Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 044: The Frontier town (4)

“It’s a raid! The scoundrels have swarmed us!”

“Damn it… What in the world is happening all of a sudden?!”

“Does that matter now? First, bring the town chief here!”

The once peaceful border town was quickly descending into chaos. This sudden turmoil was due to a bandit group that had unexpectedly shown up and encircled the town from the outside.

By a mere glance, one could count twenty cavalrymen. Another twenty infantrymen, having dismounted their horses, were armed with shields and spears.

Including those who were lightly armed, the total number easily reached fifty.

“Boss. The encirclement is complete. Not a single mouse could escape from the border town now.”

Clank-.

A man nodded in response to his subordinate’s report.

He was armored in a special dark armor that did not reflect light, and on his waist hung a sword with a hilt that was anything but ordinary.

Even the horse he rode was armored in iron, much like its rider.

Truly, he was the epitome of knighthood. It was hard to believe he was merely a bandit leader.

“It’s time to begin.”

“Yes. Quiet down─! Our boss has decided to teach these scoundrels a lesson!”

As his elite guard, also leading a squad of heavily armored cavalry, raised their voice, silence fell over the bandit formation that had resembled a noisy marketplace.

The discipline seemingly better than that of an average army prompted a startled reaction from the people inside the border town.

And then the man slowly stepped forward.

Clank- Clank-

The sound of his armor was unusually clear as he moved, as if he was consuming all the noises of the battlefield alone.

“Listen, you half-breed wench called the town chief. In our previous battle, I showed mercy and spared you, yet you dared to meddle with my men again. How do you plan to take responsibility for this?”

His voice was calm but forceful, and distinctly imposing—an evidence that he was no ordinary bandit.

The aura he exuded was different. Everyone watching him from behind the barricade had the same thought.

“Up till now, I refrained from messing with the border town to give you a grace period to decide, but since you’ve crossed the line yet again. The grace period ends today. Make your choice.”

To submit or to die.

“……”

Silence ensued. No one dared to face the man with courage.

Such was the incredible aura emanating from him, nearly akin to what one might expect from the Royal Guard’s elite knights.

Enjoying the silence as if it was a treat, the man waited for a moment before speakin again.

“No answer? If it’s the former, open the gates immediately and accept our rule. If not, the border town will be reduced to ruins today….”

“Damn, someone sure loves to yap. Showing off with their fancy gear.”

Suddenly, an interrupting voice caused the man to stop speaking.

The very air around the bandit camp seemed to boil with rage. Insulting their leader had infuriated them.

“Whoever just spoke, show yourself! Let’s see if your courage matches your foul mouth.”

Creak─.

The gate began to open. From behind the barricade, there was a hint of quarreling, but the gate opened nonetheless.

“Here I am, you piece of trash. Anything else to say?”

The man narrowed his eyes within his helmet, taken aback by the insolence of the voice’s owner. An barbarian, surpassing all expectations?

‘If it’s a barbarian….’

He immediately thought of someone.

The monster of a man from the Al-Lorenze region up north, who sliced through countless mercenaries, bandits, and even knights with his axe. The Executioner.

Could it possibly be him? Gray-skinned, formidable barbarian were not common. If one had shown up in the north then it was likely him.

The man wondered how such a bloodthirsty warrior got approval to enter the border town but soon made his own assumptions.

‘That damned half-breed sorceress must have hired him.’

The logic was clear. Failing to defend against his recent surprise attack, they must have sought capable forces from outside.

‘How pitiful.’

“Barbarian, stay out of this for now. I have business with the half-breed wench. You, I will deal with next.”

Normally, most consider a barbarian as a monster to be feared, but the man was not perturbed. What fear could he possibly have for a lesser being deprived of innate mana?

Saying so, the man truly turned his attention away from the barbarian.

“Inform the town chief to come out. Or else, I will tear down this barricade and enter right away.”

“Huh, this is a new reaction… I’ve never been so blatantly ignored.”

Feeling embarrassed by the unexpected response, the barbarian scratched his head but the man seemed determined to wait only for the half-elf to appear, closing his mouth completely.

