YGGDRASIL: The Undead King

Chapter 5 ~A Troubled World~

The company of 50 men galloped across the grassy plains on their horses.Every man in the company was athletically built. One of them was particularly eye-catching.There was no better word to describe him than "fit". His muscles were evident even through his breastplate.He was around 30 years old, and his face was tanned from long days of sun and covered in wrinkles. His black hair was neat and trimmed, and his dark eyes had a sharp look about them.The man riding by his side said:"Warrior-Captain, we're almost at the first village on our patrol route.""Ah, yes, Vice-Captain."Gazef Stronoff, the renowned Warrior-Captain of the Re-Estize Kingdom, did not see any villages.He calmed his racing heart and maintained his mount's speed. Although he had kept the horse's pace at one which should not be overly fatiguing, they had hustled all the way here from the Royal Capital, and fatigue was beginning to accumulate within Gazef's body. It must have been at least as bad for his horse, which was why he tried not to overburden it."I hope they're alright," the Vice-Captain said. There was a current of unease running beneath these words, and Gazef felt the same way.The King had ordered Gazef and his men: "Imperial knights have been spotted at the border. If these reports are true, eliminate them immediately."The city of E-Rantel was closer, and under normal circumstances, it would be faster to send troops from there. However, the Imperial knights were powerful and well-equipped, and there was an insurmountable gap between them and average conscripts. The only people in the Kingdom which could match up to the Imperial knights were Gazef and his troops. However, handing the entire task to Gazef and his men alone was the height of foolishness.Before Gazef reached their objective, other troops could have been mobilized, in order to protect the villages. Though they could not win, they could at least fight a holding action. There were many ways to use extra men. However, this had not been done — no, it could not be done.Gazef, who knew the reason why, was filled with agitation. He tightly gripped the reins and tried not to tug on them. Even so, it was difficult to suppress the thoughts burning in his heart."Warrior-Captain, just having us do the searching is pointless. Couldn't we bring everyone from the warrior band and have them help us? We could also hire adventurers from E-Rantel to help us out. Why are you doing this?""...Enough, Vice-Captain. Things might go poorly if someone heard that Imperial knights were running loose in the Kingdom's territory.""Warrior-Captain, there's nobody here. You don't have to stand on ceremony, but I hope you can tell me the truth," the Vice-Captain said with a smile. Then, he continued, "Was it those nobles?"Gazef did not reply to those disdainful words, because that was the case."Those damned nobles, treating human lives like pieces in their power struggles! And on top of that, since this is the King's domain, they can use any problems here to take shots at the King.""...Not all nobles think that way.""And maybe you're right, Warrior-Captain, and there are some nobles who think of the people. For example, the Golden Princess. But apart from her, there's practically no one else... If only the Kingdom was ruled by a dictator, couldn't we ignore those damn nobles and work for the good of the people?""If you interfere too strongly, it might lead to a civil war that would tear the Kingdom apart. Given that we're facing the threat of the Empire's expanding ambitions, a war like that would be a disaster for the common folk.""I know that, but..."
"Just leave this matter aside for..."Gazef's voice cut off halfway, as his eyes looked intently forward.Thick, black smoke rose up from behind the small hill ahead of them, and it was not just one or two plumes.Everyone present knew what that meant.Gazef couldn't help but click his tongue, and he squeezed his legs around his horse's flanks.The scene which the rapidly galloping Gazef and company saw did not deviate from their expectations. Before them spread an expanse of blackened ground, the scorched remains of a village. The corpses of several of the burned houses remained standing, like tombstones.Gazef gave an order in with a voice of steel: "Everyone, we're moving. Quickly now!"

