The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 94

“Ah, I survived?”

Despite feeling a wave of relief at the arrival of the rescue forces, Vince bit down hard and swung his spear with even more vigor.

“Reinforcements have arrived! Just hold on a little longer!”

Boosted by Vince’s cry, the troops and villagers wielded their weapons with renewed strength.

Swish, thunk.

“You’ve done well. Leave the rest to us.”

Suddenly appearing on the barricade, a young knight spoke calmly to Vince before leaping into the village.

Then, as if to underscore the point, the heads of monkeys within a certain radius of the knight burst open with dull thuds.

“Oh, you’ve started already.”

“I’ll provide support from here.”

The very next moment, knights began to scale the barricade, swiftly dispatching the monsters.

Vince sank to the ground, his legs giving way to a tide of relief. Uncomprehending tears streaked down his cheeks.

The monsters were quickly dealt with.

To the villagers, the monstrous monkeys were a frightening threat, but to Raul and the Fist Knights, they were merely insignificant E-Grade monsters.

Raul ordered some members of the knights and cavalry to pursue the fleeing monsters.

Then, entering the village hall, Vince bowed deeply, by 90 degrees, to express his gratitude.

“Are you the person in charge of Medini Village?”

“Yes, I’m Vince, the current leader of the self-defense force, taking charge temporarily.”

“What about the village head or the bailiff?”

“Well, they took the guards and fled to the baron’s castle at the start of this crisis. We haven’t heard from them since…”

“I see.”

From the sound of it, they had craftily fled to the lord’s castle, though whether they arrived safely was another matter.

While waiting for the troops chasing the monsters and the rear guard, Raul listened to Vince recount the recent events.

‘To think such talent was hidden in this rural village.’

Raul looked Vince over thoughtfully. He appeared worn from worry, but there was a liveliness in his eyes, and his body was well-trained.

True to someone who had served in the military for over ten years as a senior soldier, he demonstrated excellent leadership and seemed to have earned the villagers’ trust.

Honestly, Raul hadn’t expected to find any survivors in the village.

Three months after a gate outbreak, it was the first time a small village with less than a thousand inhabitants had survived.

Various factors might have played into their survival, but without Vince’s adept management of the troops and leadership, a village left with only civilians wouldn’t have lasted six months.

‘It would be good to promote him to a non-commissioned officer candidate and have him receive commander training.’

You can never have too many excellent commanders, especially now that there’s often a need to manage large military forces, talent is always welcome.

With that, having mentally marked Vince, Raul gradually moved onto the main topic.

“What do you plan to do going forward?”

“Pardon?”

Vince, caught off guard by the sudden question, looked bewildered.

“As the representative of Medini village, what are your plans for the future? Today, you were lucky that we came to your rescue, but monsters will continue to appear. Even if you somehow manage to get through this year, do you think you’ll be able to farm next year?”

Vince felt a sense of dread wash over him. Up until now, he had been managing day by day, purely focused on survival.

But honestly, how much longer could he keep this up? Today’s brief skirmish had left around twenty people dead or injured. There weren’t many left who could work or fight properly.

Self-reliance was an impossibility. The only option left was… After gathering his thoughts, Vince cautiously asked, “Could you possibly help us?”

He frankly had no idea why this young noble had come to their aid with troops. It seemed likely to have something to do with Baron Tern, the lord of these lands, but Vince didn’t dare ask outright.

All he could do was hope that this young and powerful noble would show mercy and assist them in some way.

“I am on my way to the territory of the Ashton family. If you wish, the villagers can come with me,” the young noble offered.

“Thank you, thank you so much,” Vince gratefully responded.

“However, we will need a guide to lead the way to the territory… Vince, would you take on this task?”

“Of course, I’ll guide you through the quickest route!”

Vince internally expressed his gratitude to the young noble who had rescued him from this hellish pit of despair.

“By the way, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Raul de Ashton, the third son of the Ashton family and the lord of Calix.”

‘The Ashton family?’ Vince’s mind raced. The Ashtons were among the kingdom’s five major martial families and the champions of the southwest.

They were a prestigious family, vastly superior to the Tern family of the same region.

“I had no idea of your esteemed status. Once again, thank you, young master Raul!”

“Alright. I look forward to working together.” Raul gave Vince’s shoulder a light pat before departing. Vince sighed in relief, having never imagined conversing with such an important noble.

Although leaving the familiar village was bitter, it could also be a valuable opportunity. In these tough times, seeking the protection of a powerful noble seemed the safest option.

‘This is no time to hesitate.’

Vince needed to hurry to persuade the villagers and prepare for the relocation. As he stepped out of the village hall, his face was noticeably brighter.

The sound of hoofbeats echoed as some 500 cavalry trotted, kicking up clouds of dust. Adorned in white armor and blue cloaks, they were the elite First Knight Order and their cavalry.

Startled by the sound, a goblin peeking through the trees had its forehead pierced by an arrow. Another goblin, about to scream at the death of its kin, met the same fate.