“What will you do? It seems they want to speak with you.”

“…Is there anything he and I need to discuss separately?”

Behind the barbarian, the gate opened fully, revealing fully armed retired mercenaries along with the town chief. It was then the man finally made his move.”Why wouldn’t there be? You must pay for the lives of my men that you killed.”

“What about compensation for those who were plundered by your hands, even losing their lives or becoming slaves?”

“It was a legitimate levy. Under the chaos of the north, it’s common sense to seek the protection of the strong. Those who died merely paid the price for daring to resist me. And now, it’s your turn.”

“You can’t bring down this town.”

The town chief glared at the man with eyes filled with steadfast resolve.

Although the scale of the bandit group far exceeded what a low-ranking noble could muster, if the border town solidified its defense with a moat and ramparts, a fall seemed impossible.

“Ha. We shall see.”

However, there was no sign of retreat from the man.

Does he have the confidence to bring down the border town right now? How, exactly? Even with a strong cavalry, crossing the moat should be impossible…

The town chief, musing alone on what the man’s confidence could be based on, eventually sighed, realizing no answer came.

“There’s no helping it. Since you intend to attack the town by any means, we too must desperately resist.”

No sooner had her words ended than the retired mercenaries of the border town raised their voices with fervor.

To protect the sanctuary they found in their twilight years, those who took up swords again were truly formidable in spirit.

“Prepare all arrows! Those who have nothing to do, even pick up stones!”

“If they try to cross the moat, throw anything at them! Gather all the manure in the town too!”

“Let’s kill them all─!”

Moreover, as the young people inside the ramparts busily sought something to do, agitation spread among the forefront of the bandit group.

They knew that they would be the first to die if a fight broke out.

“Please, take care of that man. The rest of us can handle it.”

“Are you sure?”

The town chief’s elven face turned cold and resolute.

“There’s no passing it all off. And if we fight along the moat, they too must accept their disadvantages. Eventually, they’ll have no choice but to send out their heavy cavalry.”

“That will be my cue, then. Understood.”

“Thank you.”

The town chief bowed slightly to the barbarian who shrugged and withdrew, then brought her gaze back forward.

The captain of the bandit group, enveloped in black armor, also locked eyes with her, and a standoff ensued.

Before long.

“Kill them all. Whatever you rob, it’s yours, so make sure to grab all you can diligently.”

“Ooooh─!”

The battle began.

*

The scale of the fight between a town formed by mercenaries and a bandit group was astonishing, not merely a conflict between fiefs but almost a small-scale war.

One side was defending, reinforced by ramparts and a moat, while the opposing side, despite being bandits, had a formation including infantry, cavalry, and heavy cavalry.

Simply by numbers, over a hundred people from each side had taken to the battlefield. It was indeed akin to a small war.

“Push forward!”

The bandits’ infantry began advancing towards the border town.

Conversely, around twenty people from the town formed a defensive line with the moat at their backs.

The wooden ramparts couldn’t withstand spells detonated at close range like a wall could, which was why they couldn’t focus solely on defense from the inside.

“If they come, just shoot!”

“Without a word, those guys are nothing but dead meat! With the moat behind us, we’re bound to win!”

Having the moat behind them was a blockade against the cavalry charge, maintaining the advantage in the defense.

Above all, among the twenty defending along the moat, those armored and fighting at the forefront made the most significant impact.

Fighting on foot, the retired mercenaries, experienced in piercing through with their swords, were something to behold when clad in plate armor.

After a few exchanges, the casualties on the bandit side rapidly increased.

Thwack-thwack-thwack─!

“Back, back off! The arrows are coming…!”

“Forward! Move forward! There’s no retreating…!”

“If we retreat, death is all that awaits us! Just fight! And die!”

Moreover, if the melee lasted even a bit longer, arrows were shot from inside the ramparts, causing the bandits’ infantry to melt away in moments.

Contrary to the initial high morale of the bandit group, the situation had become decidedly one-sided, with cheers erupting from the town’s side. They could win this!

