Hero’s Downfall Report

110 – Then the devil came in through the front door (4)

Astrid was adamant.

“Even though I clearly warned you last time, they are coming again. The withdrawal proceeds as planned, but all unnecessary baggage is discarded. Don’t wait for it to come, go out and greet it.”

“Grand Executor. For a moment.”

Astrid wiggled her eyebrows.

“What is it, Agent Cain?”

“Are there any other guys besides bandits? On the way here, I saw Bertha village. It was burning. If the fire is so big that the entire village burns down, it probably wasn’t caused naturally, but someone started it. And as far as I know, the only person in this realm who can make that decision is Count Wördem.”

“The Count’s soldiers have arrived. “Is that what you mean?”

“The Count himself may have come.”

The Grand Executor understood Cain’s implication. It meant that if they were trapped by bandits, they would be in trouble if they encountered Count Wördem’s army.

The identity will not be revealed. It’s like the knights came here secretly. However, no matter how white-blooded you are, it is difficult to face hundreds of properly armed regular troops.

Astrid thought for a moment and made a decision.

“Everyone is leaving here. He loads the horse with daily necessities and medicine, and takes only the necessary weapons. Right Now. I need to wake up the guests too. “Prepare the guerrilla force.”

Cain thought about volunteering for the guerrilla army. But he soon changed his mind. The people he really needs to care about are here and now.

And he also had to deliver bad news to Lily.

* * * * *

As soon as the order was given, the knights responded promptly. One side loaded the packed luggage onto horses, and the other side prepared for guerrilla warfare.

There was also a dense net-like cloak, with things like twigs and leaves inserted into the gaps, so that when it was covered, it was indistinguishable from the bushes.

“Wow. “That person even prepared a green bandana.”

Maria looked at it with interest. As the knights looked up, Maria waved her hand brightly. Although she became sullen again.

If sleeping brightly was a mask, it was a mask. Maria sat up immediately at the sound of Cain coming, teasing Cain as she wondered how she should tell Lily what she had to say.

But when she heard what Cain had to say about her, she opened her mouth in sorrow.

“… Shall I tell you?”

Maria stroked the forehead of Lily, who was fast asleep. Lily even smiled softly as if she was in a good mood. Cain shook her head.

“No. I’ll do it.”

Maria shook Lily slightly. Lily opened her eyes. She looked up at Maria and Cain and smiled happily.

“Lily. I’m sorry, but I have to wake up. They said I had to move. What should I do? “I need to rest.”

“No. It’s okay.”

Lily yawned slightly, and she sat up. She unconsciously turned her body and frowned slightly at the pain in her back, but then she looked at Cain and Mary in confusion.

“I… What happened? “Your face is dark.”

“Lily.” Cain swallowed her saliva. “… I’ll keep it short. That’s not really good news. “It’s about your father.”

Lily’s face stiffened. She lowered her eyes and turned her head.

It would have been better if it had ended there. Lily tried to control her expression and waited for Cain to speak. Cain felt like jumping from her high and she told Astrid the news she had heard.

“They said my father collapsed. She has not yet regained consciousness. Possibility… Say it’s not that high. Your brother too. I am not in a position to lead. The reason why Grand Executor Astrid wants to return. That’s why I want to take you with me.”

Lily frowned her eyebrows. She acted like Cain had no idea what she was talking about.

Cain knows that face. When we hear news that is too shocking or beyond our understanding, we instinctively pretend to be calm.

But the soul cannot do that. As anyone would do when disaster strikes, they turn off their eyes, the light of the heart. Lily’s eyes were like that too. It was empty, like a candle that had been extinguished with a puff, like smoke hovering above it.

“We need to hold a tournament to select a new chief as soon as possible… “I’m sorry this isn’t good news.”

Cain ended a little awkwardly. No matter how harsh and mean her father was to Lily, she was Lily’s father, so she couldn’t speak ill of him.

“You said bandits were coming.”

“Yes.”

She said, “You said we should move.”

“Yes.”

“Then we will move first.”

Lily stood up. Maria went ahead to help her, but Cain held her still and shook her head. Her Maria’s eyes became wet.

“Let’s give it a moment.”

At Cain’s words, Mary lowered her head helplessly. Cain suddenly felt her gaze and turned his head towards her. Grand Executor Astrid was watching them from a little distance.

The executioner did not avoid his gaze. He just looked at them with a cold expression. Eventually, she turned around and ordered the other knights to hurry up with her preparations.

* * * * *

The guerrillas disappeared between the trees. Those remaining in the camp loaded food, medicine, maps, and extra armament onto their horses. I didn’t take anything like a tent or cooking utensils. I left everything as is.

“Departure.”

The procession moved at Astrid’s low command.

The knights pulled the reins of the horses. Astrid and Cain were at the front of the line, Lily and Maria were in the middle, and the other knights were at the back.

Astrid led the group to a place where there was no path. Oddly enough, he was able to walk both people and horses.

Cain saw the footprints of a large animal in the dirt. It looked like some kind of wolf. If it was a path that predators mainly walked, I assumed it would be a secret and rough path.

So she had to tread carefully. There was mud and rotted organic matter underneath the unrotted leaves, making it very slippery.

Sometimes. A scream was heard from the direction the group had passed. It was as terrible as a nightmare, but as brief as a sleepwalk. Then there was another uneasy silence.

