Chapter 66: Act 2 – Mercenaries
Overwell took a necklace from his pocket before starting to speak. It was a common brass necklace, the polished chain holding a beautiful crystal pendant with a line of small text engraved: Freya.
He presented the necklace to the young girl and said, “This necklace was carried by her; her name should come from it. But it actually belongs to her mother, Your Highness.”
“Her mother?” The girl cradled the necklace with her delicate hands, her expression unchanged.
“She was Everton’s wife, who died in the riots seventeen years ago.”
“Then this girl must be Everton’s only descendant?”
“Exactly.”
“Since Lord Overwell is here, it must mean that this young girl has successfully escaped, can we say that?” the girl asked.
“It could be said that, but the process was rather strange,” the middle-aged man nodded coldly, his eyebrows slightly raised as if remembering something interesting.
“Oh?” The princess was slightly surprised.
“Actually, it mainly revolves around that young man.”
“So we’re back to him?”
“No, it’s just that throughout the entire process, that young man played a unique role. It sounds light-hearted, but the entire escape was filled with unpredictability—there were times of dire circumstance when even I couldn’t intervene, and many could hardly imagine those situations, yet he managed to turn things around—”
Overwell couldn’t help but sneer at this point: “If I may be blunt, compared to some incompetent individuals, that young man might be the only one who made Madara eat a loss in this battle.”
“Oh?” The girl’s pale silver-gray eyes brightened slightly.
“Especially since he acquired something good during this process,” the middle-aged man recalled, unable to restrain a smile of nostalgia, “but what that is, let the old minister keep you in suspense.”
“That makes me even more curious about what kind of person this young man is, someone even Lord Overwell praises so highly. But time is short, please, my lord, do begin,” she urged.
Only then did Overwell nod, take a step back, and continue recounting what happened that night…
*
Freya heard Sue whistling from around the street corner, a clear and pleasant sound that resembled a nightingale’s song, but it was a warning. She quickly turned her head and saw four or five strangers surrounding her, realizing she had perhaps attracted hostility with her earlier actions.
Without a second thought, she shoved aside Romaine, a distant relative, and dashed into the house. The pursuers picked up their pace immediately, but Freya had already bolted into the bedroom, closed the door, and toppled a cabinet to block the corridor.
The banging sounds quickly started, and Freya felt her heart pounding out of her chest; she fixed her eyes on the nearby window—biting her lip, she covered her head with her arms and leaped out.
At this time, Erluin’s wooden window, mostly used by common folk, gave way to her jump. Though protected by a half-armor, she still struck her arm and forehead painfully. She rolled on the ground a few times before getting up, finding herself in an alley behind the street, and looked up just in time to see Sue stumbling into the alley from the other end.
However, the girl’s face was pale, as if she had seen a ghost.
“Sue!” Freya called out halfway, her words choking in her throat.
She raised her head and saw countless blue lights moving towards the center of the sky. At first, she didn’t realize what they were, momentarily dazed, but suddenly it hit her—that was an arrow.
Flaming arrows ignited by the fire of souls, the work of Madara’s skeletal archers. That night in Buche flooded back into her mind, and Freya shouted, “Be careful!” as she dove over to shield Sue.
The rain of arrows immediately fell upon them, countless arrows crashing onto the nearby rooftops, the thin layer of tiles unable to withstand the heavy arrows made by Madara. Soon, the interior was filled with screams. Freya felt Sue trembling beneath her—actually, she wasn’t in any better shape, her face devoid of color, heart racing as if it might stop.
A few arrows struck the azure winds surrounding her body, bouncing off with thuds. Freya was unaware that the half-armor’s defense was made up of the formidable Wind’s Feathers offering 3 points of protection, with the half-armor itself providing only 2 points—indeed, even full armor only provided 3 points of protection.
Thus, she had always thought she might die at any moment, fearing and shutting her eyes, but her body remained still, protecting the girl below.
After about a minute and two waves of arrow barrages, the chaotic sounds finally thinned out. Sue and Freya shivered and opened their eyes together, exchanging glances that revealed their shared fear.
“Sk-Skeletons, outside,” Sue said, breathless.
Freya was slightly taken aback and then felt a chill in her heart; she realized the Madara army had entered the city. She never doubted that Brendel would deceive her, just that she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. Now she understood why he had insisted so deliberately on timing.
The future Valkyrie thought of this and suddenly sprang up, grabbing Sue’s hand to pull her up. “Sue, we have to go!”
“Where to?” Sue asked, bewildered.
“Run! Get out of here! We need to leave this place together!” Freya’s mind was a mess; she finally understood the immense pressure that Brendel had been under. She thought it over and could only think to take one step at a time and wait to see Brendel.
“I want to go back; my father is still at the store.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Sue nodded.
