The city of Kara was very quiet and lost its vigor. The kids who used to play on the streets every day were no longer to be found lately. The number of merchants from other continents was significantly reduced.
‘The Robros army of a million soldiers left for Kara to conquer her.’
As soon as people in Kara heard this news, they were trembling in fear every day and anxious about their future which would be like a nightmare.
In fact, the total number of the Robros army was not a million. According to my information, it’s only 150,000. Of course, it’s still a lot of numbers given the fact they were all combat soldiers. Including merchants, engineers, construction workers, prostitutes, and other people, the total number would be about 300,000. But to look more intimidating, they rounded up the number and told people that it’s an army of a million soldiers.
By the way, an army of 150,000 soldiers was certainly not a joke. If they all lined up in front of Kara Castle, people in Kara would not even be able to see the horizon. Therefore, an army of 150,000 was as fearful as an army of a million for those who had to fight against them.
“In the middle of a battle, you won’t get killed. Don’t worry.”
In my detective agency’s office, I was having a consultation with an old man who’s a quite wealthy landlord in Kara. He came to my office to ask for my advice because he felt anxious about the war between Kara and the Kingdom of Robros.
He carefully listened to what I said and then he asked.
“But the fire arrows and catapult stone will be pouring down in the city, won’t they?”
“Phew, how many people will get killed by those? No matter how many of them are pouring down, only a few people get hurt or killed if unlucky. But the real scary thing happens right after the battle is over.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Once the city is fallen, a raid lasts for several days. Most civilians get killed during these days. Murder, rape, and stealing happen everywhere. You can lose your life at any minute.”
He seemed all tensed up.
“How terrible would that be?”
“Just imagine hell. Sometimes, a merciful commander orders his soldiers to stop raiding but it’s impossible to keep every one of them in control. Once a soldier takes out a piece of jewelry or luxurious clothes from a house, other soldiers will go crazy.”
“I understand…”
“At least, knights and average soldiers are more humane because they were under their superiors’ command. Some naive soldiers will just pass by your house if you give them a little bit of money. But the real problem is mercenary soldiers. They are not humans but demons. If they find your house, all your family will be dead for sure.”
Mercenary soldiers were absolutely uncontrollable. Unlike occupation troops, the only thing they cared about was money. Thus, they were completely merciless during a raid.
“Are mercenary soldiers that brutal?”
“Yeah, definitely. As soon as they go inside a rich man’s house, they behead anybody in their sight first. They create a horrible atmosphere so people will hand over all the money and valuables by themselves. After that, they slaughter people one by one. And when they find out you are the only one who’s alive in the end, they will slice off your head and go to the next house.”
“How could they do such a…”
“So, let me ask you a question. Do you know any good mercenary soldiers?”
He nodded his head.
“Yes, sir. Sometimes, demons come out at my plantation farm so I have hired them several times before.”
“Oh well, you’re a dead man now. I feel sorry for you.”
“What do you mean, sir?”
“Lately, mercenary soldiers in Kara are disappearing a little by little. You know where they’ve all gone? They’ve joined the army of Robros to raid houses like yours.”
He made an astonished face as if he couldn’t believe what I said.
“I have hired them several times before and paid them good money. I don’t think they turn a blind eye to me right away.”
Feeling dumbfounded, I started ragging him because he was so stupid.
“You are so naive. Do you think mercenary soldiers have compassion for other human beings? They cut a pregnant woman’s belly in half and take the baby out to play soccer. They already know your address and how wealthy you are. You will be their first target. So basically, you’re a dead man now.”
His face became dark in fear.
“Are… are you really sure?”
“Yeah, of course. So, do you want to know how you can survive?”
“Yes. Please tell me.”
I started to speak in a small voice as if whispering.
“Go to brothels right now and buy some girls. And let them stay at your house.”
“What? Why?”
“Usually, a raid lasts for several days. So, you only need to survive during those days. After that, public order and security in the city will be recovered.”