From the other side of the forest, birds flew up. It meant something was moving. Astrid ordered a halt. The group hid in a shady place at the bottom of the hill.

Contrary to expectations, ‘things’ seemed to be coming this way. Cain stepped forward, covering his face with a cloth. The imperial sword was tied tightly to prevent it from being pulled out of the scabbard, and the staff was held tightly in the right hand.

“I will come after seeing it.”

“Why?”

“Please take care of my people.”

After thinking for a moment, Astrid nodded and gave various instructions to the knight.

The driver took out a guerrilla’s cloak from his luggage. After rubbing it against the floor and shrub two or three times, the leaves and branches naturally clumped together. It was very light, probably because it was made of light and tough material.

Cain, wearing a cloak, quickly approached the direction where the sound was heard. I heard a conversation.

“Say something that makes sense. “The guy who comes and goes in the Black Forest is this guy. How can we find out?”

“Two women and one man. The man was of average height, the woman was a little shorter, and the other was about half a span taller than the man. “If that’s the case, it’s specific, right?”

Cain could not believe his ears. Those people were clearly talking about Cain and his group.

“So, if you bring me here, what are you going to do?”

“They said they would appoint you as Roberta’s successor. “Lord of the Black Forest.”

“Crazy. Is that a reward? “Managing thieves?”

“Hey, don’t you know? How much blind money is floating around here? And it’s not just money. You know? Mine.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been there. But what is a mine?”

“They said they would also give me the right to operate the mine.”

“Has Count Wördem finally gone crazy?”

A mine.

I’ve never heard of a mine in the Black Forest. Not only does it make no sense to open a mine in a short period of time, but mining minerals is also useless if you cannot transport them.

Cain climbed up the tall tree. As she draped herself on a thick branch and waited, those who had been making noise appeared. They were two men fully armed. There was a hunting whistle hanging around its neck, and it seemed to blow to announce its location.

The pattern on the military uniform was quite colorful to wear in the forest. A wild boar’s head embroidered with red thread. It was the regular army of Count Wördem. Although he had a sword at his waist, he held a javelin in his hand.

A whistle was heard from afar. The men here also blew their whistles as hard as they could. When the sound was heard again from the other side, the man here blew quickly twice out of nervousness.

After a while, the Count’s soldiers walked out from the other side. She was a lightly armed man and woman. She was dragging her man, who was tied up with a rope and his face was bruised.

Cain took a closer look at her bruised man. She is a familiar face. She is a cattle warden with a pheasant feather on her helmet who tried to extort money from Cain and his men.

“If you tell them to come, they will come quickly. Why do you blow the flute twice just to show off?”

“Who wants to see who? “Where did you catch it?”

“Beyond Lion Rock. This guy is the last one. “The rest are all dead.”

“No.” The man who blew the whistle spat at her. “Is it such a deadly crime to block the road and take village maintenance money from passers-by?”

“Don’t you know?” The woman who had grabbed her cow pasture lifted her chin arrogantly.

“That’s not the problem, this bastard’s ‘brothers’ guided the strangers to Berta Village. To be honest, I don’t understand why those three strangers turned Bertha village upside down, but I have to criticize them. “What should I do?”

“But that doesn’t mean you have to kill all the kids.”

“You weren’t in Berta Village, right? Didn’t you see Count Wördem sitting on the floor, crying and even urinating? “The old boar is sad because she lost her lover.”

“What about the new Countess and what kind of lover is she?”

“They say the old boar doesn’t care about that. Anyway. Vidok, can you hear me?”

Commander Su barely nodded his head. When she looked closely, she saw that her mouth was full of towels. Judging by the fact that he was covered in blood, he must have been in a rough situation. The woman who blew the whistle walked shoulder to shoulder with her auxiliary leader.

“Bidok. Friend. It should have been done in moderation. Moderately. You have lived your whole life like a miser, but the merciful God has given you one last chance. It’s your chance that we’ve captured.

Tell me honestly. You stole some of the down payment, right? Secretly, without even revealing it to your so-called ‘brothers.'”

Sochojang Bi Dok nodded his head. The woman smiled brightly.

“Let’s do it this way. We can give each other what we want. You exchange money for freedom. How is it. I think this is a fair deal. Payment. Where are you? “Oh, I can’t speak because of this.”

The woman gently pulled the cloth from Vidok’s mouth. It seems like it’s so big that it doesn’t come out very well. Eventually, when the cloth was completely pulled out, Vidok spat out a broken tooth.

“Okay. Money. There is?”

“… “Yes.”

“Where?”

“In your underwear locker.”

“This bastard.”

The woman hit Vidok in the stomach with a spear. Sochojang was lying on the floor.

“… Because killing my brothers wasn’t enough… To take the money… ?”

“These days, even thieves talk about brotherhood and loyalty?”

“It was the same for you too.”

“Timing. Friend. Timing.” The woman aimed her javelin at Vidok’s heart.

“Are we the same as those of us who converted early and went down the mountain, and you who held on until our heads exploded and then gave in like bastards?”

“Opportunist bastards.”

“I think it’s fortunate that it caught us.”

The woman stretched out her arm holding her spear behind her.

Cain rolled over on her branch, panting for her breath. A branch full of leaves bent and hit the soldiers hard on the head.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Cain jumped into the middle of the soldiers.