V1C 11: Strategy.
1935 Words
Slaves existed more or less throughout the Gloria Continent.
These slaves often came from prisoners of war, rebels, and other intelligent races like dwarves, elves, orcs, and even dragonkin.
Wars between humans and other intelligent races on the continent were as common as wars between human nations.
Compared to internal conflicts, wars between human nations were even more frequent.
Generally, human nations were more accepting of other intelligent races, as preached by the Church of Light: humans are the most beloved children of the Creator, but other races are also His children.
Most slaves were used for hard labor, but the slaves auctioned at Night of Rhine were not of this lowly sort.
Rog and his disciples were among those purchased here.
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After the "Warhammer" business started booming, Rog and his companions became regulars here.
A few of the noble scoundrels were the type who couldn't achieve much on their own, especially compared to those with real power or pure noble blood.
After this windfall, they inevitably displayed some nouveau riche tendencies, particularly Rog.
Even Franco couldn't resist occasionally boasting in front of others, "Ah, I stayed too late at Night of Rhine yesterday, still feeling it now," then secretly relishing the envy in their eyes.
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At this moment, a few dispirited scoundrels gathered in a corner of the grand hall.
The second floor was reserved for the rich or noble, and Rog and his friends didn't quite qualify.
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"Those bone mages, I really don't get why anyone would be so interested in their stuff, sending over three hundred people on such a risky venture.
Damn those foxes, poor as they are, their skills are undeniable!" Et sighed.
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"Over three hundred people, what do we do? With just over thirty men at our level, we'd need at least six hundred to stand a chance.
But given our current equipment, we can barely equip a hundred," Kite lamented.
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"Ah.
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" Franco sighed, "If we can't pull this off, money is the least of our worries.
Then we won't be able to curry favor with the Duke of Bavaria. “
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"Don't lose heart.
We killed one of their mages! And not a low-level one! A mercenary squad might only have one or two of those.
Now, they should be afraid of us.
After all, six cavalry and a mage gone just like that, they might be panicking in their boots.
Hahaha.
" Rog looked around, no one laughed, so he turned his hahaha into a couple of hehe's.
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"We can't just let this go!" Kite suddenly got excited.
"My dad has been through life and death for so many years, his military tactics and martial skills lacking nothing.
Yet just because he's a baron, he's been stuck as the deputy commander of the city defense for over a decade.
Damn, a fifteenth-level high-ranking knight of light! That fat pig Chambers, just because he's a count and the deputy minister of military affairs' nephew, he got the commander position? Damn, if he had the level of an eighth-level knight, I'd lick his son's a*s! We can't miss this opportunity, we must gamble on it!".
"You're not too bad, at least you'll inherit a baroncy.
My father has been under your dad for ten years without a change in position, and I won't even inherit his barony.
Sigh.
We brothers, sounding glorious as nobles, but damn, what kind of life are we living.
In the capital, even finding a w***e might get you robbed.
If not for Rog's cleverness in starting 'Warhammer,' we'd still be staring at this place dry.
Would Night of Rhine even be an option for us?".
Franco cut off the whining knights, "Enough, brothers! Weren't you all proud when snatching those peasant girls? Kite, just be happy you and your father aren't considered dark knights.
Regardless, this opportunity is hard to come by.
No matter why Orfilock took interest in us, if we handle this well, we can definitely curry favor with the Duke of Bavaria! Let's figure out our next move!".
Rog downed a drink and had an idea, "First, we need to recruit and arm as many as we can.
We don't need to prepare such good equipment for them this time, just better than those paupers! The key is good weapons, and we don't need as many horses.
This way, we can definitely get up to 300 men.
Kite, Et, you two spend the next two months training these sons of guns.
Look at that mercenary squad, so poor, they can't have another mage, can they? This time we'll bring Fes along, with his equipment, how can he not take down that mage? 'Warhammer' can just produce some ordinary goods for.
now. “
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Rens casually groped a passing waitress's behind, leering as she walked into the back, reluctantly turning his gaze away.
"We won't play fair with them! If they have more people, we'll run; if we see someone alone, we'll surround them.
Sooner or later, they'll have to come out of their shell.
We'll find some people from the Thieves' Guild, the kind who know how to set traps, then lure them in and give them a taste of their own medicine.
Right, get more crossbows, bows are too cumbersome to carry, but short bows will do.
Given those mercenaries' poor armor, they'll have something to cry about.
Poison the bolts. “
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The group, uplifted by plotting, shared a sense of camaraderie in their devious schemes.
After their discussion, they devised various cunning tactics like ambushes, poison, pits, threats, seduction, feigning death, and deceit.
As dawn broke, they exchanged sinister laughs, drawing side glances from everyone in the hall.
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"The Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group recently became a topic of conversation in Falborg.
Recruiting over two hundred mercenaries caused quite a stir, albeit with a somewhat tacky name.
