NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13-2
Having lost their temporary base, Condor, and his men were forced to endure all sorts of hardships in the mountains.
Besides, It was early autumn.
The nights in the mountains were very cold, due to the gradually cooling weather.
With no shelter and no mats, Condor and his men had to sleep shivering in the cold every night.
What’s more? Since the temporary camp had burned down and there was no food.
So Condor and his men had to hunt or gather berries and grass to keep them from starving.
After about two weeks of this, Condor and his men became bandits instead of regular soldiers.
Eventually, some of the more impatient knights and soldiers deserted.
Hiding out in the mountains like this was a surefire way to starve to death, fall prey to monsters, or be slaughtered by Iota’s army.
There was another problem.
“Oh no, Damn soldiers, run!”
“Shut up and stay still!”
“Argh!”
“You can’t even pay this much tribute to your lord?”
Several of the soldiers broke free of Condor’s control and started looting the small villages in the territory.
Some of them ended up assaulting and killing villagers and even forcibly r**ing women.
Otto released his soldiers to protect the surrounding villages, while he spread word throughout the Orth estate of the atrocities committed by Condor and his men.
“Our soldiers plundering?”
“That poor village girl, Angela, has suffered a terrible fate.”
“So Lord Condor is of the same breed after all.”
And so it was that the opinion of the people of Orth began to deteriorate rapidly.
“Why don’t you stop now?”
Camille interrupted Otto.
Even though the Condor was an enemy, what Otto was doing was so vicious that it was hard to feel sympathy for him.
“No.”
But Otto had no intention of letting Condor out of this hellish abyss.
“He hasn’t given up yet, and sooner or later he’s going to hire some mercenaries to come and try to take the estate again, set it on fire, take advantage of the chaos to attack us, poison the wells. They’ll attack while our soldiers are cleaning up the mess.”
“I’ll tighten the perimeter.”
“Not too much.”
Otto turned to Camille.
“The people must see what they’re doing.”
“Oh, my God.”
“We’re close, this is probably his final attempt.”
Otto knew very well that the Condor had reached his limit.
That he was on the verge of a mental breakdown….
***
Otto’s prediction was accurate.
Condor had contracted with a mercenary company on the condition that he would give them half of the land if they reclaimed it, and he had managed to hire around 200 mercenaries.
‘This is my last chance’
Vowing to take back the estate this time, Condor went with another plan.
The infiltration was successful.
He led the rest of his men, along with more than 200 mercenaries, through a secret passage that only he KNEW-OR, so he thought.
“After each man has done his duty, we gather in the inner castle. Infiltrate the inner castle when the enemy is putting out the fire. Do you understand?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Then the operation begins.
“Move fast, boys.”
“Bring more oil.”
“Hush. Careful.”
Condor’s men and mercenaries scattered, preparing to start a fire.
“That’s the real madness.”
On top of the tower, Otto smiled coldly as he watched their movements through his telescope.
“I think so too.”
Camille agreed with Otto.
Condor was trying to reclaim land that had been theirs for generations, even if it meant burning it to the ground.
He’d even sold half of it to a mercenary group that was a foreign power….
“But… isn’t it… my lord who made Condor do that?”
“Huh?”
“I’m just saying, I think you’re the one who pushed him too hard.”
“I did?”
“Then no?”
“You think I corrupted him.?”
“Isn’t that right?”
“Hey.”
Otto glared.
“You make me sound like the devil when you say that!”
“…….”
“What? Look at your face, you think I do?”
“No, I don’t.”
“What’s with that look? Woo?”
Otto exploded in anger
“Argh! Lately, I keep feeling down…”
“The enemies are starting to move, so I’ll go too.”
With that, Camille left the room in a hurry.
If he stayed here, he was sure to get another scolding from Otto.