Barbarian in a Failed Game

Chapter 084: Infiltration (3)

“We don’t have much time. The outer citadel gates rotate every half day, and the personnel on the walls have their shifts arranged incessantly.”

Lebron jokingly mentioned how much money was spent just on gathering this information. This time, he brought a painting that seemed to depict the overall view of Ro-Elpellan.

“Currently, the ones guarding the outer gate are a mix of the Duke’s direct soldiers and the newly subordinated nobles’ forces. There are ten outside, and again, ten inside. As for knights, I estimate there are two.”

“It must be he who wields the blood-red aura. Kal Elson will handle this. We must take him down in one strike, ensuring no commotion is caused.”

“If we can simply close the distance quietly, it’s entirely possible.”

“If it’s the Swordsmaster, the mercenary guild master, it should be easy. However, closing the distance on a knight, the role of the court minister is crucial.”

“My role…?”

Lebron nodded.

“The Duke has completely lost track of you. Having changed the carriage three times, he would never imagine you to be in Ro-Elpellan. The same goes for those guarding outside.”

“…So, if I show myself, the soldiers guarding the gate will bring me inside to verify the full story.”

“It’s good you catch on fast. Of course, there’s also a chance they might send a message inside first… But we’ll have to leave that to the judgment on the scene.”

“How much time do we have if we manage to take down the gate’s knights and soldiers without causing a big commotion?”

“One hour. Even if we stretch it, that’s the limit. If there are variables, it might be even less. Make sure to clean up the corpses meticulously and try not to leave too many signs of battle.”

“One hour…”

Khan looked towards the map of Ro-Elpellan.

Given it was a medieval map, the scaling and the precise depiction of the terrain were vague. However, the fact that we only had one hour to breach the outer citadel and infiltrate the inner city felt incredibly short given its size.

“…And after we’ve broken through the outer citadel? What should I do?”

That’s when Lebron raised his question. Given his frail appearance barely able to swing a fist, it was logical he would not be of help in the forthcoming battle.

Khan looked at Lebron with a nonchalant expression, implying ‘you explain.’ At Khan’s glance, Lebron shrugged.

“A collaborator will be waiting inside. As soon as you enter the outer citadel area, head straight to the rendezvous point where the collaborator awaits.”

“…A collaborator? Who might that be?”

“Let’s save that excitement for later. I can assure you, they will be a very welcome sight.”

Despite Lebron’s scowl at the evasive answer, he did not press further, understanding that time was of the essence.

“Then! We must each attend to our duties. As you head to the outer citadel, I must prepare for the remaining plan.”

“Don’t mess up. Your role is far from light. Make sure you support properly.”

“Ha. Are you doubting me?”

Lebron smirked as if to say, ‘who are you to doubt me?’

“Today, the White Raven becomes the kingdom’s greatest informant. The informant who played a crucial role in suppressing the rebels, I can already smell the money.”

*

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“Open the gate…! Hurry!”

The sudden commotion had the soldiers guarding the outer gate aiming their spears at the four individuals crossing the drawbridge. Of course, half of them were just glancing around uncertainly.

“Verify it.”

That’s when a knight, stiff as a statue in armor, issued the command. The spear-wielding soldiers then lowered their weapons and shouted at the people rushing towards them with stern eyes.

“Identify yourselves!”

“You fools…! Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me? Just open the gate already!”

It was nonsense. No one could pass the gates of the Duchy’s castle without inspection, except for the Duke and a select few he permitted.

One of the soldiers about to yell back suddenly exclaimed, “Eh!”

“The court minister?”

“What? The court minister?”

The soldiers who realized that the individual was the court minister who had been attacked and gone missing in Al-Ranzas widened their eyes in shock as they half-lowered their spears.

Their reluctance to fully lower the weapons was likely due to the remnants of their skepticism.

“Make way! I must deliver a message to the Duke…!”

“Calm yourself for a moment. Court Minister. What brings you here so suddenly in the dead of night? Moreover, behind you are…….”

The soldier’s gaze shifted towards those standing behind the noble, as if to escort the Duke. Clad in garments made of dark brown fabric that resembled rags, complete with hoods.

There were three of them, and despite their faces being hidden, their appearance was notably distinctive.

‘Greenskins?’

Two among the trio of escorts were incredibly large. So much so, rumors swirled that perhaps orc warriors were hired as escorts.

“Being pursued from Al-Ranzas, these must be guards hired locally. With all soldiers dead, alone, how else would one travel all this way to Ro-Elpellan?”

“…Mercenaries?”

“Of course, mercenaries. Are you intending to nitpick words? If not, step aside. There’s urgent news I must deliver to the Duke…!”

The soldier did not react hastily and remained silent.

It was clear that the man before them was indeed the court minister himself.

Meaning, there was no justification to block his entry since the Duke himself had granted him access.

However, there was a reason for obstruction.

Indeed, the court minister, presumed dead or captured by the enemy, had appeared unscathed and with suspicious guards no less.

It was a prudent decision to conduct a thorough investigation while informing the Duke.

‘In such a case.’

Had it been the green soldiers from any other city, they might have allowed passage without question.

However, the Duke’s soldiers were veterans of countless battles.

“Then, we will escort you personally. To ensure such an incident does not occur within the city walls, we shall deliver the message directly.”

Although there were ‘knights’ among the scene’s highest authority, orders were given to lend their strength while judgments were made at their discretion.

This necessitated a decision from the sergeant.

‘First, to secure the court minister’s safety. Then, to deliver the news inside with a legitimate reason.’

That was his judgment, the best decision that could be made given the scarcity of information.

“Your Honors, we request your company as well. Having knights with us would lend more credibility than mere soldiers like myself.”

“…….”