“So…?”
“Once a raid begins, invite any Robros soldiers to your house. Feed them and offer drinks as well. Don’t forget to call pretty women too. Let those soldiers stay in your house. They won’t kill or steal from you and your family if you’re treating them very nicely. And wait until public order and security are recovered several days later.”
“I understand, sir…”
“And do you have any beautiful daughter or granddaughter?”
He paused for a little bit.
“Well, not really sir.”
“Then from now on, you should walk around the streets and find some beautiful woman. And after you find one, adopt her as your daughter.”
“Sir, why should I do that?”
“Listen, there are some knights who’re not good enough to join a cavalry so they often become a commander of five hundred or a thousand soldiers. If one of them passes by your house, you should go out and greet him with all your heart. And ask him to stay at your house. Introduce your adopted daughter to him. Hold a feast for him. If possible, get him married to your adopted daughter. Then you’re safe. Who would dare to raid your house if your son-in-law is one of the commanders?”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course, those commanders are the ones who do all the difficult jobs. Aristocrats? Elite knights in cavalries? They are nobody. They are shit on wheels and useless. Meanwhile, each commander has at least hundreds of soldiers under his command. Commanders are the ones who command the average soldiers. They are frontline workers. If you can make one of the commanders stay at your house, it means you hit the jackpot. You become more powerful than aristocrats in Kara.”
“I understand, sir…”
I stood up from my seat and brought a book from my bookshelf. The title of the book was ‘100 ways to survive in the middle of a raid”. The author was me but the truth was that I copied someone else’s book.
“Take this. I wrote down all my experiences of countless battles in this book. It contains a lot of valuable information. Bring it with you wherever you go. Read it over and over. Keep it close to your heart. This book will save your life one day.”
“Master, thank you so much.”
The old man put the book inside his pocket very carefully as if it was his heirloom.
I walked to a showcase where magic grenade launchers were kept.
“Do you have any guys in your family who can fight?”
“Yes, sir. Several warriors are staying in my place and I also have dozens of strong menservants.”
“That’s good. Now, purchase some of these.”
I opened the showcase and took out magic grenade launchers. I used the lowest class Essence for each and made a large quantity of them in an arsenal nearby. The per-unit production cost was 38 riffs of gold.
“What are these items, sir?”
“These are magic grenade launchers. You can kill up to three mercenary soldiers with these.”
“Are you sure? And why do I need these dangerous items in the first place?”
“When a raid begins, groups of five to ten mercenary soldiers will probably come first. Each of those groups does not have many soldiers but they are very fast.”
“Oh, I understand sir.”
“But actually they are weak so you don’t wanna get killed by them at least. When they come, close all the doors in your house and use these magic grenade launchers.”
“But…:”
“Don’t think what will happen after. Just kill and bury them in your backyard. Nobody will be able to find out. It’s during wartime. Who knows who killed who and how? You must save your life first. They are professional raiders so they are very vicious. If you hesitate for a brief moment, all your family will be dead.”
He nodded his head as if understanding what I said. He also knew he had to survive first.
“I understand what you mean, sir. So, how much are these?”
“60 riffs of gold for each.”
It was quite an expensive but still reasonable price because Kara’s in the middle of a war. Attacking weapons like these are worth pretty a lot. I definitely charged a fair price to him.
“I will take three… or actually four please.”
“Good. That’s a wise decision for sure. You are an old man so you know where you should spend your money.”
I made a fishy smile and started calculating the bill. First, the consultation fee was ten riffs of gold and I charged one riff of gold for the book. On top of that, I added another 240 riffs of gold for four magic grenade launchers. So, the total was 251 riffs of gold.
My profit was 99 riffs of gold because the wholesale price I paid for four magic grenade launchers was 152 riffs of gold. Yet, it’s a good haul for a short consultation.
After the old man left my office, I put the close sign outside. In front of my office, many wealthy and influential men in Kara were waiting in line to have a consultation with me. But it was at noon. The lunchtime.
