Chapter 252: Nowhere Left to Run
The fate of Baschurten was already sealed the moment the city gates collapsed.
Fried had ordered the city to be plundered, and when the Swiss mercenaries broke through the last defensive line the defenders had built, the follow-up troops descended on the homes of civilians and carried out looting and slaughter.
In an instant, the city fell into utter chaos. The mercenaries killed every man they laid eyes on and raped the women. Terrible screams and mournful wailing swept through the entire city.
"Tsk tsk, they’re nothing but a pack of unbridled colts."
"General! The mercenaries won’t follow orders!"
Like a dam bursting under floodwaters, the mercenaries’ self-restraint had long since given way. General Alexander clicked his tongue and dispatched troops to the key facilities and churches, preventing the mercenaries from looting indiscriminately.
Most of the defenders had already fled, or fought desperately to protect their own families, but it was hopeless. Where order and justice collapse, all that remains is hell on earth.
Anton was appalled at the sight.
"Haah, I just can’t get used to this. It’s far too terrible a sight."
"It’s this city’s fate. It’s a shame, but we have no justification to stop it."
Anton and his men, who had witnessed hell on earth at Boeven too, must have felt heavy-hearted. Being righteous and good, they could never grow accustomed to a sight like this. The same goes for me.
So unlike the cavalry who reveled in the plunder, none of my men took part in it. That is the conviction of my proud Gale Knights. Besides, I provided for them generously, so there was no need to loot.
I used the Commander Scouter to locate the Geerhilt family’s escort unit. Hm? They were moving toward an entirely unexpected place rather than the castle—that direction must have been their escape route.
I couldn’t let them flee like that.
[Gale Knight IX Quest]
[Capture the members of the Geerhilt family]
[Reward - 5,000 points, 5 gold coins]
[Item Reward - Artillery Firepower 200% Increase (one-time)]
[Prestige 100 points]
[Danger Rating ★★☆☆☆]
The enemy’s supreme commander was the one spoil of war I truly coveted.
The ransom for a noble family was so great that it made ordinary loot seem trivial.
When I searched for the optimal route, it guided the way like a navigation system. Thanks to this optimal route function, I had been able to find and ambush Count Épinay across that vast Meriant Plain.
Since this was urban combat, I had left all the horses back at the encampment. With people scrambling and dashing about in every direction, this was no place for cavalry to operate properly.
And the truth is, the biggest reason was the risk of a horse getting hurt. If Mont Blanc were unlucky enough to injure a leg, it would be a disaster. Where else could I find a fine thoroughbred like him?
I led my men into a quiet back alley. With the entire city being plundered, this alley was completely deserted. A few beggars spotted us and ran off, and that was all.
Anton glanced around and asked, puzzled.
"Commander? This looks like a back alley to me."
"We wait here."
Anton and the men seemed bewildered, but the optimal route showed the Geerhilt family’s unit passing through here. They seemed to be planning to escape through the sewer behind us.
Since I intended to surround them from the front and rear, I positioned my men to cut off their retreat. How much time had passed? I spotted a unit entering the quiet alley. About thirty of them.
"Damn it, why are enemy troops here?"
The man who appeared to be the escort captain spotted me and my men and was startled out of his wits. Had he sent scouts ahead properly, he would have noticed us. That was your mistake.
This is the fate of those who forget that haste makes waste.
"Surround them!"
The men stationed behind sprang out and cut off the retreat. The unexpected ambush threw them into great disarray. Among the escort guards, I could see nobles, noblewomen, and young ladies in fine clothing who had fled in haste.
"The Geerhilt family surrendered, yet continued to resist. You know full well that your crime is graver than treason. But even now, if you surrender, I will show you mercy."
"Silence! How dare a mere knight threaten a prince!"
So that’s the one who dragged the Geerhilt family into ruin.
It seems he hasn’t noticed my family crest.
"I am Wolfgang Ritter von Streit, master of the ducal knightly house of Streit, Tournament Champion Knight, commander of the Gale Knights, and Lord of Feuzen. Am I of sufficient standing to be your opponent?"
"Wait, Streit, you said?"
"The—the Gale Knight!"
My reputation strikes fear into my opponents. While the escort knights stood flustered and at a loss, the Geerhilt scoundrel chose to break through rather than surrender.
"Whoever strikes down the Gale Knight will be rewarded accordingly!"
At the mention of a reward, their eyes changed.
Hmph, foolish men. Right now I’m wielding a halberd, not a longsword.
This alley was wide enough for me to swing a halberd freely. The escort knights seemed wholly unprepared for the sight of me wielding a halberd instead of a longsword.
"Gale Knights! Subdue the traitors!"
"Gale Knights, attack!"
My men drew their cavalry swords and charged the escort unit with a great roar. We already outnumbered the enemy more than two to one. Still, there were so many knights among them that subduing them wasn’t easy.
And taking down those knights was my role.
I intercepted a knight attacking my men and brought my halberd down on him when he turned on me.
"Kugh!"
He barely managed to block the descending halberd with his longsword, but the force drove it nearly flush against his body. I immediately thrust the halberd’s spearhead into the knight’s throat.
Thanks to his breastplate and the guard protecting his neck, it didn’t pierce through, but the impact was considerable. The knight was hurled backward in an instant. My men rushed in like hounds and subdued him easily.
As expected, a polearm’s reach overwhelms a sword.
This is why I’d struggled against Leto.
The halberd’s firepower exceeded even my longsword swordsmanship, which had nearly reached master level. Though it was only Stage 1, I subdued the enemy knight in an instant. I immediately sought my next opponent.
I swung the halberd in a spinning arc toward a knight who was withstanding a pincer attack from Anton and the lieutenant. The knight who had shoved Anton away hurriedly blocked the halberd, but he was driven back by its heavy force.
Then I immediately turned the halberd’s head and hooked the spike on the back of the axe blade into the gap at the nape of the knight’s helmet, and pulled with all my might. My strength was at a considerable level, so the knight couldn’t hold out.
As the knight pitched forward, Anton and the lieutenant tied him up. In this way I was able to subdue the knights one by one with ease, without killing them. Through the series of fierce battles, my coordination with my men had become flawless.
Only a handful of escort guards remained.
The escort captain, the lone knight left, shouted as if in a frenzy.
"So much for the Gale Knight—you’re a filthy deceiver who uses a halberd!"
"You’re the only one left now. Surrender."
"I will not abandon my masters and surrender! If you’re a knight too, then draw your sword!"
It was a taunt meant to lure me into fighting with a sword. The Manager Scouter showed it plainly. He likely meant to wait until I drew close, then aim a hidden dagger at the gap in my helmet.
The Geerhilt scoundrel hiding behind them had turned deathly pale, a far cry from his earlier bravado. The young ladies trembled, looking ready to faint at any moment.
Only the noblewoman remained composed.
Looks like their side has a formidable lady too.
