The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel-Chapter 51

“What’s going on?”
“Hextro and a few others are preparing to leave, and the rest are waiting in the quarters.”
“Hmm.”
Standing on the ramparts, Arthur surveyed the territory and spoke to Hellot.
“Call Hextro for me.”
“Yes.”
Hellot went down, and a short while later, Skevin came up with a serious expression.
“Young Master, it seems Count Yarve has hired Hazan.”
“What kind of person is he?”
“He’s a notorious slave trader. He has the Apos Mercenary Group, composed of war prisoners.”
“Are they strong?”
“They are strong and very cruel bastards.”
“Compared to the Red Warrior Corps?”
“If you exclude Yakim, the Apos Mercenary Group would win overwhelmingly. Yakim was wary of Hazan precisely because he knew that.”
“I don’t understand.”
Arthur knew how strong a Sword Master was, having faced Yakim before.
No matter how strong the Apos Mercenary Group was, could they stand against a Sword Master?
If the Phoenix Knights had faced Yakim…
Even with Skevin, they wouldn’t have been able to stop him.
There must have been something about the Apos Mercenary Group that even a Sword Master would be wary of.
“Investigate the Apos Mercenary Group.”
“They are shrouded in such secrecy that we don’t even know where their base is. Even if we did find it, security is so tight that anyone less than a Sword Extert would find it difficult to approach.”
“Roughly how many people are there?”
“Even that is unknown.”
“Judging by their activities so far, can’t we at least estimate their numbers?”
Skevin replied with a stiff face.
“Wherever they passed, there was nothing but ruins and corpses. Only the traces of their passage remained.”
“Only death…”
Arthur’s face twisted then.
Hellot came up to the ramparts with Hextro.
“Did you call for me?”
Hextro bowed deeply to Arthur, to an extent that felt excessive.
During his day in the quarters, he observed the Count’s family.
The sounds of training never ceased in the training grounds, and the intensity he felt whenever he saw the Phoenix Knights surprised him every time.
Moreover, seeing that there were over a thousand soldiers being trained, he could surmise that the day the House of Count Julius would restore its prestige was not far off.
Thus, he held the same thoughts as his father.
That the House of Count Julius was the only hope for the Hexa family.
Because of this, his attitude towards Arthur had changed.
‘For the sake of the family…’
Arthur looked at Hextro calmly.
Having spent a day exploring the Count’s family, he must have realized that things were different from the rumors.
It was highly likely he thought Arthur would become the savior of the Hexa family.
But if he knew the situation facing the House of Count Julius…
“Hmm.”
Arthur opened his mouth heavily.
“You’re preparing to leave?”
“If you accept our family, I and a few others intend to depart for Count Kandara.”
“Too late.”
“……?”
Hextro wore a puzzled expression.
Even if those who attacked the Hexa family hurried, it would take at least a week to attack the House of Count Kandara.
Count Kandara’s Mardo territory was an island, so if they prepared, they could defend it sufficiently.
“The Emperor wouldn’t have moved with a single force. He must have sent troops to the House of Count Kandara as well.”
“If that’s the case, why is the House of Count Julius so quiet?”
“Because we’re fighting a territorial war with Count Yarve.”
“……!”
This was the first he’d heard of it.
“There was one battle, and recently, an imperial envoy visited Count Yarve. That should paint a rough picture in your mind.”
“Damn it!”
In that case, the soldiers and Knights in the training grounds being on edge was all because of the territorial war.
“This place isn’t safe either. If you want to leave, I’ll make the preparations, so think carefully.”
Hextro shook his head.
“Once branded as followers of the devil, there’s no place that will accept us. We will fight with you.”
“You won’t regret it?”
“We must survive somehow. Isn’t the probability of survival higher if we fight alongside the strong, rather than facing them alone?”
“You’re honest.”
Arthur shifted his gaze to Hellot.
“Incorporate them into the defense unit and provide them with what they need.”
“Yes.”
Just as Hellot was about to gesture for Hextro to go down, he suddenly knelt on one knee.
Arthur frowned.
