Chapter 78

There was no time to bury the enemy's bodies, but I couldn't bring myself to throw them off the cliff, so I wrapped them in cloth and laid them out. These guys were the old man's subordinates. The old man will take care of the rest.

I didn't have the luxury of praying for their souls, so I inspected the muskets I had captured.

"None of them are rifled..."

To my surprise, most of the muskets from the defeated enemy soldiers were traditional smoothbore muskets. Only three were rifled. Since there were more than ten of them, these must have been for the squad snipers.

"Yui, what's wrong? Oh, that's not it. What is the matter, Lieutenant Chrombertz?"

My fellow lieutenant, Roz, called out to me, and I turned around.

"Cut out the obvious correction. More importantly, the enemy's armament is weak. I thought they would have more rifled muskets, but there are too few."

Roz replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Isn't it hard to get enough of those? For mercenaries, that's to be expected, right?"

"Yeah... I guess so."

It seems the enemy mountain rangers didn't have enough rifled muskets.

"I see."

I realized one reason why the old man had come. He wanted to make it look like they had enough rifled muskets.

The old man and I had poached with rifled muskets, so we both knew the other had them. That's why I was fooled, but in reality, their armament was weak.

After Roz went into the family tent, Lieutenant Colonel Altsaer arrived.

She surveyed the camp's mess and sighed lightly.

"Whenever you take command, everything turns into a hellish scene."

"Are you calling me the Grim Reaper?"

My command is sloppy, after all.

However, the lieutenant colonel chuckled and patted my shoulder.

"Maybe to the enemy, but to us, you're a guardian angel. You drove the enemy away. Your combat experience is unmatched. I couldn't do that with my command or planning."

I felt a subtle smile on my face, even as I remained vigilant.

"The enemy are skilled mountain rangers, so they can do anything a hunter can. They can attack in the dark without a light."

I've heard stories about hunters from my previous life. They spend hours adapting their eyes to the dark, allowing them to move in pitch-black forests.

I think this is usually in the mountains they frequent, but it's still an extraordinary skill.

I asked Laila, a former hunter, and she immediately replied, "Yes, we can."

So, I had to reconsider the plan, taking into account the possibility of enemy infiltration.

"I didn't know where the enemy would come from, so I set up the cannons to lure them in. Then, I ambushed them and guided them to the wooden crates filled with explosives."

Even if the mountain rangers can move freely in the mountains, if their movements can be predicted, they're not that scary. In a match between professionals, the outcome can be decided quickly. This time was no different.

"We have non-combatant military personnel and a three-year-old girl with us. It's difficult to keep moving through the mountains while being pursued by mountain rangers. We should eliminate them here."

Logically, there was no other solution, but my thinking is Grim Reaper-like.

Lieutenant Colonel Altsaer thought for a moment and looked around the darkness.

"But the enemy survivors have retreated into the mountains. Pursuing them further is dangerous."

"Yes. We can only rest tonight."

Torches were already lit around the camp. The enemy would see the torches as soon as they approached, breaking their night vision.

I repeatedly warned everyone not to get too close to the torches, as they would become targets for snipers.

"With these preparations, a surprise attack from the dark should be difficult. Let's get some rest."

"Great, another night of fear. Just like at Zepher Fortress."

"As long as we're soldiers, we have to be able to sleep even when surrounded by the enemy."

I'm scared too, but I need to rest my body and mind to fight tomorrow.

Fortunately, there was no enemy attack that night. We had set up watchmen to be prepared for a night raid, but there was no unusual movement.

At dawn, we boiled water and sent out sentries to set up a perimeter.

Sergeant Hanna, who had seen off Laila and the others, looked worried.

"Will they be okay...?"

"They are in danger, but if the main force is ambushed, it will suffer heavy losses. There are also the cooks and Roz's family here."

I explained to Hanna, trying to reassure myself.

"The enemy is planning a pursuit, but they are not familiar with this mountain path. They will be especially cautious when entering the Eovenia territory. They are mercenaries and do not have the status of regular soldiers."

"Oh, that's why you set up a forward perimeter! The enemy scouts are ahead!"

"You're sharp. That's right. After last night's battle, the enemy suffered unexpected losses, so they might recall their scouts to regroup. If we can capture them, that would be ideal."

But the enemy is also experienced mountain rangers and won't make such mistakes.

I offered a mug of hot water and a chunk of black bread wrapped in cloth.

"Have some breakfast. It's going to be a tough day."

"Yes, Lieutenant! Thank you!"

* * *

【Rangers and Hunters】

Men dressed as hunters were walking on a mountain path. They were the mountain rangers who had been on reconnaissance.

"What was that signal fire... What happened that required an emergency recall?"

"The sounds of cannon and gunfire indicate a battle. Something must have changed the plan."

Squad leader Vasro answered and informed his dozen subordinates.

"We're about to run into the Sixth Special Task Regiment's perimeter. There's no safe route from here on. Act like hunters until we get through."

The rangers laughed.

"Leave it to us. We can act like hunters better than any actor."

"Of course."

The rangers were calm, even in enemy territory.

Soon, female soldiers in maroon uniforms and white capes appeared ahead.

"Stop!"

"Stop!"

The rangers whispered to each other.

"Real female soldiers."

"Can they even shoot people?"

But Vasro restrained his men.

"Don't get complacent. They are the ones who ambushed and survived the Kionis cavalry. Can you do the same?"

Everyone fell silent instantly.

Squad leader Vasro smiled.

"Hey, female soldiers! What kind of uniform is that? I've never seen it before!"

