Volume 2, Chapter 26: Earl Mansion’s Raid①
On the third floor of the mansion, Earl Mondo looked over the city and the current devastation being wrought. There was a dumbfounded look on his face.
A riot has occurred right in the center of the city. Not much time had passed since his private soldiers, led by Glasco, went to investigate and subjugate the culprit.
And yet, smoke continued to rise from various places around the city, and the corpses of citizens crawled through the streets. To make matters worse, many adventurers had gone insane and begun attacking the citizens.
「I see, so the riot was caused by the undead… If that’s the case, there’s a high chance that 『Devil’s Piper』 is involved… I heard the rumors about them, but I never expected them to make their move so quickly.」
Earl Mondo clenched his fist, trembling as he saw his beloved city turned into hell on earth.
Standing by his side was a silver-haired man, the guild master of 『Dancing Sword』, Eunos. Eunos looked at that hellish scene below.
With squinted eyes and an expression like he swallowed a bitter lemon, he glared at the undead that rampaged on the main street.
Eunos managed to gain the trust of Earl Mondo in this dangerous situation thanks to his candid advice toward the earl.
Eunos was a man who had risen to his position from the deepest dregs of society. Enduring the harsh lifestyle of an adventurer with his wits and strength, he had more practical experience than that of the earl’s vassals.
The ones who helped the most in this riot weren’t the earl’s vassals who joined due to their pedigree; it was Eunos.
For the above reason, Eunos was allowed to visit Earl Mondo’s office at any time.
At first, even Eunos couldn’t help but chuckle upon hearing such a golden opportunity.
But then, 『Devil’s Piper』 turned out to be far more dangerous than his expectations.
Eunos had always been keeping an eye on the activity of the adventurers in Barreira City.
And yet, this riot alone had already reduced the number of adventurers to just half.
At this rate, it would take at least ten years before they could recover.
And that was only if they managed to suppress the riot.
Any further destruction would only lessen the value of this city for him.
「I’ve sent a messenger to each adventurer guild to form a coalition to crush 『Devil’s Piper』 riot, but… The scale of the destruction has far surpassed our predictions. I’m asking for reinforcements from the other feudal lords, but who knows when they will arrive. The situation is worsening far too quickly.」
「You’re right.」
Eunos replied appropriately to Earl Mondo’s lament.
「I’m thinking of dispatching Eunos-dono’s 『Dancing Sword』 to subjugate the undead and the 『Devil’s Piper』 too, but… May I hear your opinion, Eunos-dono?」
This meant that Earl Mondo was about to send the forces that were protecting his mansion to subjugate the rioters.
In reality, the reason why Earl Mondo employed 『Dancing Sword』 to guard his mansion was to protect himself from Robin Hood, who turned into a madman after he escaped from death row.
And whether it was fortune or not, 『Devil’s Piper』’s raid on the city started right after the members of the guild moved to Earl Mondo’s mansion, saving them from certain doom.
But sticking with their original plan for 『Dancing Sword』 to guard the mansion was a bad idea.
As for the reason, it was simply because they underestimated 『Devil’s Piper』.
Being asked for his opinion, Eunos’ eyes wandered to the wall surrounding the mansion, which could be seen from the window.
There, he saw one part of Earl Mondo’s private army along with the members of 『Dancing Sword』, who were working together to fend off the undead that tried to invade the mansion.
For the time being, the battlefield was still in the balance.
Earl Mondo’s private army aside, the more skilled 『Dancing Sword』’s members were holding the line. There hadn’t been a casualty yet from their side.
But the situation would only get worse with a prolonged battle.
Their opponent wasn’t limited to just the adventurers turned undead; 『Devil’s Piper』’s sorcerers were also mixed in there along with their enemy.
They already heard the information about the annihilation of 『Silver’s Will』.
Hearing that, Eunos concluded that there was no way that 『Silver’s Will』 was lost to mere undead adventurers.
He concluded that the one who annihilated 『Silver’s Will』 was none other than the sorcerers of 『Devil’s Piper』themselves.
The reason for his conclusion was the scene right below the window, his subordinates were exterminating the undead with ease but, if the sorcerers of 『Devil’s Piper』 were marching toward this mansion, the situation would only get worsened.
Eunos shut his eyes and spoke after pondering for a while.
「…Mondo-sama, let’s escape from Barreira City. We, the members of 『Dancing Sword』, will escort you to the next city.」
That was the best solution he could come with.
He could escape from the danger zone of Barreira City and earn a huge debt of gratitude for escorting Earl Mondo out.
「Hah!」
Earl Mondo couldn’t hide his surprise upon hearing Eunos’ remark.
「Eunos-dono, are you telling me to abandon my own territory and its citizens?! If I do that, it will be the end of this territory. The moment I escape from this city, all the other adventurers and my private soldiers will scramble around to save themselves. That’s just what 『Devil’s Piper』 is expecting me to do!」
If a feudal lord were to abandon their own territory, it was the same as declaring that their territory had already been ruined.
Even the adventurers who fought to protect the territory would cast away their swords at that moment and run away to save their own lives.
And worst of all, Earl Mondo just sent a message to all the adventurer guilds saying that they’d fight back against the invaders.
If he escaped by himself during such a situation, it would only betray the adventurers’ trust in him.
「Let’s abandon such a pretty ideal, Earl Mondo-sama. Whether you’re here or not wouldn’t affect the crisis of this territory. Sure enough, the morale of the combatants will be affected once they hear about your desertion, which might cause more chaotic situations and more casualties as a result. That’s why just bring along a few of your trusted retainers and tell the rest that 『Earl Mondo is still in his mansion』. And to guarantee your safe-…」
「Did you just tell me to escape… and lie to my people? Eunos-dono, I never thought that you were such a shameless man.」
Eunos fell into silence.
Eunos was a man who excelled in reading his opponent’s train of thought and guiding them in a way that benefited him the most.
This was because Eunos, who lived in a dog-eat-dog world, grew up in the slums. That was the skill that he learned to pave his way up.
In the city where he was raised, Eunos sacrificed the people around him to survive until now.
Because he would be the one who died if he didn’t do that.
Maybe because he was raised in such an environment, he ended up becoming a pragmatist and self-centered person once he gained power.
That habit resurfaced when he tried to guide someone.
For that very reason, Eunos raison d’etre was denied by Lambert when the former tried to make the latter join his guild.
「…My apologies. I also lost my cool. I ignored your suggestion, Eunos-dono. Everyone has their own opinion. I also think that escaping might be for the best, but my pride as the lord of this territory and as a noble won’t allow me to abandon my city and people in such a crisis.」
「…No, I’m also in the wrong for overstepping my bounds. Please forgive my discourtesy.」
Eunos bowed to Earl Mondo and proceeded to leave the office on his own.
He then looked at Earl Mondo’s tired face before he closed the door of the office.
Eunos, who left the office like a defeated dog, clicked his tongue.
‘Earl Mondo will die for sure. I need to quickly leave this place even if I have to leave alone.’
When he descended the stairs, he suddenly heard the sound of an explosion coming from above the stairs.
Although it didn’t seem to be coming from Earl Mondo’s office, it sounded like some sort of spell.
The employees screamed uncontrollably.
The raid of 『Devil’s Piper』’s sorcerer came sooner than Eunos predicted.
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