Night of the Soulless Heathens – 82



#82. The Brass Knight 2

Salasma and Lantarik these two were neighboring territories so they were bound to be mortal enemies for generations. The Kora River which was the border between their territories was a lifeline for water transportation irrigation agriculture and fishing so there was constant conflict over the river basin.

The current generation’s Lord of Lantarik was Count Garnahair a great noble who owned the land of Adyrop in addition to Lantarik. However when Count Salasmae Casel ascended the throne he made fun of him and challenged him to a fight but suffered a bitter defeat.

After that Count Garnahair changed his strategy and gave his daughter to Count Casel in a political marriage and sent agents to the border area to cause chaos in Salasma by conducting slave trade and supporting bandits.

The highest ranking agent that Lord Lantarik had sent in was a former captain of the guards called Donair. Originally Donair did not like these undercover operations at all. He thought that one day he would become a knight or else he would become rich with a generous retirement but he even resented Count Garnahair for sending him to a group of bandits.

however….

Actually I found it to be very good. They say it’s better to be a snake’s head than a dragon’s tail and after experiencing it for myself I can say that the old saying was not wrong at all.

Donair took as many women as he wanted from the women captured by the bandits took all sorts of luxuries and treasures as he pleased and even had his own personal clown.

His lair which had created an environment that was the envy of even the palaces of nobles was called the palace of the thief king by other thieves. A female Shati was presented to the palace of the thief king.

*********

“We have captured Naga the thief king.”

“What? What the hell is that?”

Donair was half in doubt.

“All of them belong to the organization for the reconstruction of Nagashura. They are formidable. How did you manage to catch them with your own skills?”

“That’s it… Those guys.”

“There’s an inn that throws its guests into pots.”

“Oh is that it? Does the poison work on the Nagas too?”

Donair laughed in astonishment.

“So why are you leaving?”

“That woman is a great beauty.”

“I told you to go and disguise yourself as a human.”

“Oh that’s funny. Isn’t she just a woman? Those thieves are usually very boastful.”

Donair thought so and dragged the man chained under his palace table.

“Ugh! What are you doing? Are you insulting the knight now?”

The man chained up was an old man with a white beard. He had lost his youthful vitality and his skin was as dry as an old tree but his appearance suggested that he had been well-educated.

But now he was wearing a brass washbasin over his head a crude wooden sword that looked like something a child might use and a ridiculously colored cloth suit. In addition he was not in his right mind and was eating a piece of bread that had fallen on the floor forgetting his dignity.

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“What do you think Sir Brand?”

As Donair began to grumble the old man known as Sir Brand suddenly stood up from his seat.

“Either Nagaga disguised himself as a human or the people lied to please the king or they too were deceived by the conman. The important thing is for you the king to judge for yourself! Isn’t that the duty of the one who wears the crown?”

Lord Brand removed the word ‘thief’ from the title of the Thief King Donaire. So Donaire became just a king and his thieves became just subjects or soldiers.

“Hahaha. You really make it fun. It’s worth keeping you alive.”

Donair was originally the son of a tanner. A tanner is a lowly profession always carrying the strong smell of medicine on his person so even though he later became a soldier and achieved various feats he was not evaluated as well as others.

The reason Count Lantarik put him to work as a robber was because he was the son of a tanner. But the old man called him king. This became his palace and he became king here and it became a country of bandits who plundered killed and even ate the people.

Yeah it can’t be boring. With a senile brass knight and a jester as the king of the bandits it’s probably a good idea to add one more to this castle.

*********

The bandits’ den was located in a basin. The drought that had hit Salasma had spared this basin and inside the basin which was covered with vegetation a small stream a tributary of the Kora River flowed and around it bandits’ campsites were lined up.

In the center of it all stood a wooden fortress. It was not a permanent structure but it was not something that could be built lightly like a tent.

It was a fortress made of wooden palisades that would take at least half a year to complete. As an agent of the Nagas Shati could tell what was going on as soon as she saw the thieves’ den.

‘It’s the work of Lord Lantaric. That evil Count Garnahair!’

She was well aware of the conflict between Salasma and Lantaric as she was in the palace of Lord Salasma. Even though Lord Lantaric’s daughter and Lord Salasma’s son Kazel had entered into a political marriage there was still a simmering ember of conflict between them.

Then the soldiers opened the iron bars.

“Come out come out. Our king wants to see you.”

“King? King of thieves?”

“Yes. Our king even has a personal jester in the palace. He is much more kingly than some counts.”

“….”