“They indeed have ghostly skills.”

Vince joined the cavalry after leaving the infantry behind, expressing his admiration for what he witnessed.

Shooting an arrow from atop a galloping horse to slay a monster 100 meters away? Perhaps if these were knights, their skill could be somewhat comprehended.

However, it was the cavalrymen who were managing this feat with their bows.

‘Though they’re called cavalrymen, how can anyone see them as mere soldiers?’

First off, their armor was different. Instead of the leather armor commonly worn by regular soldiers, they donned shimmering plate armor, a symbol of the knightly class until the advent of power armor.

Yet here they were, knights and cavalrymen alike, uniformly clad in plate armor. And from what could be seen of their skills, they were far from ordinary.

Even though their swordsmanship was not fully seen, the aura and archery skills they exhibited seemed far superior to the boastful knights of nobility.

The crucial aspect was that these 500 men were virtually moving unhindered towards the baron’s castle in a no-man’s land.

Whenever they encountered monster groups occupying the roads,

“Take care of them.”

With a single command, about three of the leading knights drew their mana blades and charged, swiftly eliminating the threat.

And if monsters appeared from the surrounding bushes or trees, the cavalrymen in the rear easily took care of them with their bows.

Monsters kept appearing at intervals, but somehow, there was no sense of tension.

After pushing forward at a rapid pace for half a day,

Finally, the baron’s castle began to slowly emerge beyond a hill.

“That, that’s Bates Castle of the Baron Tern Household.”

However, the situation at the castle didn’t look too promising. Thousands of monsters had set up camp on the plains around the castle walls, and parts of the outer wall had crumbled, replaced by stones and various debris.

‘Hmm. It’s definitely a frightening situation, but…’

To think that the lord fled to the capital through a portal, abandoning his domain. Given that the castle was still holding out and hadn’t fallen, didn’t he make his decision too hastily?

‘Well, it works out for me.’

Truthfully, he had expected the place to have already fallen. The lord had fled less than a month after the crisis began, claiming that the fall of the outer walls was as good as the castle’s downfall.

But the castle was still intact, and its inhabitants were fighting for their lives.

“I like what I see.”

“Really? That tiny castle?”

When Jake asked, Raul shook his head and replied,

“No. I’m talking about the people inside, struggling persistently. It feels like we’ve found a surprise gift at the last leg of our journey.”

“Well, that’s true. It’s intriguing how they managed to hold off so many monsters without a knight order.”

“Well, we can always ask them in person. Everyone, prepare for battle.”

Following Raul’s command, the cavalrymen formed up and prepared to advance. Startled, Vince blurted out a question.

“Are you planning to enter battle now? It seems like the number of monsters exceeds tens of thousands, wouldn’t it be better to wait for the soldiers following us?”

The plains were swarmed with armed goblin soldiers and mutant dogs as large as lions. They appeared to be grouped by tribe, loosely spread out around hastily constructed shacks, hundreds at a time.

Their numbers seemed to be roughly 12,000 to 13,000, whereas on this side, even with knights included, there were barely 500. Vince’s hesitation was not at all unwarranted under these circumstances.

However, Jake responded with a sly smile,

“This friend here doesn’t quite understand yet. Battle isn’t about numbers; you’ll find that out soon enough. Just watch and learn, guide.”

“Hahaha, the vice-commander finally says something sensible after all this time,” came a hearty response.

“These monsters are nothing for us alone.”

“Let’s get this over with!”

Not just the knights, but the cavalrymen also radiated confidence.

‘Is it just me who’s out of place?’

Feeling a strange sense of alienation, Vince moved aside to not get in the way as Raul pulled out a repeating crossbow and shouted, “Fire in unison, then break their formation with a depth charge. Charge on my signal!”

With that, Raul took the lead, galloping down the slope as the cavalry formed a wedge formation and charged forward.

Thump-thump, thump-thump.

As the cavalry gained speed down the hill, crossbows and arrows were fired in unison.

Craaaack, whoosh!

“Ahhhh.”

“Arrgh!”

The unlucky goblins closest to them were swept away by arrows, falling like straw figures.

“Raise the spear!”

At Raul’s command, the members efficiently pulled out long spears, about 4 meters in length, from their inventory.

As the distance closed with the astounded goblins, Raul thrust his spear forward, yelling, “Shred them!”

From the front ends of the spears held by Raul and the front-line knights, elliptical golden spear energies burst forth in unison.

Crack. Fizzle!

A massive golden barrier formed in front of the charging cavalry, literally pulverizing the goblins and mutant dogs they collided with.

Vince, watching from atop the hill, dropped his jaw in disbelief.

‘What kind of unimaginable penetrating power is this!’

Everything in their path, whether monsters, barricades, or shacks, was utterly shredded. Where the cavalry passed, nothing remained but gruesomely crushed red flesh.

Thus, the golden wave swept across the plains, and in less than 20 minutes, the goblin horde, leaving behind thousands of casualties, turned tail and fled in every direction.

(To be continued)