Bonus chapter
Happy CNY for anyone who celebrate it.
Enjoy the chapter~
Translator: Raizu
Editor: Mirp
Chapter 29 – Disturbance in the Rear
As the sun set, I left the camp with the Death Squad.
In the darkness, we wrapped ropes around our body so that we didn’t get separated, and firmly held onto the rope of the person in front of you.
Me and Jean were in the lead.
[Where will we strike, Varian-sama?]
[There’s no point in being so far away that the enemy can’t see you… There was a village where Rolo was shot with an arrow before, right? Shall we take revenge?]
Jean laughed and replied with, [good idea].
Revenge by murder and arson.
We proceeded through the darkness and arrived at our destination village.
The pacing was slow due to the darkness, and it took longer than expected.
[Alright, let’s target the biggest family. Focus on killing and arson instead of looting and raping.]
When we headed to the largest mansion, which was probably the village head’s house, there seemed to be a separate building from the main building… We decided to split into half and attack.
I grabbed my weapon and headed towards the main building.
Jean took the other one.
Perhaps they were on alert because there was a battle nearby… There were dogs on the loose everywhere, and they started barking at us.
We ignored the dog and kicked down the door.
Bammm.
When I barged in loudly, I saw a man and a woman coming out of the bedroom completely naked… they were probably woken up by the sound of a dog barking.
[What is it…?]
I jumped at the man and hit him with a club.
With a disgusting sound, his head turned sideways before he lost consciousness, and the voice of someone and someone stopped midway.
I picked up this club on the battlefield, and it’s in really good shape.
It’s perfect for me, who has a habit of swinging weapons.
[Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!]
A young woman screamed as she tried to shield her two children.
I silently beat the woman and children to death one after another.
The children were probably around 5 and 3 years old.
There was another woman, but a fellow member of the Death Squad stabbed her to death.
[Good, Tanqueray, light the fire. The others will move on.]
When I gave the instructions and went outside, Jean and the others had just finished and came out.
[The villagers noticed and came out, right?]
When I looked at what Jean was pointing at, I saw villagers coming out of their houses.
It’s only natural when the dogs were barking this much.
The reason there were so few men was probably because most were fighting on the frontline.
[That makes it convenient for us. Kill as much as you can, but don’t go too far.]
When I briefly gave the command, the Death Squad showed a ferocious smile.
The villagers are approaching…it’s about time.
[Attack!! Kill them all!!]
When I gave the command, the Death Squad charged at the villagers while letting out a roar.
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A few minutes later, the massacre, which could hardly even be called a battle, ended.
[Tsk, I let some people escape, is that okay?]
Jean clicked his tongue in frustration.
[Oh, it doesn’t matter. They’ll go around advertising that the village is being burnt down.]
This is the rear, a little far from the battlefield.
If the commotion gets louder, the enemy won’t be able to remain calm.
Our purpose was to disrupt the rear, not to exterminate them all.
[I see], Jean said with an evil laugh.
[Throw the body into the well.]
According to my instructions, the corpses were thrown into the well.
The well is now contaminated and can no longer be used.
[Take some food and set the rest on fire! There might be someone hiding there, so be careful!!]
When I gave the order to set the food supply on fire, the death squad scattered to inspect the farmhouses and set it on fire.
The village was being burned down.
It would be a waste to burn livestock and household goods, but this can’t be helped.
[Alright, bring some of the fire and burn down the nearby forest! Don’t get separated!!]
We grabbed torches, moved to a nearby forest, and lit a random fire.
Forests are an essential resource for people’s lives, providing firewood and timber, hunting, and grazing pigs.
There is no way not to destroy this.
We burned down houses, destroyed wells, and destroyed forests.
It will take a huge amount of time and effort to rebuild this village… it will definitely become an abandoned village.
Looking around, I noticed that the hands of some of the Death Squad members were glowing.
It seemed that they looted bracelets and rings that were easy to carry.
The metal sparkles in the flames…it’s probably the casual clothes of a wealthy villager.
Although those accessories are mostly made of copper, they still have some value.
I decided that there was no problem with this amount of benefit, so I didn’t ask any questions.
This is because satisfying the soldiers’ desires will improve their morale.
Tanqueray also brought a wood chopper axe, which he didn’t have until recently, and Jean seemed to have replenished his arrows.
Surprisingly, everyone looked fine.
[Jean, you should have brought your backpack.]
[Not at all. Holding bread in your hands is a pain.]
Jean chewed on the hard-looking bread.
[Alright, let’s aim for the next village!]
We left behind the crackling burning forest and disappeared into the darkness of the night once again.
==============
We proceeded further into Viscount Bazelard’s territory and set our sights on the next village.
It’s a large village with houses lined up surrounding a square.
It’s already dawn, and the villagers seemed to have started their activities.
They didn’t seem to be aware of last night’s burning attack, and were not on guard.
[Varian-sama, should we burn down the nearby forest to get attention?]
[No, we’ll rush those bastards! Are you guys ready!?]
