SML Ch 36

Chapter 36

 

“Just what do you think you’re doing, Volant?!”

“Please, calm down, my lord! Even if you’re shocked, you can’t just charge in without any preparation!”

Struck by the unexpected ambush, Reynald tried at once to get up, but it was no easy task with Volant—his large frame clinging tightly to his side—keeping him pinned. Even a sharp jab of the elbow failed to shake him off.

Of course, if Reynald truly wanted to, he could have broken free. The young man might be large, but he clearly lacked the technique to subdue anyone properly. If Reynald were to land a strong blow to a vital point, Volant would likely drop instantly.

However—

“Please, just hold on a moment! I’ll go gather all the patrol members! No matter how dangerous the situation, we have to go together, don’t we?!”

Panting, Heide had barely managed to run to the stables on his injured leg before shouting those words, then immediately dashed off again. Only then did Reynald begin to regain his senses—realizing he had acted recklessly in his moment of panic.

No matter how urgent the situation, what could he possibly accomplish on his own? The enemy’s swine numbered nearly a thousand. Against such overwhelming odds, Reynald joining the fray would only result in one more knight placed in danger.

Even the knights who had requested reinforcements likely weren’t expecting help in such a form. After all, an ill-prepared reinforcement could do more harm than good.

Even Reynald’s warhorse looked down at him with what could only be described as a faintly pitying gaze, shaking its body slowly as if thoroughly unimpressed by its master’s rare display of disarray.

“All right, Volant. I understand what you’re saying, so let go of me now…”

“I was seriously scared out of my wits! Seeing you dash out like that, completely panicked, even I felt a chill run down my spine!”

As Reynald let out a sigh and relaxed his body, Volant finally released him. Judging by his pale face, he too had been seriously shaken.

“I’m sorry for startling you as well. Damn it… I really need to break the habit of bolting into action whenever something happens.”

“No, well… If even someone like you was that shaken, I can only imagine how serious the situation must be. But my lord…”

“What is it?”

“If I hadn’t stopped you—if Heide and I hadn’t said anything—you were really going to go alone, weren’t you? Leave everyone else behind.”

Volant said this in a distinctly sulky tone as he glared at Reynald. Reynald averted his eyes awkwardly and feigned ignorance.

“Well… I mean, this is more of a personal issue, so it doesn’t really involve you guys…”

“What are you saying? This is about guests visiting our village. How could that possibly not involve us?”

“…Ahem.”

“And after everything you’ve done for us—how much you’ve helped us—you really expect us to just sit back and watch like it’s none of our business?”

“It’s not that, it’s just… bringing you all with me would put you in too much danger. There are a thousand swine out there, absolutely enraged. And we only have twenty in the patrol…”

“If twenty is too dangerous, then how is going alone any safer?! My lord, are you looking down on us just because you’re stronger and faster?!”

Why is the conversation heading this way? Reynald opened his mouth to offer a rebuttal, but seeing the clear hurt on Volant’s face, he shut it again.

Besides, the young man wasn’t entirely wrong. Twenty people could accomplish far more than one. Even if it was risky, asking for their help would be more beneficial in rescuing the princes.

‘Was I too distant? It’s not that I want these young men to risk their lives for my sake, but still…’

While Reynald wrestled with those thoughts, the other patrol youths Heide had gone to summon began filing into the stables one by one. Fortunately, they arrived quickly. It seemed they, too, had seen the smoke rising from the direction of the Swine Forest and were already on their way to ask if something had happened.

“My lord? Why are you lying on the ground with Volant?”

“Oh, I was startled and about to rush out alone, and this guy held me back, that’s all.”

“You were going to go alone?! Wait, Volant’s got a bruise around his eye—what happened there?”

“That’s from when I reflexively elbowed him… Thinking back, that was truly my fault. I’m sorry, Volant.”

Feeling genuine remorse for having struck such a gentle youth who hadn’t even complained, Reynald began explaining the situation to the patrol members in brief.

Of course, he still didn’t mention that those captured by the swine were royal princes, but it seemed the young men understood at least that people important to the lord were being held in the forest.

“So… if I understand correctly, you’re saying people very dear to you might currently be in mortal danger?”

“That’s right. It seems a battle has broken out. That flare just now was a distress signal—an urgent call for reinforcements.”

“A signal that everyone might die unless help arrives quickly?”

“Exactly that. There’s likely a fierce battle going on right now—wait a second, something doesn’t add up.”