Seeing him call himself king even as a joke it seems that his loyalty to Count Garnahair has waned.

‘Maybe I can survive?’

Thinking of a hopeful future Shati followed the soldiers.

The longhouse located in the heart of the fortress was decorated with various rare treasures including gold and ivory and women wearing exotic clothes looted from merchants were cleaning the inside.

The longhouse is large but it doesn’t seem like it would take four or five people to clean it. Still seeing so many women in Banra must have been done intentionally by the leader to show off to his subordinates.

‘They’re going crazy after getting a taste of power. It’s common. Those kind of guys.’

Shati was taken before the leader of the bandits the Bandit King. The Bandit King was a middle-aged man who appeared to be quite powerful.

“This… is it telling me to get out? No matter how I look at it it just looks like a human woman?”

“Yes. This woman’s companions also appeared to be human men but they transformed when they attacked.”

“Come to think of it there was a story about the Count of Salasma turning into Naga. This woman must be related to that. Right?”

“….”

Shati was speechless. I had been ignoring him because he was a thief who decorated a strange mansion but he was unexpectedly sharp.

“Aren’t you going to answer? If you’re going to be tortured or something there’s no point in surrendering without resistance. Are you waiting for your comrades to come save you?”

“I endure it because it is humiliating to even talk to the likes of you you dirty warm-blooded monkey.”

“Is it your doing that the Count has turned into Naga?”

“He chose it himself. It is an honor to be a servant of the great cobra queen Devislyn and a great blessing for a warm-blooded monkey.”

“Hmm. So Count Salasma has become a cultist. You wouldn’t have just accepted him as a member of your household. What did you offer him?”

“The corpses of the people. They were made into mummies and were intended to drive out the Count of Lantaric.”

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Shati mixed lies with truth. It is true that he gathered corpses to create an undead army and planned to devour all of Korasaar including Lantarik. However the goddess of the Nagas Cobra Queen Devislin accepted the Count as her retinue because he offered her a copy of the Book of the New King.

So if we talk about the copy of the New King’s Book we cannot know what kind of greed these thieves will have.

“Hahaha. The nobles all think similarly. They really are crazy guys.”

“You say that but it seems like you want to become a noble too… What do you think? You also become a member of the Cobra Queen’s retinue?”

“Didn’t they call you a dirty warm-blooded monkey or something?”

“That and this are separate things. If you become a member you can escape the fate of a dirty warm-blooded monkey. Our Naga race is a much longer-lived and more powerful race than you humans.”

Shati hates these bandits but will do so if she can.

The operation that the Nagas had worked so hard for was ruined when Count Kazel was killed by the Heralds. If they could subdue this bandit king and his band of bandits they would be able to recover some of the damage.

“Hmm? You’re acting quite arrogant after being captured?”

Donair smiled at Shati’s confident attitude.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to respond?”

“No I don’t like it. You dare to negotiate with me here as an equal. Hang me in the gallows. For now I’ll just give you the dead bodies of my fellow travelers.”

“yes!”

“…Hey you!”

Shati was taken aback by Donair’s reaction.

Then a messenger came running.

“Both leaders! This is a big problem!”

“What’s going on? What’s going on?”

“There’s some crazy guy coming in!”

“Crazy guy?”

“Yes. When a man dares to barge in to buy a woman the guards break his arms and legs or castrate him.”

“castration?”

Donair looked back at Shati.

“Is there anything you can guess about the guest who came to see you? A colleague?”

“Oh maybe.”

“Speak.”

“You said you were going to hang me on a stake? Why should I tell you?”

“If you don’t say anything…”

But the thieves screamed.

“Oh no boss! Now is not the time!”

“Please give command!”

“…Fuck! Okay I get it!”

Donair began to prepare for the expedition in a hurry.

*********

As we entered the basin area of ​​the Kora River tributary that formed the border between the County of Lantarik and the County of Salasmaa the traces of the drought that had plagued the eastern inland disappeared and a lush green forest path continued.

“Don’t follow me.”

The bodyguards of the armed merchant group that had been ahead became irritated when Azadin and his party followed them closely.

“No I’m not following you guys specifically I’m just saying that because the road is straight.”

“Huh. Nonsense. Do you think I don’t know your intentions? There are a lot of thieves around here so it seems like they’re trying to get involved with us and follow us.”

“Even so wouldn’t it be better if there were more people so that we wouldn’t be attacked by thieves?”

Just adding up their numbers would make them a difficult target for thieves. Azadin pointed that out but the mercenaries of the armed merchants scoffed.