“Captain. Should we start moving?”

“No, wait a bit longer. It’ll end soon.”

“Understood.”One of the armored cavalrymen frowned, seemingly disgusted by the sight, and raised his voice. However, the leader of the bandits, a man, merely watched as his men were being killed off, without issuing any significant orders.

“What is he aiming for?” The town chief narrowed his brows in bewilderment, watching the scene unfold. It was an unusual move for the bandit leader, especially considering his background, to recklessly throw his forces away so.

“Still, it’s clear that the situation is in our favor…” It was hard to take pleasure in it, though. It was blatantly obvious there had to be some motive behind the man’s foolhardy actions, making it only sensible to prepare for whatever might come next. But how could one prepare without knowing the exact intention? The chief felt a headache coming on.

“Chief, that person is up to something,” Gion, who had been accompanying her, said, jolting the chief from her thoughts.

Just as Gion warned, the bandit leader who had been indifferent to his subordinates’ deaths suddenly drew his sword. Frozen in place, as if turned to stone with his sword raised towards the sky, the leader presented an undeniably suspicious sight.

Yet, the battle situation remained favorable for the border town, with the bandit’s mediocre fighters falling one by one. It would take something significant, akin to a red tower mage setting a protective barrier ablaze, to turn the tide…

“No way.” A chilling thought crossed the chief’s mind. “No, that’s impossible,” she reassured herself.

The bandit leader was a mere deserter from the army, a regular human. Handling the red tower’s spells was out of his league, she thought. Even if there were equipment engraved with red spells, her defenses were supposed to nullify such feeble magic unless he possessed an artifact…

It was at that moment of denial that flames burst forth from the tip of the bandit leader’s sword, initially scattering like small sparks before forming into a giant bird made entirely of fire.

“The Firebird of Aelos…!” The town chief gasped at the sight.

Though a mid-tier spell, the red tower’s spell that could burn vast areas was comparable to high-tier spells. And yet, it originated from the mere sword of a bandit leader.

“Now, my men!” As if on cue, the bandit’s infantry, who had been retreating under pressure from the town’s mercenaries, began tossing leather water pouches towards the barricades.

Caught off guard by this sudden move, the town’s mercenaries rushed in, but it was too late. The bottles burst upon impact, releasing an unknown liquid that soaked the barricades. The chief, with her elven senses, instantly recognized it as oil.

Scarcely able to react, the chief was suddenly pushed back forcefully.

“Step back─!”

“Gion…!”

Sensing the imminent danger from the Firebird, Gion instinctively pushed the chief down to the base of the watchtower.

The interruption broke her concentration, causing the spell to be canceled and a surge of mana to cause her to cough up blood. However, it wasn’t blood but a scream that escaped the chief’s lips.

“No…!”

As she fell towards the base of the tower, her vision suddenly cleared, catching sight of Firebird of Aelos approaching the barricade. The sight of the barricade ablaze and people screaming in agony as they burnt to death, together with the town being looted and reduced to ruins, filled the chief’s mind.

In the slow passage of time, the chief gritted her teeth. Having already pushed herself too much saving people from the previous bandit attack, her condition from the mana backlash was dire. Pushing any further meant certain death.

“If I’m going to die anyway, I might as well protect the town…” Just as she was determinedly drawing upon the rerouting mana, someone caught her falling body. The touch felt incredibly solid, like being held by someone made of rock. In her dazed state, the chief pondered this odd sensation.

“I should charge extra for this.” The man who caught her, a barbarian with gray skin, grinned cheekily. The chief, whether to reassure her or not, chuckled weakly at the barbarian’s frivolous joke, despite the intense heat from Firebird of Aelos close by. Surprisingly, the solidity of his embrace made her think everything might just turn out alright.

“Close your eyes and hold your breath.” It’ll get a bit hot, he declared. With that, the barbarian, holding his sword sheath, raised it high. Obligingly, the chief closed her eyes and held her breath…

A blast of hot air and a sound like the tearing of the sky filled her world.