Volume 2 Chapter 7 (Compulsory Quest)
Ryouma knew it.
That there’s something unnatural about this quest.
However, the only one he was able to get support from are only Lione and her mercenaries group.
Seven days have passed since the time the mercenaries had a meeting around the bonfire.
Since then, there are no unwanted visitors such as monsters or thief came.
If nothing were to happen, that in itself is a good thing.
Although there was a discord between Ryouma and the other mercenaries except for Lione and her group during the meeting, but something like that can be considered as a trivial thing.
But he knew.
When everything is this calm, usually a storm is about to strike.
Like thus, seven days had passed since they left the port town of Fulzad.
And Ryouma prediction was proven right.
*Hyu*
The sounds of an arrow cutting the wind.
It happens within the forest area near the border of Rozaria Kingdom.
Suddenly arrows are being shot one after another from the forest on the right and left sides of the highway.
“””What’s going on!”””
“”It’s an ambush!””
The mercenaries raising their voice one after another, however, one merchant rebuked them
“Everyone calm down!. Don’t break the formation!”
A warning is being issued one after another by the mercenaries who are guarding the carriages.
There are around ten carriages in total.
The one who drives the carriages are the merchants themselves.
While the mercenaries for the sake of strengthening their guard ride horses.
In a situation where surprise attack happen.
Even if they are mercenaries, it is normal for them to feel agitated, after all, they had been taken by surprise.
However, in that situation, Ryouma stared hard at the merchant who gives command calmly toward the surrounding.
“Calm down!. Hide from the arrow! You can use board plank or cloaks; anything is fine. You can also hold up your hand covering your head to defend from the arrow even if its just a little!”
It was a command that can be said as appropriates.
If it can be done, even if it’s only to escape from this hell a little then do it.
“Ryouma-sama!”
“Yes… Finally, it has come.”
In contrast of the surrounding mercenaries, Ryouma’s tone of voice did not show any agitation.
Ryouma had predicted that someone would attack them.
The problem is,
He does not know when, where, and what kind of attack will happen.
“Listen alright? Sara. From here on out is a battle for survival, understand?”
“Yes. I understand. … Onee-sama and the others…”
Ryouma nodded his head toward Sara’s words.
“It’s fine. Lione-san and her mercenaries group are reliable people. … On the other side, how many skilled people are on this side, but, I guess as I’ve expected huh!”
Ryouma flicked away an arrow that heading toward him using the spear in his hand.
It was evident that the carriage he was riding receive much more intense arrows attack more than the surrounding place.
In a short time, the carriage Ryouma was riding on turn into something that looked like a hedgehog.
This means their attack aim have been arranged beforehand.
On the driver seat, Ryouma and Sara desperately trying to protect the horses pulling their carriage from the arrows.
“I know it was suspicious, but, I guess as I expected huh. Our problem now is… to find out who behind all of this…)
The most possible candidate for this is Ortomea Empire.
Three months has passed since the case with Sardina.
With that, it was not strange if some action will happen soon.
However, Ryouma stopped his train of thought up until here.
(How stupid am I… Right now, our priority is to survive from this place. I can search for the person behind all of this slowly and carefully later.)
Finally, the rain of arrows has stopped.
Just one minute has passed.
In the meantime, seven mercenaries have been struck by arrows and died.
As there is 30 mercenaries guard, roughly a quarter of them has died by the surprise attack.
And most of the horses which pulling the carriages are dead due to the rain of arrows.
Only the horses pulling the carriage which Ryouma was in survive.
Ryouma immediately divert his line of sight toward the surrounding.
The carriage which Ryouma was riding is located in the middle.
In other words, it was in a position which he finds it hard to escape either from the front or the back.
“Sara! Can we move away!?”
Toward Ryouma question, Sara grips the reins and looking toward the front.
“It’s impossible! The carriages at the front have blocked the highway!”
One might wonder if it was because of the surprise attack that the mercenaries have become disordered.
The carriages in front of them have blocked the highway in a way that no space left to let them pass.
Their position are as if making sure that Ryouma and the others were unable to escape.
Ryouma looked behind and clicked his tongue.
The highway behind him has been blocked in the same way.
“Boy!”
Lione and her mercenaries group come toward Ryouma.
Because of his prediction, none of her subordinates receive any fatal injury.
Everyone get off with just a slight wounds.
And everyone who ends up dying are the one who does not take Ryouma prediction seriously.
Until here, a battle cry can be heard from behind.
“It’s come huh…”
After being restricted by the arrow, another force attacked from behind.
Such plan is actually not bad.
“Boy!”
Vexation floats on Lione’s face.
“Lione-san. As we planned.”
Toward Ryouma’s words, Lione nodded her head lightly and faced her adjutant on her side.
“Understood. You! Blow the carriages in front of him to make way for a retreat!”
Contrary to the other mercenaries who raises an angry voice, Lione instructs the mercenary near her calmly.
“Ane-san… Are you serious? Are we going to abandon the merchants?”
Lione turned her cold eyes toward the mercenary who rebuke her.
“Shut up and stop complaining! If you don’t want to die here, then do it!”
“A-Ane-san…”
“I’m not trying to convince you! But if you want to survive, obey me!”
Toward Lione’s aggressive attitude the mercenaries began to shut their mouth.
This is a battle between professional ethics and the instinct to survive.
“Ane-san! Some merchants still on the carriages! What are we gonna do?”
A different mercenary asked Lione.
