The early autumn sunshine casts from the western sky, stretching the huge shadow of Holly Castle again, covering the entire eastern slope of the Ella Hills. Dozens of smoke curl up from the sparse groves at the foot of the hills, and then melt.
Among the clouds in the sky, around each smoke, there are crowds of different descriptions, ranging from two or three people to seven or eight people. The only thing in common is that each of them has a
With long swords, daggers, crossbows, war hammers, and even a variety of other weapons.
"This is a big deal." Lily stopped the carriage at the edge of the crowd, jumped off and stretched, "That guy Kratos, I'm afraid he won't summon all the mercenary groups nearby here.
Is it over?"
Just as she tied up the horse, another group of Berons wearing chain mail and holding battle axes came on foot to join the group.
"After all, the target this time is the headquarters of the Black Crow Knights." Yuffie looked at the magnificent fortress at the top of the hill. "That castle is said to have never been captured since it was built."
"Didn't Kratos say that this was originally the territory of Count Joffrey?" Alphonse seemed to have some doubts, "How did the Knights get this castle if it wasn't captured."
"Bought it." Yuffie tidied her hair, "To be precise, they once reached a deal with the earl. But then earl Joffrey died for some reason, and his family gradually declined, so the deal at that time could not be counted.
Already."
"That means we are going to set a precedent this time." Lily curled her lips, "Just with this bunch of bastards?"
After saying goodbye to Annawell, Lily went to the "Guild" in Winterfell, intending to find a mission that would pay well and be in line with their journey. The person in charge there, Kratos Miltine, did not even think about it.
This commission was given to them - to assist the regular army of the empire in wiping out the "cult group" entrenched in Holly Castle, namely the "Black Crow Monks Under the Protection of Mal", commonly known as the "Black Crow Knights".
Looking at it now, there are probably no less than dozens of mercenary groups who have accepted this 'commission'. Lily made a rough count and found that the number of people within her sight alone exceeded 500. But as she said, that was just...
A rabble.
She knows very well what kind of existence a mercenary group is. They have stronger personal strength than ordinary regular armies, and the ability to deal with various environments and emergencies. However, the nature of fighting for money makes them rarely
Risk your life in the battle. If it is a guerrilla war in a complex environment, this large group of people can play a very good role. But you need to use them to capture a fully armed castle——
"Let me tell you, could it be that, a siege?" Bell scratched his beard and tried to think, "If they dare to come out, I will chop off their heads!" He made a beheading motion with his hand.
.
"Mercenaries don't do such time-consuming and laborious things." Lily shook her head, "If the siege is not successful, it will take half a year, or even longer, and this group of people... will probably disperse within a month.
Is it over?"
"Then what are we going to do?" Bell scratched his hair, "We can't attack by force or surround him. We might as well leave!"
"Don't be anxious." Yuffie answered the Veronian while picking up dead branches on the ground. "The commission mentioned that we are only 'assisting the Empire's regular army' in completing the mission, which means that we are probably not the main attackers."
"So, what are we going to do, Lilinono." Alphonse turned his head, his eyes flashing.
"Let's just watch the show." Lily shrugged, "Anyway, there will always be people who can't hold their breath."
"Just treat it like this." Bell shook his body, took out the pots and pans from the carriage, and walked towards the river, "For me, eating is the most important thing now!"
…
Lily's words came true.
In the early morning of the next day, a few young mercenaries tried to sneak towards the castle while it was still dark. But as soon as they reached the bottom of the city wall, they were caught by the patrolling Black Crow Knight. The final result was,
Two people turned into corpses, and the other two escaped back with an arrow wound each.
The encounters of these daredevils gave another blow to the already low 'morale'. Lily saw several small mercenary groups packing their luggage and leaving. But perhaps because of the promises made in the commission
Despite the high remuneration, most of the team stayed. The deadline for gathering in the commission was noon today. As the sun rose, probably the last few groups of people came one after another to join in the excitement.
The sun was almost at the zenith, and Lily was sitting in the driving seat of the carriage, looking around with some boredom. Bell was lying on his back on the weeds and taking a nap, and Yuffie was immersed in reading books that she couldn't understand as always. There were noisy noises in the woods.
, and the sound of weapons clashing - mercenaries are not peaceful beings. With so many people crowded here, some friction is inevitable. Fortunately, they also cherish their lives. A few people seemed to have suffered minor injuries, but
No bigger commotion occurred.
Alphonse patted her shoulder and raised his hand to point to the street in the distance - she looked in the direction Alphonse pointed and saw a team walking along the road.
Wearing strong scale armor, they lined up in four strict columns, marching in neat steps, holding sharp spears more than four meters long. The iron spear tips were like a steel jungle, occasionally reflecting the dazzling sunlight. Behind them,
A dozen carriages loaded with goods moved forward slowly, their axles making creaking sounds, as if they were overwhelmed.
This is the "regular army of the Empire" mentioned in the commission - the question is, what can a mere hundred spearmen do? Lily jumped off the carriage, secretly cursing Kratos for that unreliable bastard. She saw
The soldiers stood neatly at the foot of the hill, with spears standing in a row and flags flying high. On the bright red flag, a two-headed griffin beast was showing its teeth and claws, and a golden crown was located on the upper part of the flag, shining brightly.
"The coat of arms of the imperial family. As expected, this operation was commissioned by Rogman III." Yuffie stood beside her at some point, looking at the flag thoughtfully.
"Are you planning to 'reclaim' this territory? It seems like something he would do -" Lily clucked her teeth, "Isn't it a bit ridiculous to just send a few people here?"
She squinted her eyes and focused on the commander of the army. He was a middle-aged man. He turned his head and scanned the entire forest with his sharp hawk-like gaze, finally settling on Yuffie. He gave instructions to the team around him.
After saying a few words, he strode towards Lily.
He was a battle-hardened man. Lily looked at him and made an easy judgment. His skin was dark yellow, and various scars could be seen on his face, some of which had gradually faded over time. His short gray hair and
The beard made him look even older when he was not young in the first place. A breastplate covered with scratches covered his upper body and was stained with long-faded blood.
"Lily, Yuffie." He called out their names, "Follow me."