Volume 10 Chapter 4 Brigante’s Wild and Merry Warriors
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”What a mess.”
The air still carried the smell of rain, mixed with a faint trace of charcoal.
All around, the field was littered with wreckage—splintered wood, torn cloth, and broken tools scattered by the storm.
Klock walked slowly through the ruined camp, forcing his weak body to move. It was part exercise, part duty.
What was left of the tents was beyond saving—shredded canvas, bent poles, and soaked bedding everywhere.
A few of Brigante’s soldiers were cleaning up halfheartedly, shoveling mud and tossing aside useless scraps.
Everything was drenched and sticky with mud.
The tents, the tables—none of it could be reused.
Might as well just collect the iron pans and metal gear; the rest was junk.
Guess this’ll make the next shopping trip busy, Klock thought.
Not far away, a bonfire burned. Around it, soldiers crowded close, drying their soaked clothes before they caught a cold.
Someone had found a patch of ground dry enough to light a fire, and everyone had gathered there.
Bare-chested men sat on stones, warming themselves.
And not only men—there were women too, several of them.
They looked almost like they were mocking the idea of modesty, knives hanging at their hips, small or large chests bare to the firelight, steam rising from their wet skin.
We’ll have to restock food, Klock thought.
The rain must have ruined most of it. Dried goods were probably done for.
At least, I need to make sure they’re eating something safe. A plague here would be a nightmare.
Maybe barley porridge from now on.
Boil barley and beans with garlic and oil—it’s cheap, easy, and safe.
He’d always tried to keep disease away.
Monster corpses were burned properly. He set barriers before sleeping to keep flies and rot out. Water was tested before drawing it.
But on a battlefield, you had to be even more careful.
If dysentery spread, it would be chaos.
When soldiers faced the enemy, they couldn’t leave their posts—not even to relieve themselves.
If everyone got sick at once, the field would turn into a nightmare no one wanted to describe.
And those in full armor couldn’t even take it off.
”Hey, Boss! You feeling better?”
”About time, Captain! You overslept! The fight’s been over for hours!”
Klock hadn’t gone far before a bunch of rough-looking adventurers caught him.
”You fools. The fight ended because I got better. I was gonna beat them up myself, but they ran off with their tails between their legs.”
”Oh yeah, sure, sure! Like that really happened!”
Klock puffed up with pride, and the men burst out laughing.
Their booming voices rolled across the camp, drawing grins from others nearby.
”You guys know this? Their troop leader’s a vampire—female one. You seen her?”
”Huh, a woman?”
”Didn’t see anyone like that. She never came near our side.”
So, Viola hadn’t shown up here after all.
She could’ve attacked when Cianie wasn’t around—but didn’t.
”I fought her once,” Klock went on. “She gave me that look, you know? So I showed her what a real man looks like. Scared her so bad she ran off crying!”
The men roared.
”No way! She ran ’cause your thing was too scary, huh?!”
”Yeah, said it reached her belly button!”
”Ha! Must be almost as big as mine!”
”Quit lying, Paul! Yours is the size of your pinky!”
Laughter exploded, rough and shameless, echoing around the campfires.
”Some of those vampire chicks had real big asses too,” one of them added.
So he’d been checking their rears mid-fight, had he?
Typical Brigante soldier. Too observant for his own good. Maybe he was planning strategy around it—or maybe not.
”Yeah, they’re strong though,” another said. “Heard some of ’em could toss a man with one hand!”
Vampires must’ve been using magic to boost their strength. Ordinary men couldn’t win that kind of fight.
”Then you know what else must be strong, right? If one of them sucked you off, you’d be dry in two seconds flat!”
”Ha ha ha! Blood’s not the only thing they drain, huh? Vampires are scary!”
Their jokes spiraled lower and louder.
A pack of hopeless idiots—and Klock, laughing right along with them.
After a while, he left the group and continued his round of the camp.
Next, a band of female adventurers stopped him.
One was tall and lean, another short and wiry, and one had arms thicker than Klock’s own.
”Boss, listen! The guys keep staring at us like we’re meat. It’s annoying!”
The complaint came out half whining, half teasing.
They sat sprawled across a fallen tree trunk, bags tossed aside, legs wide apart.
Their thighs shone in the firelight, and more than a little was showing.
Wearing armor that left plenty of gaps, the woman began scolding the men around her.
”You heard, right, Captain? There was a girl who got raped.”
”Yeah. I heard. Poor thing.”
”That’s right. We’re the poor ones here.”
Klock found himself surrounded by six female adventurers who didn’t look the least bit pitiful.
One of them, big-breasted and muscular, grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside her.
A heavy scent filled his nose—sweat and something else, a wild, womanly smell.
Before he knew it, both his arms were trapped between breasts and biceps that weren’t his own.
”So tell me,” one of them said, “why can’t we enter the town?”
”They said no entry to Orrid. No housing available, apparently.”
”Yeah, I heard that too, but come on—there’s gotta be another reason, right?”