It seems like he was hesitating to blow up the carriages in front because of some merchants still inside.
According to Ryouma prediction, the merchants should have escaped during the surprise attack.
(What’s going on? Aren’t they the enemies accomplice?… No, wait. On the contrary, they are not running away because they are accomplice huh…)
Lione was asking what to do with her gaze.
For Ryouma, there’s only one conclusion.
Ryouma nodded his head lightly.
“Don’t mind them and blow them away!”
“U-Understood!”
The mercenary who comes back to ask instruction from Lione goes back to his original place with his face filled with fear.
A few moment later.
“BOOM!”
One of the carriages that blocked the highway exploded and flew to the side magnificently.
“Ane-san, it’s done!”
“Everyone listen! If you want to survive, run without turning back!!!”
After giving her order to the other mercenaries, Lione turns her eyes toward Ryouma.
“Up until here, it was as predicted by you eh, Boy?”
“I only thought about the possibility that might happen. By the way, the things after this, I can leave it to you right?”
Ryouma’s eyes shine coldly.
“O-Of course. It’s alright. Your important doll and Bolts from our side should be able to prepare everything smoothly.”
Lione said those words after being overpowered by Ryouma’s icy glare.
“If that is the case then good. I’ve explained the plan to Laura sufficiently. Because she’s a smart girl, she won’t make a mistake. Next is… the problem on our back huh…”
“I know. You’ve warned us enough.”
Alright. Lione-san, please be careful.”
Lione kicked her horse and moved forward.
“Ryouma-sama! We as well!”
The sounds of sword fighting from behind the carriages began to disappear.
All the mercenaries on the back seem to have been cleaned by the raiders.
“Here we go!”
Toward Ryouma’s words, Sara nodded her head and whipped the horse to make it move.
An empty highway can be seen on the front.
Lione and the other who had gone first riding a horse can run to the limit until their destination, however, Ryouma is different.
Although two horses pulled it, the speed of the horse-drawn carriage will be inevitably slower due to the heavy passenger part.
Of course, although they can leave the passenger part behind, Ryouma didn’t choose that.
The reason for that is due to the possibility to attack back the assailant.
Which need Ryouma to maintain moderate distance to lead the assailant to the destination spot.
***************==================
Ryouma’s face can feel the strong winds.
It was very difficult for him defending Sara from the rain of arrows.
Some arrow slipped pass through Ryouma’s defense and pierced the driver box, some part of Sara’s clothes began to be dyed red due to the blood from her body.
Some blood also started to dye Ryouma’s clothes who also got his ear grazed by arrow sometime ago.
“Not yet huh!?”
An impatient voice can be heard from Ryouma who’s in the middle deflecting arrows.
“It’s already about time… AH! There it is! I saw it.”
Something fluttered in the middle of the highway.
Within Sara’s vision, a flag of red lion and black background fluttering about.
The distance is around 500 meters.
“Alright! We manage to do this one way or another. You understand right; this is a crucial time.”
“I understand.”
After she had said those words, Sara loosened her hold on the reins and cut the speed down little by little.
From behind several man riding on horses entered Ryouma’s vision.
‘Alright… This is good. Cut down our speed a little more. … The other side seems to have slowed down their speed too huh… great…”
The figure of men riding on horses pulling a bow clearly appeared within Ryouma’s vision.
“Get them!!”
When Ryouma’s carriage passes the spear that being stuck in the middle of the highway, he grasped his spears and raised it high.
*Gushaa!*
A sound something being cuts up can be heard from behind.
At the same time, the sounds of horses running from behind also disappear.
Ryouma then got off from the carriage and began walking back toward the stone pillars that suddenly appear.
Naturally, Sara also follows him from behind.
“It seems like everything gone as planned eh…”
Toward Sara’s words, Ryouma nodded his head lightly.
Ryouma was not yet convinced that everything is a success.
Because he believes that if he let his guards down, misfortune will befall him.
Mercenaries such as Leone, Bolts and the others sprang out from the forest and began walking toward Ryouma.
Their number is ten people.
They walked toward the stone pillars that appeared in the middle of the road.
“Confirm whether or not there’s someone who escapes the range of the magic art!”
Under Lione command, the other mercenaries spread out in a group of two.
“Ah… It seems like someone is escaping, isn’t it? If that is the case, you can follow the trail of blood into the forest.”
The pursuers that had their body getting pierced by the stone pillars groaned after listening to the mercenaries.
After Bolts had confirmed with Ryouma, he lifted his right hand lightly, and then several of the mercenaries who saw the signal immediately go into the forest.
“Young master. What are we going to do now?”
Ryouma shows a surprised expression after hearing the way Bolts call him.
“What do you mean by a young master?”
“Well… Well! You can say it is the way I respected someone.”
Apparently, it seems the result of his strategy has improved his image within Bolts mind.
Ryouma shows a bitter smile while saying nothing.
“Well then boy, What are we going to do after this?”
Lione who finished ordering the other mercenaries asks Ryouma.
On the other hand, it seems like there’s no change in the way she called him.
Although for Ryouma, either way, is fine…
“Well, for now, we should gather some information. We should be able to get some since there’s a lot of them who survive.”
Cold icy expression appears on Ryouma’s face.
It was a cold smiling expression that enough to make a veteran fighter such as Bolts and Lione to feel the chill.
Sara and Laura who saw Ryouma expression began to pray to God.
Because these girls know, what kind of miserable end these assailants will have.