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The village had been put to the torch, and only the burned skeletons of the destroyed homes gave any clue as to what it had been like before.The smell of blood blended with the stench of burning as one walked between them.Gazef's face was calm, with no hint of any emotions on it. However, no expression could convey his feelings more clearly than this. The same applied to Vice-Captain who walked by Gazef's side.Over a hundred villagers had lived here. Six had survived. Everyone else had been mercilessly slain, whether they were women, children, or infants."Vice-Captain, have some of our people return the survivors to E-Rantel.""But wait, this is...""You're right, it's a big risk. Even so, we can't just abandon them like this."E-Rantel was directly administered by the King, and protecting its surrounding villages was the King's duty. Abandoning the survivors here would cause a lot of problems for him. One could imagine how the Noble Faction, which opposed the King, would seize on that opportunity to make trouble for him. More importantly—"Please reconsider. A lot of the survivors witnessed Imperial knights. We can consider that as having fulfilled the first part of the King's orders. I feel we should fall back for now and make sufficient preparations in E-Rantel before carrying out the next part.""No.""Warrior-Captain! You should know by now that this is a trap. The timing of the attack came too close to our arrival at E-Rantel to be anything but a coincidence. Their ruthless actions were only committed after we arrived, and the reason why they did not kill everyone was in order to use them as bait for a trap."The survivors had not evaded the knights. Rather, the enemy had not finished them off. It might be a plot to divide Gazef's strength by having him split off his men to protect the survivors."Warrior-Captain, do you intend to keep at it, knowing well that there's a trap?""...Indeed.""Warrior Captain, are you serious about that?! Indeed, you are strong, and you could easily defeat a hundred knights. However, the Empire has that old man. Even you would be in great danger against him. There's also a chance that you might lose against the Empire's renowned Four Knights, under-equipped as you are. Therefore, I beg you to fall back. To the King, losing a few villages is nothing compared to losing you!"Gazef could only listen quietly as his Vice-Captain got more and more nervous."If we won't fall back... then we should leave the survivors behind and launch a pursuit with all of us.""That would be the wisest option.... But at the same time, it would mean that we would be leaving them to their deaths. Do you think they can survive by themselves?"The Vice-Captain could not reply, because he knew the survivors' chances by themselves were practically nonexistent.Without someone to protect and escort them to a safe area, they would be dead in days.Even so, the Vice-Captain spoke — no, he had to speak."...Warrior-Captain. Yours is the most valuable life here.The villagers' lives are nothing in comparison."Gazef was well aware of the painful decision the Vice-Captain had made, and he was angry at himself for having forced him to say such a thing. Even so, he could not comply with the Vice-Captain's request."I was born a commoner, and so were you.""Indeed, and I enlisted in admiration of you, Warrior-Captain.""I recall you were born in a village as well?""Yes, which is why...""Life in a village is difficult, and death is a constant companion. It's not uncommon for a village to be attacked by a monster and many lives lost as a result, am I wrong?""...No, you are not.""When a monster shows up, the rank and file soldiers are hard-pressed to deal with it. If a village does not have the money to hire adventurers to deal with monsters, all they can do is hunker down and wait for the monster to leave.""...That's right.""Then, can you say you did not look forward to something like this? Can you say you did not hope for the nobles or someone strong to come and save you?""...It would be a lie to say that I didn't. But the fact is that nobody ever came forward to help. At least, the lord of the land where my village was did not pay for adventurers to help us.""Since that is the case... why don't we prove that we're not like him? Come, let us save these people."The Vice-Captain thought of his own experiences, and could not say anything in response."Vice-Captain, let's show the villagers what heroes who willingly plunge into danger to save others look like. Let's show them how the strong will save the weak."Gazef's eyes met the Vice-Captain's, and countless emotions passed in between them.His voice somewhat tired but grateful, the Vice-Captain replied:"...Then allow me to lead the men. There are many who can replace me, but none who can take the place of the Warrior-Captain.""Don't be foolish. My chances of survival are higher. Remember, we're not going to die, but to save the people of the Kingdom."The Vice-Captain opened his mouth several times, as though to speak, but in the end, he chose to remain silent."Then, pick the soldiers who will escort the villagers to E-Rantel with you."