“What are you doing?”
“Please accept us.”
“……!”
Skevin and Hellot’s eyes widened.
Hextro continued, his head bowed.
“We will lend our strength to the House of Count Julius.”
This meant that the Hexa Baron’s family would become vassals of the House of Count Julius.
While their cooperation would be a great help in terms of military strength, Arthur had no intention of working with unverified individuals.
“Thank you, but I’ll only accept your sentiment.”
“The Knights who came with me number only about a hundred, but they are specialized in siege defense. I am confident they will be of great help to the House of Count Julius.”
“Perhaps. But I don’t work with just anyone.”
“Count…”
A look of disappointment crossed Hextro’s face.
“For now, we must focus on the immediate situation. Once things are settled, we can talk again then.”
“……Understood.”
Hextro stood up, bowed respectfully, and returned to the quarters with Hellot.
Arthur watched Hextro’s retreating back as he went down and asked Skevin.
“What do you think?”
“He seems to think of Young Master as a savior.”
“Of course, he must have grasped the extent of our military strength.”
“They had a friendly relationship with Baron Hambaro, and the siege defense capabilities of the Defen Knights are known to be quite excellent. Accepting them would greatly enhance our military strength.”
“I know, but they need to be verified.”
“I see.”
Skevin offered a bitter smile.
Even he, who had been with Arthur all this time, hadn’t been chosen in that way.
Given that, Arthur’s judgment was only natural.
Arthur shifted his gaze towards the territory.
“You’re looking into mercenary groups for us to contact, right?”
“We should hear back soon.”
“Then I’ll go visit the construction site for a bit.”
Arthur climbed onto the ramparts and let out a long whistle.
Wheeeeeee-!
A moment later.
Khan was seen rushing like an arrow from the direction of the western mountain range.
Skevin was startled.
“Did you let him loose?”
“He was getting too restless just staying in the stable. So I sent him out to scout a bit.”
“Scouting?”
“Goblins or Orcs might come down again, you know. Figured he could have some fun if he met them.”
Arthur grinned and jumped down.
“Young Master!”
Skevin was startled and quickly looked down.
As Arthur landed lightly on Khan’s back, Khan galloped away like the wind along the path he had come.
Skevin watched Arthur disappear into the distance, his mouth agape.
‘Just how strong have you become?’
***
“Jack, the level’s off!”
Van shouted loudly, then yelled at a man on the opposite side.
“I told you not to rush ahead alone!”
“It’s not that I’m fast, it’s that Jack is slow!”
“Argh, seriously! If we do this, we won’t finish on time!”
Van frowned and snapped in anger. At the same time, he checked the situation elsewhere.
Three days ago, construction began on the defensive wall in the western mountain range.
They first began building a wall to block the cliff, which could be considered the monsters’ entrance.
Thanks to Arthur’s alchemy book and Millerf’s magic, the construction speed was incredibly fast.
Already, about a tenth of the wall had been erected.
“If we keep going like this…”
A smile was about to form on Van’s lips.
Hee-hee-hing-!
A horse’s neigh was heard from behind.
The approaching sound of hooves was heavy, and the intense aura it gave off made him guess who it was.
The King of the Britannikers!
It was Khan.
He roamed the western mountain range throughout the construction.
At first, they couldn’t work properly, fearing that the beast might suddenly attack.
Only after hearing Arthur say that Khan was protecting them from any monsters that might appear did they feel at ease.
Yet, whenever he appeared and their eyes met, their hearts still seemed to plummet.
“He certainly roams diligently.”
Van glanced behind him, then was about to turn his head forward again.
“Get out of the way!”
“……?”
Van tilted his head.
At the same time, the gigantic Khan emerged from the forest.
“Uwaaah!”
Seeing Khan suddenly burst out, Van was startled and fell backward.
Everyone there stopped what they were doing at Van’s scream and turned their attention to him.
Their mouths fell open when they saw a gigantic horse appear.
“A Britanniker…”
“Van, are you okay?!”
“Young Master is riding him?”
“Ah, so that’s ‘Khan’.”