Bonoan Market was located on the west side of Ridenburg, close to the Pine River, while the Bronzesteeldragon Tavern was on the main street between Bonoan Market and Traveler’s Bridge; the distance was not far. However, by the time Freya and Sue reached there, the heavy flames from the southwest gate had drawn a crowd outside the tavern.
That night, first the fire broke out at the nobility’s assembly, followed by the frequent movements of the guards. It was already filled with unrest. People were gossiping among themselves, asking what had happened.
Some felt that the Madara army was already at the gates, while others believed that the nobles inside were being attacked, but no one thought the Undead Army had already entered the city. Freya and Sue pushed through the crowd and found that the tavern owner and patrons had already rushed outside, gesturing towards the blazing light of the west gate.
As soon as Sue spotted her father, she dashed over, like a fledgling returning to its nest. This action left the tavern owner, Retao, momentarily stunned. He patted the girl on the back to calm her down, but Sue stood on her tiptoes and whispered something in his ear. Retao’s expression darkened; he then looked at Freya, nodded in gratitude, and turned to the group of mercenaries beside him—Freya noticed most of them were his patrons.
Retao clapped his hands, silencing everyone’s chatter. Someone even joked, “What’s going on, old Retao? Are you going to treat us to drinks because of this grand fireworks show?”
The crowd burst into laughter.
But the tavern owner answered, “Drinks could be arranged, but not today. Listen up, Madara has entered the city.”
When he first said that Madara had entered the city, the crowd didn’t quite grasp it, taking several seconds to react. Retao reiterated the statement for clarity, finally bringing the thirty or so people present to a sudden silence.
Is this real?
All present wore expressions that clearly read that sentiment.
“Sue told me this; she wouldn’t lie to me,” Retao admitted.
Freya frowned slightly; an average person wouldn’t discuss such news in public, knowing it could incite panic. But unless Retao hadn’t considered this issue, or he had his own plans, the likelihood of the future Valkyrie seeing the latter was much higher.
After a brief time spent processing this news, someone finally asked with difficulty, “What do we do?”
It seemed everyone present prioritized this question over immediately fleeing or shouting. Freya observed the reactions of the crowd and suddenly realized that the relationship between this tavern and its regulars was likely not as simple as it seemed.
“Let’s fight our way out.”
“Let’s all charge out together,” someone proposed.
“But how do we get out?” another person asked.
Since Madara launched their assault from the west gate, most people likely thought that the farthest east gate would be the safest place. However, the mercenaries, seasoned from the battlefield, typically possessed some tactical knowledge. Erluin’s siege was about attacking from three sides and defending one, but the critical factor depended on whether the attack was a raid or a siege.
Moreover, the tactical objectives of Madara were also vital—were the Undead there to kill, capture the city, loot, or pursue further attacking objectives?
This posed one of the significant challenges of fighting against Madara, as the living could hardly judge what the dead aimed for or what tactical plans they had in store.
For a moment, the crowd was divided, but no one could propose a method that everyone would agree upon. Freya anxiously waited a while, raising and lowering her hand that held her sword, finally daring to interject, “I think I know someone who can help you get out of the city—”
Her words silenced everyone as they turned to look at her. Some recognized her, with one calling out, “Isn’t this the girl who just saved my daughter?”
Freya blushed under the gaze of so many; she hadn’t expected to say that. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was making decisions for Brendel—would he be upset with her? Suddenly, she felt a sense of dread but calmed herself; from Brendel’s perspective, he sought help, and as long as she could rally these people into a useful force, it would suffice.
But how could she gather these people together?
In this critical moment, the future Valkyrie hesitated—could she do it? As just a militia captain, could she figure out a way to guide these experienced mercenaries who had fought in life-and-death situations?
But Freya quickly steadied herself; at most, it was just a trial run. The girl thought this, tightening her grip on her sword, feeling slightly anxious as she held it close to her chest.
Her demeanor appeared somewhat bashful, causing the others to turn their gaze back to Retao, who introduced, “This young lady just saved my daughter.”
“Then, Miss, how can we trust you?” someone finally asked.
Here it comes. Freya took a deep breath: “You can trust me. Do you know why those guards attempted to capture me and my companions earlier?”
“Why?”
“Because we are from Buche’s militia, which had already been invaded by Madara two days ago. My companions and I escaped from Madara’s grasp only to inform Ridenburg of the news, yet the nobles’ response disappointed us—”
She paused and continued, “Surely you wouldn’t expect those people to save you, would you?”
“Of course not, those maggots.”
“Maggots. Well put, let’s take a drink to that.”
“To that.” The crowd echoed in agreement.
“Are you suggesting that you have a way to bypass Madara’s attention?” Retao looked at her and asked.
Freya nodded.
