"Ahem, since both of you are here, let’s get to the main topic." Oliver signaled his guards, Fake and Mather, to move the food off the table, a piece of parchment was spread out on the table: "The lord refused the request for troops, but after hearing that we are friends of Mr. Laine, he gave us this."
"A map?" The leader of the Blood Axe Mercenary Corps, Boris, arrived, and the deputy leader, Viert, too, maybe because Banda’s injuries were serious, the deputy leader looked rather worried.
"Indeed." Through the candlelight and oil lamps, a group of people sat together, listening to Oliver’s introduction.
"We have twenty-three carts and more than one hundred guards, and the Druid ’Tree Planter’ Elldrad from the Nature Church will also be traveling with us, plus two Legendary Tier powerhouses, Mr. Laine and Lady Teresa, ensuring safety should be manageable."
Oliver laid the entire map open on the round table, pointing to the journey from Kaltenhaven to Mijordenhaven, Laine glanced briefly; the route passes through two mountains, marked on the map were potential bandits, goblin tribes, and other demons, with special emphasis on the Beastman Tribe. The caravan’s planned route takes a considerable detour to avoid the Beastman Tribe.
"Let us continue, Billger, leading the Wanderers, will scout ahead of us, and if there’s anything, they will return to the convoy immediately and report to us." The short middle-aged man hidden under a cloak gestured, and Laine nodded slightly.
"The mercenary corps led by Boris and our guard team will move on the outer layer of the convoy; if any enemies approach, they will be the first to engage the invaders." Oliver added, the Mercenary Leader raised his great axe: "Those bastards can come at us! I’ll chop them to pieces!"
"Lady Teresa and Mr. Estelle will be positioned at the center of the convoy; Mr. Estelle will monitor every movement nearby with his keen eyesight and provide protection with his bow and arrows, while we ask Lady Teresa to assist us, then at the end of the convoy, several Wandering Knights traveling with us will follow on horseback to provide protection."
"A very complete plan, a detailed course of action." Laine was quite in favor of this plan, he pointed at the first point on the convoy’s sketch: "Then I will ride at the forefront, ready to handle any..."
"No, Mr. Laine, you should stay with us instead! Isn’t this safer?" Oliver quickly added, and Laine, with a spin of his eyes, smiled and nodded: "That works too."
"Let me speak next." The speaker switched to Mats.
"On the first day, we plan to reach the foothills of the Hodalen Mountain..." As Mats’s finger slowly moved across the map, the time plan gradually unfolded before the Kingdom Knights: "The third and fourth days are a difficulty; on the third day, we will ascend the Scavell Mountain. In the valley of this mountain, there’s an abandoned fortress that might be occupied by bandits or goblins. To pass safely, we may need to launch a frontal attack on the fortress, or perhaps send a small gift to its occupants." Mats stroked his golden beard, which drew a discontented complaint from the Half-Elf Ranger: "A small gift? Constant concession will only lead to greater greed."
"I agree with Estelle, we have no reason to yield to a band of rabble; if necessary, I will demonstrate my power to ensure our safe passage, so on the fourth day? What’s the difficulty?" Laine agreed with the Half-Elf’s view, constant appeasement will only lead to more serious consequences.
"On the fourth day, we will arrive at the latter part of Scavell Mountain, where dense forests abound; various messages indicate the presence of terrifying Beastmen. We’ve already tried to avoid them in our route design, but who knows if we’ll encounter them on some mountain path?" Oliver placed his finger heavily on a spot marked with a black dot: "Guard Commander Lauritz has told us that several knights have gone to subdue the Beastmen and disappeared, so we must be particularly cautious when passing through this area."
The female sorcerer frowned, indeed, there are very powerful beings among the Beastmen, and these creatures have tough skins and are not very susceptible to magic damage; if a few knights can’t handle the Beastmen, can Laine deal with them?
At this point, there’s nothing else to do but trust him.
Hearing the mention of Beastmen, both the mercenaries and the guards paused in their actions and expressions; among them, many showed fear and hesitation. Beastmen ravage across the whole continent, their notorious reputation unceasingly spreading. Except for the Knight Kingdom of Brittania, which, through generations of Knight Kings’ efforts and sacrifices, cleared Beastmen disasters within the country, the Beastmen still exist in those ancient forests. The source of this content ɪs novel⸺fire.net
Every year, the Empire and Brittania must regularly purge these Beastman Tribes, or they will proliferate into a disaster within two years. But even the most powerful Imperial Army rarely dares to venture deep into the forests; countless ambushes and harassments, coupled with fragile supply lines, often cause the army to collapse without a fight and then disappear.