Realizing Arthur was riding him, they dropped their guard and gathered one by one around Khan.
Arthur dismounted Khan and walked towards Van.
Van, soothing his startled heart, said gruffly.
“What do you mean, suddenly bursting out like that?!”
“My apologies.”
Arthur grinned and extended a hand.
Van took Arthur’s hand, stood up, and shouted at the gathered people.
“Do you have time for this? Get back to work quickly!”
“Ugh, he’s totally a tyrant!”
“Tyrant, you say! Don’t you know the lives of the territory’s residents depend on us? We have to raise this defensive wall quickly so the residents can live safely!”
“Alright, alright! Let’s cheer up!”
“Yeah, let’s do it!”
Everyone encouraged each other and returned to their respective workplaces.
Only after seeing them resume work did Van turn his head to Arthur.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to scout and check. But it seems faster than expected?”
“It’s thanks to alchemy and Master Millerf’s help. But the higher we go, the slower the pace will become.”
“I see. Where’s Millerf?”
“He was standing at the edge of the cliff a moment ago, but I don’t know where he went now.”
“Really?”
Arthur tilted his head and walked towards the cliff.
Standing on the cliff, he thought of the monsters, recalling the endless forest stretching below.
He could probably handle Ogres somehow, but Kadrajin was out of the question.
He needed to raise his Circle somehow, but there had been no progress at all since reaching 4-star.
But he wasn’t impatient.
He considered it a period of rest that came after rapid growth.
He only hoped it wouldn’t be long.
Comforting himself, he shifted his gaze to where the entrance of the Lumacas Cave was.
“Huh?”
Millerf was there.
‘Why did he go there?’
Arthur leaped down without hesitation.
Van, who had momentarily taken his eyes off Arthur to look at another construction site, couldn’t see him and looked around, shouting.
“Young Master! Where are you?”
Van looked around, then his gaze fixed on Khan.
“Hmm, I’ll have to make some suitable equipment for that guy too. I really have no time to sleep.”
***
“The pattern has grown…”
Millerf’s face stiffened as he looked at the dragon pattern carved into the wall.
He recalled the conversation he had with Mardoro when he first brought him here.
“—That pattern protects the Count’s family.”
“—How?”
“—My master told me that a very powerful magic is cast on that pattern. That’s why it’s protecting us from disaster.”
“—From what kind of disaster?”
“—That’s all I know.”
Mardoro had apologized and entrusted this place to him, saying that when the one who inherited Master Teheran’s legacy reached 4-star, he should bring them here to meet him.
“Master…”
A look of longing crossed Millerf’s face then.
He felt a presence.
“……!”
Millerf quickly looked up at the sky.
As if dropping straight from the sky, Arthur descended, landing lightly on an outstretched tree branch before leaping towards Millerf’s location.
“Y-Young Master…”
Arthur, who had landed casually beside him, asked.
“What are you doing here?”
“Without any safety equipment…”
Millerf’s confusion was evident.
“Why are you surprised by something like this?”
Arthur grinned and looked at the wall.
“Huh? The pattern seems to have grown?”
“Yes, it’s larger than before.”
“Really?”
Arthur looked at Millerf with an expression of wonder.
Millerf recounted to him what Mardoro had told him.
“They’ve made thorough arrangements.”
Arthur wore an impressed expression.
“It seems we need to devise a countermeasure before their forces grow any larger.”
“A countermeasure…”
Arthur looked down at the bottom of the cliff with a grim expression.
Worry washed over him as he thought of the endless forest and the monsters that must be increasing exponentially within it.
More than anything, the thought of Kadrajin appearing as a complete entity sent shivers down his spine.
‘To protect what’s mine…’
To achieve 9-star.
And there was no other way but to awaken the potential of absolute power and become stronger.
Just as Arthur looked at his right hand.
“……!”
Instantly, an unknown aura was detected from below the cliff.
It wasn’t a monster’s.
Millerf, too, seemed to sense the aura and quickly activated Hawk Eye.
“Oh!”
Simultaneously surprised, Arthur leaped down.