Still, many old soldiers and ruffians joined, sharing the nobles' interest in women.
In the Thieves' Guild's training ground, Rens and twenty skilled thieves sweated through day and night training.
Having been chased by mercenaries in the capital, he had shed his lazy habits, valuing his life above all.
This time, he realized he was born to be a thief, nothing suited his dark mind better than killing enemies from the shadows with hidden weapons and traps.
Moreover, no profession was better suited for peeping than thievery.
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Count Wendington, upon hearing of the noble scoundrels' adventure, kept silent.
The next day, fifty of his heavy-armored lance cavalry left military service to join the mercenary group.
Kite selected a hundred men from the group, equipped them with warhorses, chainmail, and halberds, turning them into semi-light halberd cavalry.
For the next two months, Kite trained with these knights in the training ground.
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The rest of the two hundred were led by Et, who had recently decided to become a magic swordsman.
Training the infantry was his responsibility.
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As for Franco, he casually said, "My life is art," and busied himself designing the mercenary group's flag and emblem.
Everyone was frustrated until one day, they stumbled upon him practicing swordsmanship with a rapier against a humanoid target.
The dense pattern of stabs targeted eyes, wrists, thighs, and other areas not covered by typical armor.
The sight made everyone's skin crawl, especially Kite, a knight, who looked particularly disturbed.
Franco's family sword technique, known for its footwork and body movement, was considered superior.
Paired with such sinister tactics, its effectiveness greatly increased.
The thought of Fes's recently crafted paralyzing electric rapier sent shivers down their spines.
As for poisoning, that was a given, as everyone was doing it.
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Rog spent his days meditating or hidden in the lab studying magic, occasionally joining Et's group in full armor to practice with an axe.
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In the lab, Rog chanted a spell, and after the smoke cleared, Fengyue stood before him.
Now, Fengyue held a long sword in his right hand and a battered shield in his left, looking more formidable than before, at least compared to a necromancer's skeleton soldiers.
Rog could never figure out where Fengyue's sword and shield came from.
He tried giving Fengyue new equipment, which Fengyue obediently wore.
But when sent back to the other world, the equipment was left behind.
Upon the next summoning, Fengyue appeared with the same sword and shield.
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Rog consulted Fes, who was also puzzled by undead magic.
Magic on the continent was strictly categorized by level, though distinctions between different schools were not very clear.
Most mages proficient in one area could cast spells from other schools, except for a few diametrically opposed spells.
For example, most intermediate mages could summon skeletons if they wished, though only in small quantities and of average quality.
Since skeletons had limited combat effectiveness, a well-trained soldier could deal with a few skeletons, making them not very practical unless summoned in large numbers.
Necromancers, however, dedicated themselves to the god of death, becoming undead, which greatly enhanced their undead magic.
Due to the constant erosion by death's aura, they often became paranoid and evil.
Only a few who turned into necromancers with the power of great mages managed to keep their minds clear.
Undead and dark magic curses were very effective in wars, so rulers often tolerated these mages, except those who turned into undead necromancers, who were not accepted by society.
This was partly due to.
the great deeds of Rodriguez, after whom the Church of Light began a full-scale hunt for necromancers on the continent, nearly eradicating them over twenty years.
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But Fengyue was different from ordinary skeletons; he was intelligent.
Rog himself didn't know why he knew this.
The damned necromancer didn't leave any magical knowledge behind, especially nothing about his treasury.
Whenever Rog looked at Fengyue, he felt as if Fengyue was observing him too.
The two often stared at each other, a man and a skeleton, in a silent confrontation.
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When Rog had some free time, he worked on improving his equipment under Fes's guidance.
Now, the wealthy Rog could wear four powerful magic rings on his fingers.
In recent months, his control over magic with mental power had become more proficient.
Although he was a level five mage and could only cast level three spells, he could now easily cast three level three spells simultaneously.
Rog's recent studies were not on the popular Fireball spell among mages, but on Acceleration.
After many experiments, he found a few syllables that could shorten the incantation by a third.
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As the hot weather passed, the strength of the group of misfits gradually increased.
"The Dragon and Beauty" mercenary group began to take shape.
Wendington secretly observed their training a few times and later nodded at Kite.
As the final deadline approached, everyone became more anxious.
In the past month, as Rens's skills improved, he led his thieves to scout near Serles Castle, bringing back valuable information.
Of course, thefts in Falborg also slightly increased.
It remained unclear how extensive the necromancer's relics were, as digging had continued for over half a year without completion.
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Facing a formidable enemy, the misfits rarely caused trouble, instead focusing on intensive training.
Their sinister tactics and poisoned weapons were never displayed in public.
On the rare occasions they fought, they maintained the spirit of knightly duels in front of an audience, although a few wanted to join in.
Despite being unabashedly debauched, they still upheld the facade of nobility.
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Even if they were unquestionably harlots, they still erected their signboard of virtue.
- Writer
