Chapter One Hundred Eleven: The Sheep-Pointing Technique

The staff officer’s answer was almost laughable. Kevin even froze for a moment. If this had been said in a tavern, the man would have been torn to pieces by ridicule. If the creaking of catapults could frighten bandits away, then they might as well march into the hills beating drums and gongs. The bandits would flee in panic at the sound, and the army could simply lie in ambush outside the hills and catch them one by one as they emerged.

To be honest, no matter how a catapult was modified, it was fundamentally unsuited for combat in hilly terrain. It was most effective when besieging fortresses or fighting on an open battlefield, where the terrain was flat. If there really was a stronghold here, with walls as sturdy as those of a city, they would first need to survey the terrain before making any command decisions and deploying their forces. Simply hauling the machine straight in like this was nothing short of idiotic.

This was no longer merely a mistake caused by a lack of experience commanding catapults or unfamiliarity with their methods of warfare. In Kevin’s eyes, it was outright stupidity. If the man did not know how to use catapults in battle, could he not have asked Kevin? It might have been embarrassing for him, but if he had asked, Kevin would actually have thought more highly of him. As things stood, however, Kevin could only feel that the man truly lived up to his surname, which sounded exactly like “pen.” He had no idea how such a person had ever climbed to the position of staff officer.

Of course, given Kevin’s current rank, he could not say any of this aloud. All he could do was look at the man with contempt.

The staff officer pretended not to notice and continued rattling off various precautions. They seemed to have been copied directly from some existing regional reports, and even then, only in broad outline. There was nothing particularly wrong with them, but they contained no personal insight and offered nothing new. Kevin’s disdain only deepened.

Come to think of it, during the military exercises, the staff officer had shown no particular talent for command either. He had mostly left Kevin to operate independently. Although the Third Battalion under his command had survived until the end, it had not killed a single “enemy,” and no one had any idea what it had been doing throughout the entire exercise. Then again, after such a long period of peace, even someone who truly knew how to fight might not necessarily rise to the rank of general.

When the meeting ended, everyone returned to make arrangements for the level below them. Assigning personnel, discussing precautions, and so on. Kevin’s contempt naturally did not show on his face. They were about to set out, and if the two of them realized that their commander was an idiot, morale would suffer greatly.

After the arrangements were complete, they were ordered to turn in early. Kevin himself continued reading the few books until late into the night. Statut, who woke in the middle of the night to relieve himself, saw Kevin still reading. He seemed to want to ask something, but in the end, he said nothing.

The next morning, the army entered deep into the hills on schedule. They were still about two days from the designated location. Shortly after setting out, the cavalry sped away in a cloud of dust, leaving Kevin and the other two far behind. They were used to it by now. Most cavalrymen took pride in their speed and raced one another whenever they had the chance. It was simply part of cavalry culture.

“Statut! Aren’t you going to put on your armor?” Gray asked from the cart, bored out of his mind.

“I’ll put it on once we’re actually inside,” Statut replied. He instinctively glanced at the other parrot.

Kevin’s group was traveling with two parrots. In addition to his own Big Sis, the staff officer had assigned him another. In fact, Kevin himself had requested it. His Big Sis was meant for combat and nearby reconnaissance, leaving her little time for communications. Yet now that the second parrot had actually been assigned to them, Kevin could not help feeling as though he were being watched.

Kevin was still sitting in the cart, reading a book. Every so often, he would speak up.

“Listen, everyone. Some of the soil here contains dark elements, which can be refined into dark magic ore.”

“What does that have to do with us?” Gray asked. “Why hasn’t anyone mined it?”

“The magic crystals here do not form in any organized deposits, so the cost of mining and refining them would exceed the value of the crystals themselves. And what can be refined is only the lowest quality,” Kevin replied. “It is like stones. They can be found everywhere, but useful stone deposits exist only in specific places.”

“But what does that have to do with us?” Gray asked, finding the subject tedious.

“Things that seem useless may prove useful in actual combat.” Kevin turned the page without raising his head. “Once refined, dark elements turn black when exposed to sunlight. It might come in handy.”

Gray shook his head in speechless disbelief and began trying to chat with Statut about more interesting matters. Unexpectedly, Statut was not in the mood.

“Forget that for now. Think about how we’re going to fight once we get there.”

“There is a giant burrowing earthworm demon here that feeds on this type of soil. If we can capture one of those monsters, it will be easier to obtain higher-quality crystals,” Kevin continued reading.

Gray spread his hands, thoroughly unimpressed. He lay down on the cart and began to doze.

They traveled for another two days. During that time, they ate dried meat at mealtimes and slept when it was time to sleep. Kevin had a watch, and he kept time with remarkable precision.

At noon on the second day, the catapult finally arrived, late and creaking, at the depths of the Karudia Hills. The local constables had already strung ropes along the route and dispatched men to patrol constantly. They would hold their position for twenty days and would not withdraw until they had confirmed that the Knights of Thunder had finished clearing the area.

