"Why are you here? At the speed cavalry travels, shouldn't you have reached the next city by now?"
The girl's calm voice came from behind Tesolys. Even through three layers of iron armor, Tesolys could feel the unmistakable softness against his back. He could not help marveling inwardly at it once again.
"Are you sure you want to know?"
"... I'm sure."
"To foil a rather simple scheme, I have to make sure there are no pursuers behind me. Especially now that I've gained a group of skilled archers. They give me the freedom to make many decisions I wouldn't have made otherwise... Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand. But I still want to thank you."
"My name is Tesolys. Tesolys Gaius Yarneus... Perhaps you've heard the name."
The girl's hands tightened sharply around his waist. Tesolys knew then that she really did understand what that name meant...
"Then I'll ask you again. Do you stand by your decision?"
The girl's arms held him still tighter.
"I stand by my decision. I may only be an ordinary doctor... but there are things I can do too. Besides... I have nowhere to go now."
"Then come and be my doctor. Don't worry. I won't make you take up a sword."
"All right..."
...
The cavalry waited in silence on the hillside, where dense woodland hid them completely. Their warhorses pawed the ground uneasily, but their riders soothed them with gentle pats on the neck. These creatures were veterans of war and had already sensed the danger in the air. Not one let out an ill-timed whinny.
The highlanders had been forcibly divided into four squads. They had 234 strong men who could serve as archers, with about 60 highlanders in each squad. The bravest and most skilled man in each was made squad leader. Two experienced men served as his deputy and discipline officer.
The discipline officer might not have the slightest discipline himself, but the structure had to be established first. Later, they would turn these men into proper legion soldiers.
All the highlanders were under Corein's control. The girl was also an excellent swordswoman. Her own strength and skill were enough to defeat any of the highlanders, which was how she had become their leader.
"Listen carefully. Put the first and second squads on that hill over there. The third and fourth will stand by on this hill. I want your formations spread out. Then, when we charge, I want every one of you to shoot all your arrows within 100 breaths, and at least sixty percent must hit the enemy... Well? Can you do that?"
The girl with short, dark-gold hair nodded, her expression rather grave. She was very nervous about what she was about to do, but still gave him a firm answer.
"If that's all you want, of course we can. Every one of us can do that easily. You'll get more than your money's worth for the gold you're paying us. I guarantee it!"
Tesolys glanced at the highlanders and gave a slight nod.
"And all of you keep your mouths shut and stay well hidden."
"Don't worry. Any fool who carelessly gave himself away during a robbery wouldn't have lived this long."
"Then stop talking. Have the first and second squads slip over there. Don't make a sound."
...
The highlanders wrapped their animal skins tightly around themselves and moved silently through the trees. Not even a fox, famous for its agility and cunning, could have moved more lightly.
These born hunters and archers watched the broad road between the two hills with dangerous eyes. This was the first task their new boss had given them... None wanted to make a mess of it, especially now that they were being treated so well. Every man was on the highest alert.
Even some of the more hot-tempered men, who were usually unruly and defiant, could not help shuddering at the thought of Tesolys's terrifying gaze.
The man had not even killed a single one of them. Yet whenever those piercing eyes swept over them, they felt an involuntary chill down their backs. Not the slightest thought of disobedience could rise in their minds.
Their leader, the best fighter among them, had not even lasted three exchanges against this man. That made them fear and revere him all the more... People like them always had greater respect for the strong, especially someone strong who could keep their bellies full.
Reaching a gentle hillside, the highlanders spread out into formation. This was what the cavalrymen had been training them to do over the past two days. With the help of whips, kicks, and beatings, everyone had learned quickly. It had almost become instinct.
They all settled down to wait quietly, just as they would when waiting for a fox.
...
"They're coming!!"
Everyone focused on the few scouts searching the area below. They seemed to have no sense of caution at all. Perhaps, deep down, they believed they could not possibly be attacked in their own country... The scouts were extremely careless. After a cursory inspection of the woods on either side of the road, they went back.
Of course, the highlanders were not in those woods. They were on the hilltops...
Arrows shot from the hilltops could not reach the middle of the road, of course. But the Hols would never imagine that anyone could get all the way from the top to the foot of the hills in the short time it took them to report back...
At a few clear calls from a tit, all the highlanders moved silently downhill. Their steps were so light and quick that the rough paths and scattered rocks did nothing to stop them. Even someone who lay down sideways and rolled straight down could not have been faster.
Before the sun in the sky had time to change its angle, the highlanders were already in formation across the gentle slopes. They took the arrows from their quivers and stuck them into the soft earth at their feet. That would let them pick up the next arrow with great speed.
As the first heavy arrows were nocked, all eyes fixed on the middle of the road, waiting for the main force that would soon arrive...
A cloud of dust suddenly rose at the far end of the road. The rasp of mail and the whinnying of warhorses carried over from a distance. Cavalrymen in dark-green coats, marked with a rose wrapped in thorns, were racing toward them. Their powerful, unarmored warhorses were so fast that they had reached the main road in the blink of an eye.
"Ready!"
The powerful hardwood bows were slowly drawn. Amid the sounds of their immense tension, coldly gleaming arrows pointed toward the middle of the road. Judging their distance from the enemy, the archers raised their bows slightly so that the arrows would follow the right arc and fall directly among them.
This was easy for them. The best among them could even hit an enemy in the head at this distance...
A heavy thunder of hooves suddenly sounded from the valley to one side. As though it were a signal, the squad leaders gave their orders.
"Loose!"
Bowstrings thrummed in a dense chorus, like a swarm of venomous wasps beating their wings at once. The arrows became a mass of little black dots flying toward the middle of the road...
The next moment, panicked shouts and screams erupted...
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