"We are the Sixth Special Task Regiment of the Schweider Empire! Who are you?"

"Just look! We're deer hunters!"

Vasro turned to his men.

"Got it? We're 'Antler' hunters, not 'Boar' or 'Horn' hunters. We are 'Antler' hunters."

The rangers nodded silently.

The imperial soldiers, treating them as local hunters, did not point their guns at them. A young officer soon arrived, identified as a lieutenant colonel by his rank. The rangers deduced he was a noble officer, as commoners cannot become lieutenant colonels.

The imperial lieutenant colonel greeted them with a friendly smile.

"Sorry to interrupt your hunt. It must be a hassle, right?"

"Not at all. There weren't any good deer around here."

Vasro's answer made the lieutenant colonel nod.

"Deer. I think hunters call them 'Shishi,' right?"

"Hehe, no, no."

Vasro was slightly surprised that the noble officer knew mountain dialect.

Nobles are often arrogant and look down on commoners, especially hunters, who are often considered "lowly" because they operate outside the lord's jurisdiction.

But this could be a trap. A real hunter would know the correct mountain dialect. Vasro corrected him politely.

"No, that's for wild boars. Deer are 'Antler.'"

"Oh, I see."

The next moment, the lieutenant colonel snapped his fingers.

All the infantrymen present raised their guns.

"What!?"

The rangers were shocked, but the lieutenant colonel smiled.

"You didn't know that mountain dialect varies by region. Hunters in this area call deer 'Makuri.' 'Antler' is more common in the Milder region. You are the mercenaries of the Duke of Bruges, aren't you?"

"No, that's not true. We're just staying here for a while to avoid overhunting the local deer."

Vasro lied on the spot, but the lieutenant colonel opened a nearby ranger's ammunition pouch.

"You have a lot of lead balls and gunpowder. I've heard hunters don't carry unnecessary items, but you have enough for a hundred shots. Are you planning to hunt all the deer in these mountains?"

"Ugh..."

The lieutenant colonel continued, seeing Vasro's speechless reaction.

"I'll give you credit for the lead balls being the right size for deer. But no one would believe you're hunting rabbits with this. It's the perfect size for shooting people."

Vasro couldn't respond, and the lieutenant colonel smiled.

"It is deer hunting season, but your gear has no space for game or butchering tools. Your prey isn't deer, but imperial soldiers."

Vasro bit his lip, surrounded by bayonets but with no guns of his own. Hunters don't draw their guns until they encounter prey.

He had no choice but to accept his fate.

"What do you plan to do with us?"

"Hmm, what to do?"

The lieutenant colonel laughed while inspecting the confiscated guns.

Then he said,

"What kind of hunter are you really? Your deer hunter disguise is too obvious. Are you a bird hunter?"

"What do you want to know for?"

"Just curious. I'm not a hunter, but I often went bird hunting in the noble's private forest. Of course, it was poaching."

Vasro was surprised.

"Are you... not a noble?"

"A commoner. I became a lieutenant colonel due to the higher-ups' convenience."

"Could you be the 'Grim Reaper Chrombertz'!?"

The lieutenant colonel nodded.

"Yes, that's one of my nicknames. I'm not happy about it, but my real name is Yui Chrombertz, a commoner who grew up on the streets. So, what kind of hunter are you?"

Vasro was silent for a moment, then spoke.

"I'm a trapper, not a gun hunter. I used to catch foxes with snares. The fur sells for a good price, and farmers are happy because they raid chicken coops."

"I see."

The lieutenant colonel looked at the other rangers.

"What about you?"

The disarmed rangers exchanged glances and reluctantly spoke.

"I'm a bird hunter like you. I don't use such large-caliber guns."

"I was a bear hunter. I was a lookout."

"I was a gold prospector. I pretended to be a stream fisherman."

"I was a mining engineer. My father was a hunter."

Vasro's team was skilled in outdoor activities and reconnaissance, not gun handling. Their previous jobs were obvious.

The lieutenant colonel nodded in understanding.

"I see. You all have interesting backgrounds. I'll take statements from you. Don't try anything funny."

The rangers were puzzled by the lieutenant colonel's cheerful demeanor.

* * *

"Vasro's team is late..."

The old man muttered, and finally, Vasro's team returned to the camp.

"Sorry, sir. We were captured."

"Captured? Did you escape?"

"No, we were released..."

"What? Were you followed?"

"That's not a problem. Some of their hunters were around, but they didn't pursue us, probably because we were armed."

"Hmm?"

The old man looked puzzled.

"By the way, you still have your guns. Weren't they confiscated?"

"The ammunition was mostly taken, but they returned our guns. They said it would be dangerous without them."

"Really? Don't they take weapons from prisoners?"

The old man was taken aback but sighed.

"Did they inspect the barrels carefully?"

"Yes, they checked everything."

The old man crossed his arms.

"So, they didn't take the 'rifled' guns. They must have a significant number of them. Still..."

The old man looked at Vasro's team.

"You all look like mountain men again, not rangers. What happened?"

"We were questioned about our past."

"I see. That's like him."

The old man chuckled and patted Vasro's shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back safely. Take over the supply duties from Barof's team."

"Is that okay?"

"You're compromised. If you're caught again, you'll be killed. And you've lost your soldier's spirit. The Grim Reaper took it from you."

"Sorry..."

"Idiot, there's no need to apologize. Everyone is back safely. That's enough."

The old man laughed, then his expression turned serious.

"By the way, did you find a suitable place for the explosion?"

"Yes, sir. We found a good spot near the summit."

"Good job. Leave the rest to me."