“…….”

The knights silently nodded in agreement.

Thus, the soldiers, forming a circle around the court minister and his escorts, quietly exchanged glances, an unspoken signal to act without hesitation should trouble arise.

Unknown to them, Khan and Kal Elson, posing as the court minister’s mercenary guards, were exchanging looks as well.

‘When do we strike?’

‘Hold. I will give the signal when the time is right.’

‘Seems like we could kill now with no issue.’

‘We move with certainty.’

Despite the conversation being held through glances, it was evident similar sentiments were shared.

Though lacking shared battle experiences, their seasoned instincts from numerous real combat situations filled that gap.

Khan slowly lifted his head.

They were passing through the city gate, a spot where any incident on this side would be invisible from the walls above.

A more opportune moment than this could not be found.

No signal was needed. Khan, wielding ‘Neria’s Magic Awl,’ swiftly grabbed and tore through the nape of a nearby knight.

Then, turning towards a soldier who raised his spear in shock, he pierced through the soldier’s throat with the awl.

A similar whistling sound followed from behind. It was the sound of a knight at the rear having his neck and heart pierced.

Kal Elson’s sword then danced through the air, lightly grazing the necks of three soldiers.

During this moment, Pashantu’s axe wildly hacked away at the soldiers.

In an instant, ten soldiers and two knights lay dead, turning into corpses.

‘Madness…!’

At the center of it all, Lebron’s eyes quaked as if struck by an earthquake. In the blink of an eye, everything had unfolded and concluded.

‘No, it’s not over yet!’

His thoughts belatedly turned towards the remaining ten soldiers.

The soldiers recruited by the Duke from the nobles had witnessed the entire scene from across.

To avoid further commotion, they had to be dealt with swiftly…

“Lord Hern…! We shall escort you!”

However, the soldiers from the other side approached first, grabbing Lebron’s arm in a sudden move.

Startled, he struggled but then stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing something.

“We shall escort the rest as well.”

The rest of the party, as if naturally following the plan from the beginning, surrounded by soldiers of the noble houses, proceeded towards the inner gate.

Without causing a major commotion in the outer district, they somehow managed to overcome the first significant hurdle that could massively influence the difficulty of their plans ahead.

Had it not been for the presence of Lebron, it would have been impossible to lure the knights and soldiers all at once into their range of attack.

Sooner or later, the absence of the gate guards and the discovered corpses would raise alarm, but by that time, the deed would have already been done and over with.

‘There’s still work to be done with that guy… But ultimately, what’s important is our infiltration into the inner city.’

There’s only a wall separating Seongha Village from the outer district, yet the atmosphere was strikingly different.

That was inevitable.

Nobles who had spent their lives treating each other as potential bandits, and who had been uneasy neighbors, were now gathered in one place.

Many of them had actual disputes with each other in the city.

Now forced to act as one, it was strange there weren’t more squeaks in the machinery.

This tension, however, conveniently eased Khan’s party’s movements.

The sight of men in suspicious attire being escorted to the inner city, surrounded by noble soldiers, did not invite curious glances or meddling.

They moved on, shushing each other, driven by a sense of not wanting to get involved and face the hassle, a sentiment prevailing among those sworn to the grand duke.

Thus, without any significant obstructions, Khan’s party smoothly passed through the outer district, when suddenly Khan looked up at the sky.

Drip- Drip-

A few droplets of water hit his face, gradually intensifying into a downpour.

Tududududu-

People in the outer district scattered, cursing under their breath at the sudden heavy rain, and soon, hardly anyone was left on the well-maintained main road, virtually leaving it for Khan’s party’s exclusive use.

Khan pushed back the hood of his padded coat.

“What, already?”

“This is sufficient.”

“Is it, now?”

Kal Elson and Pashantu, as if on cue, also drew back their hoods. Pashantu, perhaps finding the padded coat suffocating, tossed it away entirely.

“Hey! That’s expensive you know!”

“Hahaha! It begins!”

“Damn it. Do you know how much it cost to make that…”

While Kal Elson grumbled as he quickly picked up the discarded padded coat, Khan instructed the surrounding soldiers to retreat.

“We can take it from here, hide yourselves with your master now.”

The soldiers turned away without a word and left the main road. Now alone, the trio gripped their weapons, ready to make their entrance into the inner city.

Drdrdrdrdr…

The sound of a gate closing was heard not far away.

The metal bars of the passageway into the inner city were being lowered due to the sudden onset of rain, seemingly moving the gate’s closing time earlier.

For the party that had to pass through this gateway, it was unwelcome news.

Yet, there was no sign of haste in Khan or the others.

“Can you cut it?”

“Are you really asking?”

Responding to Khan’s question with a snort, Kal Elson walked determinedly towards the passageway.

Soldiers noticing the party’s approach began screaming and thrusting their spears, but Kal Elson ignored them and kept advancing.

“Approach…!”

“Stab…!”

Dismissing the grand duke’s soldiers’ warnings, they thrust their spears without hesitation. Then a few flashes skimmed through the soldiers’ necks, chests, arms, and legs.

Swoosh—

The soldiers crumbled where Kal Elson’s blade passed, momentarily halting the rain’s fall in its path, and his sword precisely split the metal bars blocking the passage in two.

A commotion spread.

It seemed the disturbance in the inner city’s passageway had been noticed, as numerous presences on the other side of the passage were sensed by Khan.

Their covert infiltration had become pointless in an instant. But Khan remained calm, as this was part of the plan all along.

Starting trouble from Seongha Village and the outer district meant facing an endless swarm of moths, requiring them to move stealthily like mice. Khan’s method of resolving issues, however, ultimately converged into one, as always—.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve never split a high noble’s head with an axe before.’