”Another reason, huh…”
He didn’t have a good answer for that.
Klock tilted his head and looked up at the cloudy sky.
The truth, of course, was security.
Same reason most towns refused refugees—too many rough soldiers could stir up crime and unrest.
If that happened, the current magistrate might lose the people’s trust.
That’s why they didn’t want the reinforcements entering the gates.
”Well, no point worrying. We’ll be moving out soon anyway.”
”Oh yeah?”
”Probably. If not, I’ll just punch that magistrate in the face. If he wants us camping out here forever, he can get a middle finger and see us off himself.”
”In that case, I’ll lend you my brass knuckles.”
”Then I’ll be the one to punch him.”
”And I’ll take his wallet!”
Such graceful ladies. Not a giggle among them—only the sharp gleam of predators in their eyes.
Honestly, kind of terrifying.
”Hey, Captain,” one of them said suddenly, “are you really dating both the Hero and Miss Suzette?”
”What? What are you—”
”Don’t play dumb!”
”We’re on Miss Suzette’s side, you know! We’ve heard things!”
Startled, Klock tried to lean away, but the woman next to him grabbed his collar and held him fast.
Scary. Women are scary.
The warrior on his right pressed closer, fist clutching his tunic.
Her cleavage—no, her whole chest—was spilling from her shirt, and her arm bulged with veins. Way too intense.
Klock raised both hands in surrender.
”So? You’re dating her, right?”
”Yeah, I am. She’s my woman.”
If they’d really heard so much, why were they asking? Probably hadn’t heard a thing. Still, that answer would do.
”Good catch, Captain. Figures you’d land someone like her.”
”Damn right.”
She released him just as quickly as she’d grabbed him. What was that about?
”She’s the one who took down that rapist,” another said.
Ah, so this was about that case.
He’d meant to ask anyway. Perfect timing.
”That bastard tried to play innocent when we called him out,” the woman said. “So we asked Miss Suzette to talk to him. Then he snapped and tried to fight her.”
”It got that serious?”
”Yeah. He drew his sword and started swinging, laughing at us like we were nothing.”
”He tried to run off grinning, but Miss Suzette laid him out flat.”
So there really had been a scuffle. A small riot, maybe.
”She’s strong as hell,” one of them said, eyes shining. “She kneed him in the face, tripped him, and stomped him right after.”
Klock could almost picture it—Suzette’s calm face twisting just a little as her boot came down. Easy to imagine.
”Then I jumped on him and beat the crap out of him myself!”
”Felt amazing,” another said. “Nothing better than smacking down a smug bastard. I even hit him with a shovel after!”
”For real though,” someone added, “even if she’s a maid, she works for the Hero. People shouldn’t underestimate her. I thought she was just a servant, but she’s tough as nails.”
Their eyes sparkled as they spoke.
From the sound of it, the rapist had been a real scumbag.
Suzette’s quick action had prevented worse. She was handling herself even better than Klock expected.
She wasn’t a powerful mage, but she could do almost anything well.
A capable, balanced type—and the troops clearly respected her for it.
Anyone could see she was remarkable.
For Klock, landing someone like her really was a miracle.
”Captain,” one said quietly, “don’t you dare make Miss Suzette cry.”
”Of course not,” he said. “Never.”
”Yeah? But you’re dating the Hero too, aren’t you?”
”…”
”Hey! Don’t go quiet on us again!”
A calloused hand shot forward and grabbed his crotch.
Klock froze. Too late to stop her.
The others seized his arms, holding him fast.
”Oh? Captain’s got a big one, huh?”
They rubbed over his pants, testing his size like it was some kind of game.
”Hey now, I’m a Brave Knight!”
”So what? You’re just the Hero’s boyfriend anyway.”
”Doesn’t even look that strong,” another muttered. “Bet he only got in through connections.”
Rude—and accurate.
”The hell’d you say? You’ve never even seen me fight.”
”Nope. You gonna show us?”
”Well now…” Klock drawled. “If I show you how strong I really am, you’ll all fall for me, won’t you?”
”Oh, really?”
Beside him, one of the women’s hands moved quickly.
Before he could stop her, she tugged at his pants with practiced ease—like she’d done it a hundred times before.
”Whoa. It’s huge!”
”No way… that big? For real?”
”So the Hero’s been with this thing, huh?”
”Poor girl—crying for two reasons, I bet!”
Their laughter burst out wild and unashamed.
Even as women, they were adventurers first—crude jokes came as naturally as breathing.
”Hey! This isn’t some kind of viewing party!” Klock barked.
”Oh, come on,” one teased. “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
”What?”
The woman behind him swung around to face him.
She yanked loose the strings of her light armor, tugged her tunic down, and her breasts bounced free right in front of him.
They weren’t bad at all—large, dark-tipped, and proud.
For a moment, Klock actually thought she might make a fine casual partner.
”Oh? Getting a little hard, are we?”
”What, you want to go out with me too?”
”Not a chance. All right, enough. Seriously—if Suzette finds out, she’ll kill me.”
