stared suspiciously at the mercenary for a moment before pulling a note from his pocket and handing it to him.

"Go to the nearest town or big village and get a cart… wait a moment."

As he was speaking, a scheme popped into Gaiden's mind. If things went well, he might be able to embarrass that unworthy bastard he disliked.

"What, sir? You want a cart?"

"No, not a cart. Get a pony from somewhere nearby."

"A pony?"

"Yeah, preferably a gentle one."

The mercenary, bewildered but accepting the note, nodded. He didn't fully understand why, but since it was his employer's request, he had no choice but to comply. Watching the mercenary walk away, Gaiden smirked.

'That guy has been running wild until now. Let's see how he handles this.'

There was no need to show any malicious intent. A few "mistakes" would embarrass him without raising any inquiries. Even if something went wrong, the bastard and Roderick wouldn't be able to question him.

***

The next morning, Roderick's eyes widened at Gaiden's suggestion.

"Teach the young master how to ride a horse?"

"Yes."

Caught off guard by the unexpected proposal, Roderick was puzzled. Horse riding was an essential skill for nobles. It was something that had to be learned whether one liked it or not. So why was he insisting on teaching it now?

"I told the mercenary to fetch a cart, but who knows if he'll find a suitable one. So, I told him to at least get a horse if he couldn't find a cart."

"If there's no cart, shouldn't we go elsewhere to find one?"

"Sir Roderick, we're not planning to stay in this remote place forever, are we? How much time would we waste just trying to find the right cart?"

"Hmm."

Faced with a valid argument, Roderick fell silent. Indeed, they couldn't spend over a month searching for a single carriage. If the supplies in the village ran out, the mercenaries would start grumbling too.

"Even if it's not a cart, a horse would still present a dignified image. As long as it's not for long distances, teaching him light riding should be enough."

"That's true, but..."

"If it really concerns you, he can ride the horse only for short distances, and we can find a cart in a nearby town. For now, let's at least teach him to ride, just in case."

"...All right."


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