* * *
“Hey sis~ Shura~ it’s time to eat~”
I went upstairs and opened the door of the room in which Shura and Armida were. They were looking at a huge ball on a shelf with troubled faces.
“Wow. How many are they? There are countless of them.”
“Yes, ma’am. I think thousands of them have already come out.”
Since both were not answering me, I cut in their conversation.
“What are you guys looking at?”
“We are watching Polkin Gateway scene images which are being transmitted from Rain Janus in Euroa.”
“Rain Janus?”
“Oh, it’s the Euroa’s Giant Airship.”
These giant airships were only owned by the Sky City, Kronos and they sailed in the sky, not the ocean. Usually, they anchored off Kronos but in times of war or turbulence in human society, they showed themselves in this world to watch them over.
But in human eyes, they looked like small dots in the sky like stars because they flew at very high altitude. Humans often called them Stars of War.
During the Era of Destruction, I had seen one of these giant airships at a very close distance. It was Katrianne’s airship called Hildephernos. In the battle at Polkin Gateway, it helped us a big-time with supporting fire from the air.
I also took a seat and watched the scene on the huge ball with Armida and Shura. It was the view of Polkin Gateway from the high sky. And I could see countless soldiers of Robros army walking out of the fortress gate.
“Damn, it’s a fuc**** huge number of troops.”
With a troubled face, Shura was looking at the scene
“Do you think Kara can win the war against the Kingdom of Robros?”
“It’s impossible for Kara to win the war. Duke Wastein will lead that large troops. So, how can Kara win? Perhaps, all those who have sanity in Kara have already fled away.”
Shura stared at me with worried eyes.
“Duke Wastein is that great person?”
“Yeah. Even a man who’s seen the future can’t win Duke Wastein. His strategies are varied and ever-changing. Also, he’s very good at adapting to any kind of circumstance. Thus, it’s not surprising to see that those who know the future can’t win a guy who changes his strategies according to circumstances all the time.”
“Really? Is it possible to change your strategies according to circumstances all the time?”
“Yeah, it’s possible only if you have trustful lieutenants. Duke Wastein can adapt to any circumstance thanks to those lieutenants’ abilities to command their troops. There’s not a single stupid lieutenant in his army.”
Yet, Shura kept asking me if there’s any hope.
“Is it totally impossible? Not even a single possible way for Kara to win the war?”
“Well, there’s absolutely no way that Kara can win. That’s why it’s scarier.”
“How come?”
“I will give you an example. Have you ever played chess?”
“No Master, I never have.”
“So, if someone like you who has never played a chess game before plays with a chess master, does that person have a chance to win it?”
Shura shook her head.
“Of course not. There’s no chance.”
“See? The same goes for Kara.”
“But Master, you’ve said there’s always an exception to everything in this world.”
I cupped my chin in my hand.
“Yeah, I have. Then let me think. Maybe there could be a chance.”
“Like what?”
“You don’t play by the rules. Let’s say all your pieces and pawns can become queens. Then there’s a chance you can win. Thus, if Kara can do such a thing, she has a chance. Hehehe.”
“But you’ve just said that’s totally nonsense.”
I nodded my head in silence and then I said.
“Of course, it doesn’t make sense. But still, you can make it make sense.”
“How do you do that?”
It’s simple. If I could bring just a thousand of my subordinate soldiers in my past life, it would be possible. They had such strong mentalities so no matter how much they were injured, they kept fighting against demons.
Basically, they were insane. Before they went to the battle, they even killed their families to let them die in peace. With a thousand of them and my brilliant strategies, I could certainly defend Kara against Duke Wastein and his army of 150,000 soldiers.
“If a thousand strong and brave men with all their strengths target the weak point of the Robros army, it’s possible. Duke Wastein can make strategies only against human enemies, not something else. At least for now.”
I said at least for now because Duke Wastein would become a different man after eight years. He was actually one of those strong and brave men during the Era of Destruction.