Reynald had been doing his best to explain things clearly, but a troubling inconsistency suddenly occurred to him. The timeline didn’t make sense.

“What do you mean, it doesn’t add up?”

“…The escort knights entered the forest last night, right?”

“Yes, that’s what we heard.”

“Then why was the flare only fired just now?”

Once everything was laid out, the timeline clearly didn’t match. According to testimony from the neighboring territory’s guards, the princes and their escort knights entered the forest the previous night. The skirmish with the swine likely occurred around that time. That would explain why the swine had intensified their patrols today.

Most likely, the royal party had been defeated and captured during the battle last night. And if the escort knights weren’t complete fools, they wouldn’t risk engaging in a second battle while outnumbered, putting the princes in further danger. At best, they would try to find a quiet way to escape.

‘Granted, stepping into the Swine Forest to begin with was idiotic, but surely they at least know the basic rules of escort duty…’

They may have acted arrogantly and walked into danger, but these were seasoned fighters. Reynald was confident they wouldn’t make another rookie mistake. So what kind of unavoidable circumstance had triggered this supposed second battle?

‘Or wait… did a second battle even happen at all?’

The swine Reynald knew weren’t particularly aggressive by nature. Sure, they would drive out intruders from their territory, but they were intelligent enough to distinguish between ordinary farmers and armed knights.

They probably knew that provoking armed humans could cause serious trouble. So if the knights were simply trying to flee, the swine wouldn’t go out of their way to kill them. In fact, the local swine were known not to have any serious conflicts with neighboring territories precisely because of their cunning.

Too many things didn’t add up. As Reynald pondered this, Lyndon—who had been listening from the stable entrance—suddenly widened his eyes.

“My lord!”

“Lyndon? What is it?”

“There’s more smoke rising from the Swine Forest! But the color looks different this time…!”

Reynald immediately dashed outside and looked up at the sky. Just as Lyndon said, similar flares to the previous ones had burst above the forest, but their colors were noticeably different. Blue smoke interspersed with green sparks, yellow and pink smoke billowing together in chaotic swirls…

Naturally, each flare meant something different. If the first had been a call for urgent help, the second was a signal of friendly intent, and the third meant preparations for battle were underway and they should wait.

After that came messages like “We’ll approach from our side,” “Victory is ours; no need to worry,” “Please come to us,” and “Battle in progress”—a disjointed series of flares continued shooting into the sky. Reynald tried to decipher their meaning, but a thought suddenly struck him—

“My lord.”

Alex cautiously opened the topic, as if weighing whether to say it. From the look on his face, he seemed to be having the same suspicion Reynald just had.

“This might be a bit of a premature assumption… but what if…”

“…”

“What if some of the swine managed to get their hands on the signal flares from the escort knights and are playing with them? I’ve heard young swine tend to be quite curious.”

It was too plausible to dismiss outright. Otherwise, there was no reason for such a barrage of signal flares, especially not ones with meanings as utterly pointless as “We’re bored—wanna hang out?”

“Perhaps the swine became curious about the nobles and captured them for a closer look. Nobles tend to carry all sorts of fascinating things, not just flares.”

“Well, yes… travel-use magical items, for one. It’s possible the swine killed them to steal those things, but it’s also possible they’re keeping the humans alive to figure out how to use them…”

Feeling his tension suddenly drain away, Reynald let out a long sigh. Of course, he couldn’t deny the painful truth that the royal party had been captured by swine. And yes, the situation could easily spiral into something horrific and hopeless if viewed in the worst light.

But still—there was hope.

In that case, there was no need to rush in recklessly. They needed to proceed with caution, as carefully as possible. Only then would their chances of rescuing the princes improve.

“First, we need to get a better grasp of the situation. We have to figure out what condition the captives are in.”

“How do you plan to do that? The swine are on high alert right now. It won’t be as easy to sneak into the village like we did during the grain raid…”

“We’ll need to find a way to distract them. I can’t do it alone, so I’m going to need your help. Is that all right?”

As soon as he said it, the young patrol members nodded without hesitation. Reynald had expected them to be nervous or confused, but oddly, they all looked relieved. Volant, watching him quietly, let out a small chuckle and replied,

“You see, my lord…”

“What? No, I mean… Okay. Fine. I’m sorry for trying to go it alone. Happy now?”

And when Reynald saw Volant’s face—bruised on one side but bright with relief—he realized just how close he’d come to making a terrible mistake.