“Staff officer, we have reached the boundary. Please give us our next instruction,” Kevin reported through the messenger parrot.

The parrot remained silent for a moment before replying, “The staff officer says you’re too slow.”

Kevin could easily imagine the staff officer cursing him furiously to his face. Still, after witnessing the use of a voice transmitter, the man’s tone had apparently become much more restrained.

“What else?” Kevin asked, ignoring the insult and going straight to the important part.

“He orders you to proceed to Height 225 and park the cart on top of the hill,” the messenger parrot replied.

“Fine.”

Kevin did not waste any more words. He flicked the whip in his hand, urging the donkeys onward.

A constable happened to be patrolling nearby. When he saw Kevin, he immediately saluted.

“Sir.”

“Any trouble around here?” Kevin asked casually.

“No, sir.”

“Have any people gone out recently?”

“No. Just a few shepherds,” the constable replied. “The villagers believe the grass inside is good for their sheep. Although the area is dangerous, some of them still go in from time to time.”

Kevin nodded. “How many have come out?”

“You can rest assured, sir,” the constable said, noticing Kevin’s concern. “Those shepherds definitely aren’t bandits in disguise. We investigated them all. Besides, only three people have come out. There are hundreds of bandits inside. If they wanted to escape this way, they’d need tens of thousands of sheep. Ha!”

Kevin fell silent and waved them onward.

Statut immediately came over. “What is it?”

“What do you mean?”

“If nothing’s wrong, why were you asking so many questions?” Statut asked in surprise.

“Asking questions is simply the basic way to do things. You don’t wait until you discover a problem before you start asking.”

Statut, having received little satisfaction from the exchange, moved away and leaned against the side of the cart.

Gray rubbed his eyes and woke up. “What? Have we arrived? The mist is getting thicker.”

“Fog gathers in these hills all year round,” Kevin said, reciting the information he had memorized. “It is especially heavy at night. Around noon, it disperses somewhat for roughly three hours. At all other times, the fog is dense to varying degrees.”

“Right.” Gray finally adopted a serious expression. “Sounds dangerous.”

“We’ll stop here. Statut, put on your armor. Everyone draw your swords. In a place like this, don’t count on the catapult being useful in the usual way. Be prepared for close combat at any moment.”

Kevin drew his own longsword and swung it twice to test his hand.

Statut said nothing. He immediately began putting on his armor with a loud clanking of metal. It shone brightly and was clearly of excellent quality. But since it was forbidden equipment, Kevin did not ask any questions. Gray also kept his mouth shut, evidently aware that this was a noble’s taboo.

Once the entire suit was on, Statut seemed like an entirely different person. When he lowered the iron visor, even his face disappeared. His presence instantly became imposing. A moment earlier, he had been nothing more than a fat, lifeless man; now he looked mighty and formidable. Even Kevin could not help taking a second look.

“Now that’s handsome!” Gray said, instinctively patting him.

“It’s all right,” Statut replied modestly.

“Enough. Keep an eye on your surroundings.” Kevin brought them back to the matter at hand. On a battlefield, it was better to keep one’s nerves taut.

Height 225 was still two kilometers away. Kevin had studied the map, but he did not know how the staff officer had deployed the other units, so he had no idea whether this arrangement was sensible. Orders were orders, however, and they had to be obeyed. The path ahead was already becoming increasingly difficult.

The soil in these hills was soft, there were many trees, and the slopes were steep. The catapult was being pulled by only three donkeys, and they were beginning to struggle. Kevin and the other two jumped down from the cart. The three of them gathered together, each gripping the same rope and pulling. The fog was not especially thick; they could see at least ten meters ahead. Even so, none of them dared to separate. Their strength was limited. They could only stay together.

“There are people ahead!” the parrot suddenly announced.

Big Sis was simply too inexperienced. She had actually shouted the warning from the sky.

The three men were startled. Statut was immediately shoved to the front, Kevin stepped back and drew his bow, and Gray instantly ran behind the cart and climbed onto the repeating crossbow.

“Don’t!” someone ahead cried in a panic. “I’m only a shepherd!”

Several bleats followed.

The three of them still did not let down their guard. They held their positions and waited for the strangers to approach. The parrot had already flown over to investigate and returned with its conclusion.

They really were shepherds.

The three men relaxed. Statut could not resist turning around to complain.

“I know I’m wearing armor, so I have to stand in front. But you didn’t have to shove me!”

“Ah, well…” Kevin coughed twice. “They’re here. Let’s see what they have to say first.”

Ahead of them was a thin, dark-skinned man holding a whip and repeatedly gesturing to drive along a dozen or so sheep. He appeared to be from a poor farming family. If he were a true rancher, he would have been grazing at least a hundred sheep at once.

