Chapter 127
Even while moving, Granack, one of the bandits leaders, was still wondering if he should leave Anheim or attack the governors army.
Although they both were bandit leaders, Granack and Dagover were different. Because Granack knew that the army would attack him if he went too far, Granack mainly attacked villages livestock and he rarely attacked people. Even when he did attack people, Granack didnt kill them, but captured them alive for a ransom.
Granack only began to kill people after he arrived in Bain Kingdom because the other bandits were also killing people.
Although Granack was strong and well-liked, he was also someone who was easily swayed by others. Granack was currently leading his men to move, but he still couldnt decide whether to move far away from Anheim or to move to an advantageous place, so he could fight with the governors army. Unfortunately, things were proceeding faster than Granacks prediction.
Granack was awakened from his sleep by the loud shouts of the night watch. The sky in the east was getting brighter, so it was not hard to make out the night watchs face.
Leader!
Why are you being so noisy!?
Granack shouted at the man who had woken him up. Startled by the shout, the bandits around Granack also started to wake up.
Sleeping while wearing leather armor was difficult and uncomfortable. But recently, the number of demons who attacked people had increased because of the demon kings resurrection, so regardless of discomfort, everyone forced themselves to sleep while still wearing their leather armor.
Just in case, Granack had also set up a night watch team, so it was rare for demons attack to cause damage to his group.
Dagover, that bastard, he
What happened to him?
Does Dagover want to use the chaotic situation to attack us? That was what Granack initially thought, but he was immediately proven wrong. With a loud voice, one of his men said, Dagovers group lost in battle with the governors army! The survivors of his group came to us to ask for help!
WaWait. What did you just say!?
Dagovers group lost and the survivors
His subordinate thought Granack didnt hear his earlier report. As such, he attempted to repeat his words, but it was soon cut off by Granack.
You idiot!! Everyone, wake up!! Ready your weapons!!
Leader?
Dont you realize it!? Dagovers subordinates came to us, meaning that the governors army is near!! So hurry..
ENEMY ATTACK!!
Before Granack finished his words, a loud shout resounded. The cavalry led by Sir Holzdeppe, who had been pursuing the remnants of the Dagovers group, stormed in.
The survivors of the Dagovers group didnt run to the Granacks group just to ask for help. Knowing that they were being pursued by the cavalry, they ran aimlessly among Granacks subordinates in fear in an attempt to save themselves. They were unintentionally causing chaos.
Among Granacks group, some ran aimlessly, while others searched for their weapons. But all in all, the entire group was not unified and was simply at the mercy of the situation. It was under that sort of situation that the cavalry rushed in, causing more confusion to spread amongst the group of bandits.
Dont panic! We outnumbered them!
Granack yelled, but even he himself could no longer hear his yell clearly, let alone his subordinates. Screams of fear and confusion, the sound of footsteps, and the sounds of spluttering blood overwhelmed the surroundings. There were even some that aimlessly swung their weapons, causing their own allies to be injured.
The cavalry kept rushing inside until finally, they succeeded in breaking through to the middle of the bandit group. It was at that moment that infantry led by Welner arrived and they too rushed in.
Kill them!
Welner instructed sharply and several groups of three soldiers each rushed to kill the bandits. The soldiers, who had been pursuing the remnant of Dagovers group without rest, abandoned their spears and switched to the swords. After all, the sword was lighter, so it was easier to pursue enemies using a sword rather than a spear. Welner was most likely the only person who still used a spear.
The soldiers swung their swords, breaking the half-repaired machete in a bandits hands in two, and in the end, that bandit was rendered into a corpse. On the other side, a bandit was trampled to death by a horse and there was also a bandit whose left hand that was holding a shield was cut off.
It was true that the bandits outnumbered the governors army, but they were confused and all they cared about was escaping. Although some of the bandits fought back, they were fighting individually, not fighting as an organized group. As Welner had noted during the Velitza Fortress rescue operation, no instruction would reach the ear of a confused group.
Gekkes mercenaries, who arrived rather late, rushed to the biggest group among the bandits and killed them one by one. The entire Granacks group was now running in all directions in an attempt to escape. The fact that the stunned Granack felt the killing intent and ducked was quite impressive.
You bastard!!
Granack, who had dodged the surprise attack, swung his sword toward his opponent, but his sword was deflected by the spear. Granack saw the face of his opponent. His opponent seemed to be young enough to be a student, yet his face was decorated with a fearless smile that didnt suit his age.
Granack swung his sword once again, but Welner blocked him. Welner was using a spear, so in the first place, he was not in a swords striking range. When Granack tried to step forward, the tip of the spear attacked him from the side, forcing Granack to fall back.
You coward!!
Funny. A bandit like you, calling me a coward?
Welner responded sarcastically and thrusted his spear at Granack several times in quick succession. Welner played with Granack by subtly changing the speed of his spear every time he thrust.
Granack realized he could not escape. The second he turned his back to escape, the spear would pierce him.
When he saw Welner pull his spear, Granack charged at Welner furiously. If Granack was a bit calmer, he would not be tempted by such an obvious bait, but the current Granack was far from calm. He was forced to fight right after he had just woken up, his surroundings were filled with screams, and Granack himself was being cornered by this young man. Granack obviously could not keep his cool.
As he watched Granack try to close the distance, Welner grabbed his spear on the middle of its hilt and swung his spear upward, hitting Granacks mandible. Granack fell.
Immediately after, Welner swung his spear from above with all his strength. A dull thud echoed as the spear hit Granacks shoulder.
Unable to bear the intense pain in his shoulder, Granack collapsed. Neurath, who was guarding Welners surroundings to make sure that no enemy could come close, quickly swept in and captured Granack.
It was a splendid battle, Welner-sama.
Nah, if we were fighting using a sword, I would have lost.
Welner was not being modest. The surrounding war situation had made his opponent lose his composure. An opponent who had lost his cool couldnt fight using all his power. As such, Welner was able to win quite easily.
Welner-sama. Shall we continue pursuing the enemy?
No. Weve been pursuing the enemies for almost the entire day, so everyone must be tired. Gather everyone first and treat the wounded.
Understood.
The first training that soldiers did when they enrolled in the army was to run. Welner knew that in terms of stamina, the soldiers were far above the bandits. That was why Welner had ordered his army along with the mercenaries to keep pursuing the bandits this far.
Nevertheless, Welner couldnt ignore his armys fatigue. In the current situation, the bandits wouldnt be able to survive even if they escaped. After all, the bandits were now scattered into small groups and they wouldnt be able to survive demon attacks with just a small group. That was why Welner decided to stop pursuing the enemy. They still had to fight the demon army later, so Welner wanted to avoid any casualties.
Later on, Welner received the news that Baron Zebels army, whom he had contacted before, had almost exterminated the scattered remnant of the bandits.
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