BBYW Vol. 4 Chapter 25 (WN)
Chapter 25 – The Last Resort?
After that, Naam and I went back to the guest room.
Mist, who was sitting inside and sipping on a cup of tea, watched us come in with a mischievous smile.
“You’ve made our little girl cry, haven’t you. You bad man.”
“I suppose…I should apologize?”
“Oh no, I’m very thankful. It’s unhealthy when children do not cry when they need to.”
Mist patted Naam — her eyes swollen from crying — on the head, then her expression turned serious.
“Well then…what do you plan to do from now, Lord Maxwell?”
I nodded to Mist and puffed up my chest.
“I’m going to wipe the undead from the western province, obviously. They’re all going back to the earth, where they belong.”
“…I truly appreciate your words, but how do you plan to accomplish such a feat? You did not come with your army, did you?”
“That’s right…I wanted to ask about it, actually. How many soldiers does House Sphinx currently have left?”
“……….”
Mist quietly sat down, so I also sat across from her. For whatever reason, Naam sat down not next to Mist, but next to me.
“Lord Dyngir, please.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“It’s nothing.”
Naam took the teapot from the table and poured me another cup of tea.
After I took a sip, Mist started talking, a grave expression on her face.
“…The combined forces of House Sphinx and the relatively cooperative noble houses amounted to about ten thousand. Most of them fell into the battles at the first and second fort, or are unable to fight anymore. The remaining soldiers are one thousand at most, and are all stationed at the third fort, together with the head of House Sphinx.”
“…what about the reinforcements from House Thunderbird? What are they doing?”
“The reinforcements from the south, about one thousand soldiers, are positioned in the back, hunting down any enemy soldiers that manage to break through the defenses.”
The House Sphinx head and soldiers at the third fort were managing to hold back the “Terror Armies” for the time being, but the enemies were not soldiers following orders: there were some that managed to slip through the cracks and cross the fort’s defenses.
The reinforcements from House Thunderbird were tasked with dealing with such stragglers, apparently.
“Well, I guess that the people from Thunderbird must be satisfied with a role like that. They can run back south relatively easily if things turn for the worse, so the survival rate is definitely higher than protecting the fort.”
The forces sent by House Thunderbird were mercenaries, hired with money. They did not have an inch of loyalty to House Sphinx. They probably had their pride as mercenaries, but even so they were probably not willing to fight until the bitter end.
I expected them to make a quick retreat to the southern province as soon as the third fort fell.
“Hmm…so the situation is really bad. Their advantage in numbers is too large.”
I had come to the western province on my own, but I did not actually think I could defeat the “Terror Armies” by myself, obviously.
I first thought I could borrow a battalion from House Sphinx and take command, but it turns out that possibility was gone.
I held my chin in my hand, thinking, and eventually reached an alternative.
“…right, what about the adventurers? I’ve seen a few groups of them on my way here.”
A number of adventurers and mercenaries had been gathering in the western province, responding to House Sphinx’ call. If gathered, they should amount to a fair quantity.
I thought it could turn the situation around, but Mist’s expression was as clouded as before.
“Indeed, Lord Sphinx has spent quite a large amount of money, and adventurers have gathered…but it does not seem that much can be expected of them.”
Mist added that the people coming all the way to the western province were only those unable to find work elsewhere: they were either not skilled enough or had problematic personalities.
Among them, there were some animated by a pure chivalrous spirit, willing to put their lives on the line to save the western province, but as a whole they were nothing but a ragtag bunch.
“They are hired as this town’s defenders, for the moment, but…I honestly do not know how useful they can be…”
“I see, that’s all I needed to hear.”
“Yes?”
I leaned back on my seat and crossed my legs, then lightly patted Naam’s head and grinned.
“In other words, the adventurers in town now are all people that no one would cry for if they died…right? Perfect. I’m going to be the boss of this pack. Expendable soldiers against zombies, it’s going to be a wild battle.”
“W-What are you…?”
Mist looked at me, astonished, unable to grasp the meaning behind my seemingly cruel words.