“Sorry about this. I’ll leave right away.” The shepherd forced a smile as he passed Kevin.

“Wait.” Kevin blocked his path. “Come here. Let me take a look at you.”

Statut frowned and moved over at once. “Forget it. Let him go.”

He did not want trouble. Avoiding one more problem was always preferable to inviting one. As for whether they caught the bandits, he did not care in the slightest.

Kevin ignored him. He took the shepherd’s hand and examined it.

“You really only tend sheep?”

“I also know how to slaughter them.” The shepherd was visibly nervous. “That’s why I have calluses on my hands.”

Kevin lowered his gaze. Several of the sheep were looking up at him as well. When they noticed him watching, they lowered their heads and began searching for something to eat.

But after waiting for a while, not one of them opened its mouth to graze.

Kevin’s expression changed slightly. Still gripping the shepherd’s hand, he said, “How much for one of the sheep? I’ll buy it.”

“They’re not for sale.” Sweat had already appeared on the shepherd’s forehead.

“It’s only one sheep. Why wouldn’t you sell it?” Kevin tightened his grip. “I’ll give you twenty gold coins.”

“Not for sale!” the shepherd replied nervously.

“Thirty gold coins!”

“Not for sale!” The shepherd’s eyes darted about as he desperately searched for a way out.

“Then I suppose there’s no other choice.” Kevin shifted the man’s hand into his left hand, drew his sword with his right, and said, “I’ll kill one. At worst, I’ll compensate you with another sheep.”

“Wait!” The shepherd dropped to his knees. “I raised these sheep from the time they were little! They’re like brothers to me!”

“Hmph.” Kevin gave a cold laugh. “Perhaps you’re right. They really are your brothers.”

The sword descended. The shepherd lunged forward, trying to grab Kevin’s legs. Kevin had anticipated it. He drove his knee straight into the man’s chin. At the crucial moment, he infused the blow with battle aura and showed no mercy.

The shepherd was sent flying, blood pouring from his nose and mouth.

Suddenly, the dozen or so sheep around them blurred. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a dozen naked men sprawled across the ground.

“The Sheep Transformation spell?” Kevin advanced with his sword. “Where did you learn such advanced sorcery?”

None of the naked men answered. Seeing that their opponents numbered only three, they showed no fear. They surged toward Kevin all at once. Though they were barehanded, battle aura erupted from their bodies, glowing red in every case. Their movements were coordinated and disciplined as well. They were clearly no ordinary bandits.

Kevin swept his sword across and severely wounded one of them. Two others closed in from either side and seized his wrist. Kevin swung his left hand, sending two magic missiles toward their faces. At the same time, three men had already circled around from the front and begun attacking his flank.

Statut hurried forward and thrust his shield out, knocking three of them over in an instant. At such a crucial moment, he had not used any offensive technique. Instead, he had employed the technique from a competitive game in which players simply slammed into one another. Yet it proved remarkably effective here.

Kevin seized the opportunity to kick another man over, then pulled back his longsword and swept it in a circle. Three men failed to dodge in time and instinctively raised their arms to block. Their arms were severed on the spot, and deep wounds opened across their bodies.

At the same time, several others pounced on Statut. His full suit of armor made him somewhat slow, and within moments, the men had wrapped themselves around both his arms and legs. They were quite strong, and Statut could not break free immediately. They punched and struck him repeatedly, but their attacks were largely ineffective.

Statut’s armor covered his entire body. Although the joints were weaker than the rest, even those vulnerable points could not be battered open by ordinary human hands. Yet water could wear away stone. After taking so many blows, Statut began to feel the shock reverberating painfully through him. The bandits quickly realized that attacking his head was the best option. They began striking it frenziedly, hoping to give him a concussion.

Whistle, whistle, whistle!

At last, a storm of arrows rang out. Dozens of bolts flew in from behind. Gray had finally managed to operate the repeating crossbow.

The bandits were all clumped together, making themselves perfect targets. Seven or eight of them were struck instantly. The rest realized that the situation had turned against them and immediately abandoned their companions, fleeing for their lives.

Kevin wanted to capture a few for interrogation, but although the remaining men were wounded, they fought with desperate, almost frenzied determination. They even shouted at their fleeing comrades:

“Go on ahead! We’ll hold them back! Aaaaah!”

Kevin was astonished, but his hands never stopped moving. After killing several more, he finally left one naked man alive, though the man had lost an arm and a leg. Kevin pressed his sword against the man’s throat.

“Speak! Who cast that sorcery on you?”

The bandit gave a cold laugh. Then he thrust his neck forward and impaled himself on Kevin’s sword.

Kevin was shocked and instinctively loosened his grip, but it was already too late.

He turned to look at the other two men, then lowered his eyes to the corpses of the naked men scattered around them. A chill slowly seeped into his heart.

To be continued.