”Pfft. Cheater’s got nerves.”
”Yeah, we’ll tell Miss Suzette you were flashing us!”
”Come on, let’s see it finish. Want me to lick it?”
”Cut it out!”
He brushed their hands away and hurriedly tucked himself back in.
If Cianie saw this, he’d never hear the end of it.
Even worse, word would probably reach Suzette before morning.
Klock slipped free from the prison of muscle and breasts.
When he turned back, one of the women gave him a sly look.
Another blew him a kiss, while a third tugged down her top, flashing a bit of chest in farewell.
Yeah, no thanks.
With women like this, one wrong move and the tables could turn fast.
When they come on that strong, it’s better to stay alert.
If she later claimed he “tried something,” he’d be the one getting smashed flat.
Best to keep himself in one piece.
”Hey there, Fit.”
”Captain.”
It was near the end of his rounds when he ran into her—the best archer in Brigante, by most accounts.
Her gloves were caked with mud; she must’ve been helping clean up the camp.
”Heard you showed off some skill taking down those monsters,” she said.
”Nothing like that,” Klock replied.
Fit only smiled, tilting her head slightly. Polite, calm—friendly, but not cold.
There was something graceful about her, even in worn gear.
With her clean manners and soft smile, she could’ve passed for a noblewoman fallen on hard times.
That wasn’t impossible.
Plenty of lower nobles ended up as adventurers or clerics.
Still, no one asked about backgrounds here—it was one of the unspoken rules.
”You doing all right, Captain? They said you were sick.”
”Yeah, I’m fine now.”
So the whole troop thought he’d been ill.
Hard to explain that he’d actually been fighting a life-or-death battle in another realm.
”Caught a fever” was simpler.
Even if, in truth, all that happened was a rabbit and a sparrow hopping over the boy he’d briefly become.
”Hey, Captain,” Fit continued. “You know the captain of the troop next to ours?”
”Huh? The next troop?”
”Yeah. They’re under the Golden Count. I actually know their leader.”
”Oh, really?”
Golden Count? Klock frowned.
A-rank adventurers often earned nicknames, but noble titles were rare.
If it was a moniker, maybe this Count was famous.
”The troop leader’s an A-rank adventurer,” Fit said. “Want me to introduce you sometime?”
”Huh. An A-rank? Nice pickup for a field unit. But what for?”
”Well, times are tough. I just think we should all help each other. If our troops get along, we can share supplies or info.”
”Makes sense.”
No harm in meeting the guy once.
Probably not some altruistic saint, but if they could cooperate without stepping on each other’s toes, that was worth something.
Troops turning against each other wasn’t uncommon.
If this could prevent that—or even just open a line for trading news—it would help.
”He’s a good guy,” Fit said. “I’m sure you’ll get along great. I’ll set it up soon.”
”Appreciate it,” Klock said with a nod.
He watched her walk away, her short pants hugging her hips as she moved.
Then he remembered something about appointing a vice-captain—but brushed it off.
He could deal with that later.
Maybe he should check in with Rosalie too.
…Nah. Too much trouble. Better to head back and write that report for Kreis.
And with that, his patrol for the day was done.
Plenty more work waiting tomorrow, but for now, he needed rest.
That night, beneath the captain’s tent, Klock sat at his desk, writing.
”Excuse me, Captain♡”
His pen froze.
The voice was soft, sweet—like a kitten’s mewl.
A smiling demon with an angel’s face appeared vividly in his mind.
”My apologies for calling so late,” she purred. “Kispe, reporting in♡”
”What do you want now?” Klock muttered. “What are you doing here?”
Notes:
• Cianie – A noble girl with a fluffy white and light blue dress, indicating her high status. She has a hesitant and flustered personality but is kind and courteous. Her relationship with Klock begins as an accidental encounter and develops into a romantic interest. She has a fiancé but expresses feelings for Klock, complicating their relationship.
• Orrid – Southern pleasure town near Conro, known for its chaos and vice. Serves as Brigante’s next destination and Count Grasso’s sphere of influence. Rumored den of spies and mercenaries.
• Suzette – The older maid from Viscount Fennec. The head maid at the Viscount Fennec’s villa. She is confident, clear-spoken, and professional.
• Fit – Solo archer adventurer; first appears at Barreith volunteer gathering, introduces herself to Klock and group, joining Brave Knight against Demon Lord’s Army
• Rosalie – Daughter of Viscount Albert Fennec, district chief of Basselow. Formerly weak and bedridden under Suzette’s care, she recovered after escaping Basselow’s fall to the Demon Lord’s Army. Now sheltered by House Borges, she stands as the surviving heir to the Fennec title.
• Kreis – Baron of Valture and district chief. A middle-aged noble weighed down with gold chains and jeweled rings, yet it’s his hawk-like eyes and sly smile that mark him as dangerous. He meets Klock at the Borges family’s social gathering, greeting him by name as Maria’s son before Klock can even introduce himself—like a predator that already knows its prey.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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