BBYW Vol. 3 Chapter 25 (WN)
Chapter 25 – Meanwhile, I was…
I was hiding in a building not too far from the governor’s palace, biding my time.
Together with me in the dark room there were Sue, some White Demon pirates and the slave children.
We were all waiting for a certain moment to come.
“…already?”
The faint sound of a trumpet reached my ears and I squinted.
There was still some time till we were supposed to act.
“Sue, what’s the time?”
“It’s…exactly 50 minutes, Master.”
Sue checked the wind-up clock and replied. The signal had really come 10 minutes early.
I covered my eyes with a hand, looking up at the ceiling, then sighed.
“They couldn’t even resist one single hour? I guess that’s what you can expect from town guards, they’re like soldiers on the battlefield for the first time…”
“But Mr. Randy must have done his best, right?”
Sue, covering for Randy, handed me some dried meat and fruit wine. I grabbed a slice of meat, then flicked her forehead.
“War means taking responsibility. It doesn’t matter what dirty tricks you use or if you don’t put any effort into it, if the result is victory the whole process becomes positive. On the other hand, even if you try your hardest but lose, the commander loses any honor and prestige they might have had.”
I chewed on the rock-hard meat and washed it down my throat with the wine.
In a corner of the room, the children were all huddled together, scared away by the irritated air I gave out.
We had gotten rather friendly through the past week, but there still was some rift between us.
“Well, it’s still a lot better than stubbornly holding on until the end. I won’t give them full marks, but I guess they pass.”
“Young master, the mercenaries started moving.”
The White Demon pirate standing watch near the window called to me. The plan had been set in motion, apparently.
“Very well then. They might have been early, but they must have drawn out the pirates enough. And now…the counterattack begins.”
I took the sword leaning against the wall and put a hand on the doorknob.
“You all have your orders. Especially you, Sue: you’re the most important factor in this battle. Do a good job out there.”
“Yes Sir!! I will follow Master’s orders and do my best!”
Sue clenched her fists in front of her chest, all pumped up.
Not sure whether that meant she would be reliable or not, I sighed internally.
(Our fate…and this town’s existence all depend on this one girl…that’s why I hate being unprepared.)
If I was on my home turf, or had the seasoned Maxwell troops with me…I wouldn’t have to walk on a tightrope like this, and could show them a more brilliant victory.
(But there’s no point in moping around. I’m going to use this meager fighting power and pull off a despicable victory.)
“Please be careful, Master.”
“Yeah.”
I gave a short reply to Sue and bolted out of the building, keeping my stance as low as possible. I could hear loud yelling and clashing of metal from the direction of the governor’s palace.
The noise of battle was much louder than before, signaling that the plan I had ideated was turning into reality.
“You better do your jobs right! I can’t be the only one making a killing here.”
I grinned, exposing my fangs, and tossed my coat away.