I rejected Tanqueray’s advice and aimed for a direct assault.
It’s not a bad idea to burn down the forest to distract attention, but it’s a bad idea to divide our already small number of people.
[Attack!!]
The Death Squad roared as they slashed into the village in one mass.
The villagers noticed and ran away, but it was already too late, and we started cutting down the elderly and sick people who were too late to escape.
Then, a group of men from the village, carrying agricultural tools and daggers in their hands, began to offer resistance.
[Stop them!! Buy time!]
An elderly man who appeared to be their leader was taking command, and seven or eight farmers were desperately defending themselves.
In this day and age, many farmers had military experience, so we mustn’t underestimate them.
Jean quickly fired his bow and took down the two.
The farmers were not equipped with shields because they were taken by surprise, thus there was no way for them to block the arrows.
[Uwaaaa!]
I let out a roar and pounced on the enemy leader.
The club was dodged, but I rammed into his body from behind and slammed him into the ground.
[Uwaa! It’s a monster!!]
[Run! It’s eating Bozone-san!?]
When I mounted the enemy leader like a horse, the enemy ran away, perhaps frightened by my action.
…the effect of this mask is outstanding…
I was surprised at how threatening it was.
Maybe I really look like a monster to them.
No one can remain calm on the battlefield.
This is called battlefield psychology.
As a side note, there is a record of the Bunroku and Keicho eras when Toyotomi Hideyoshi marched troops into Korea:『The Wakoku army wore demon and lion masks, so the men and horses were frightened and retreated, getting stuck in the mud and unable to move.』.
To foreigners, the face looked terrifying enough.
But we digressed, let’s get back to Varian.
I held down the leader and hit him in the face with the handle of the club over and over again to finish him off.
Looking around, the fleeing farmers were all dispatched by the Death Squad.
[Varian-sama, it seems the villagers have taken refuge in the church.]
Tanqueray pointed at the church with his wood chopper ax.
The ax was completely stained with blood, making it look like something out of a horror movie.
Looking in the direction, I saw the church was a solid building made of stones.
It probably doubles as a shelter.
[Very well, block the entrance and collect half the firewood. Let’s bake the entire church.]
When I gave the instructions, several people clearly showed hesitation.
They must be very religious, because they are afraid of burning down the house of God.
If you force them here, their morale will drop, and it will also affect those around them.
It would be safe to have them do other work.
[If you can’t do it, let me know. I won’t force you.]
Hearing my words, three people came forward apologetically.
I was relieved that it was less than I expected.
[Alright then. You guys, drop the corpses into the well. The others will block the entrance to the church and pile firewood around it, while Jean and I will guard the entrance in case there is a counterattack.]
Under my instructions, the Death Squad dispersed into the village.
It seemed like there were villagers hiding, and I could hear screams from time to time, but they were mostly female voices.
There will be no damage to the Death Squad.
Firewood was piled up one after another, and barricades were erected at the entrances and exits.
[Light the fire!]
At my signal, several places were lit on fire at the same time.
The firewood crackled and exploded, black smoke rising.
This black smoke should be clearly visible from the enemy camp.
Several minutes later, the church was engulfed in flames.
I didn’t actually know the state inside, but that’s not my problem.
It didn’t matter whether there were survivors or not.
[Alright, loot the food and set the village on fire! Let’s move to the forest and rest.]
The Death Squad happily looted and set fire one after another.
I also stripped the sword from the corpse of the dead leader and placed it on my waist.
The handle of my club was slimy with blood and grease, making it difficult to grip. So I discarded it.
Hitting people with the handle may not be such a good idea after all.
…It’s not a bad club, but…isn’t it too simple for a commander to wield?
Commanders are required to have appropriate equipment.
This is because no one wants to follow a shabby looking commander.
A wooden club is the weapon of a soldier without money, and it is hard to say that it is suitable for the second son of an earl.
…Maybe I should try making one out of metal?
I vaguely looked at the blood-stained club.
It didn’t seem like a bad idea for a randomly occurring thought.
At the same time, as the fire burned the church to the roof, the sound of ceiling collapsing could be heard.
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We moved to the forest, took turns to rest, and then thoroughly burned the forest.
After that, we attacked two small settlements that couldn’t even be called villages, and continued to burn down forests in various places.
Some of the Death Squad were now wearing plundered bracelets and necklaces… They’re made of copper, which is cheap, but plentiful, so they’ll probably make a fortune.
We went on a rampage and returned to the camp the next morning.
The enemy’s vigilance increased, and if they were captured by the troops in the rear, the small death squad would be lost.
We can take a break from here and attack again if necessary.
According to what I heard, there was another clash with Bazelard’s army after we left.
However, it is said that the Lioncoeur army fought tenaciously and pushed back the enemy.
It seemed that Bazelard’s army’s morale dropped significantly every time smoke rises in the rear, and some soldiers desert.
If we attack the rear a little more, we might be able to force the entire enemy forces to retreat.
I felt the success of the strategy and smiled.
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