War Readiness Commander

The newcomer was none other than Avilan, who had dealt with Adahua. Since the villagers had long since gone into hiding, the remaining corpses had all been handled by the Light Spirit Swordsman and dragged to an empty patch of ground, where they were piled together with the bodies from the daytime. Avilan had originally planned to sacrifice them that night, but this unexpected incident had forced him to stop.

Before long, the cries of battle gradually faded. The surviving soldiers jubilantly began clearing the battlefield. Once a war ended, soldiers could confiscate all of their opponents' possessions.

Such as the equipment and valuables on their bodies.

"Their armaments aren't standardized; everyone has put together their own gear. Looks like they aren't regular troops!"

Avilan watched the soldiers before him, doubtful about their equipment.

The knights whose armor bore the Blood Church emblem had previously worn fully standardized heavy gear. These soldiers, however, wore a mix of different equipment despite also being armored. Some wore leather armor, while others wore no outer armor at all, exposing the chainmail beneath.

Some wore helmets, while others did not. If there was one thing they had in common, it was that every one of them showed their faces. Although they all carried the same style of sword, they also had backup weapons such as bows, pistols, and flanged maces.

Put kindly, they were a group of battle-hardened veterans. Put harshly, they were a motley band of mercenaries.

Half a quarter-hour later, the battlefield had been cleared. The troops regrouped and began advancing toward Chika Village. There were roughly six hundred of them. Though they remained wary of the Light Spirit Swordsman, they still formed up in neat ranks before the village chief and Avilan. One man stepped out from the formation.

He seemed to be the commander of this force, possessing the most eye-catching and fierce appearance among them.

The commander's gaze lightly swept over the village chief, then paused on the Light Spirit Swordsman. Once he saw that the Light Spirit Swordsman posed no threat, he immediately fixed Avilan with a sharp stare.

Even under the gaze of someone who made his living through violence, Avilan remained utterly unmoved. A look of that level could not stir even a ripple in his heart.

Apparently having seen enough, the commander spoke with commanding presence:

"I am Cameron, War Readiness Commander of Vought Province in the Kompno Duchy. I have been patrolling the villages to suppress the Blood Church knights causing trouble in this area."

His calm, deep voice rang across the square, while a commotion also arose from the village chief's house behind Avilan.

"War Readiness Commander..."

This person had not been included in the information given to him. With a faint trace of reproach, Avilan asked the murmuring village chief:

"...What kind of person is he?"

"According to the merchants, he once represented Vought Province in the ruler's Imperial Martial Tournament and stood above all others. He currently commands the elite soldiers of Vought City."

"Was the man before them really that formidable...?"

"...I don't know. I only heard about it."

Avilan took a careful look. Sure enough, all the soldiers bore the same emblem on their chests. It did resemble the Vought City emblem the village chief had mentioned before, but the emblem worn by the soldiers on the other side was strikingly conspicuous—it was the emblem of Essin City.

Even so, there was still insufficient information to be completely certain.

Cameron's gaze shifted to the village chief.

"You are the village chief here, correct? Could you tell me who the person beside you is?"

"There is no need to trouble him. Greetings, Lord War Readiness Commander. My name is Aslan, and I am a spellcaster. This village was attacked by knights, so I came to rescue it."

Stopping the village chief, who was about to speak, Avilan gave a slight bow and introduced himself.

Upon hearing this, Cameron immediately dismounted. The metal armor on his body clattered as he bowed deeply from where he stood.

"Thank you for saving this village. I truly have no way to repay such a great kindness."

The air seemed to tremble faintly with it.

As a War Readiness Commander, he was likely part of the privileged class. Yet he showed such respect to an Avilan whose identity was unknown. In this world, where class distinctions were so obvious, that should have been quite astonishing. After all, human rights had not even been fully established in this country—nor in the world as a whole. Only a few years ago, there had still been countries that sold slaves.

Even though their statuses were unequal, Cameron had still specifically dismounted and bowed to Avilan. This alone made Cameron's character plainly apparent.

His status as the kingdom's War Readiness Commander was probably not false. That was Avilan's judgment.

"Don't be so courteous. My purpose was payment as well, so there is no need to thank me."

"Oh, payment? Then you are an adventurer?"

"Mm... I see. You certainly look like an exceptional adventurer... but forgive my ignorance, I have never heard Lord Aslan's name."

"I am traveling and merely happened to pass by. I am not anyone famous."

"Traveling, I see. Although I feel sorry to delay such an outstanding adventurer, could you tell me about those villains who attacked the village?"

"With pleasure, Lord War Readiness Commander. Most of the knights who attacked this village have already died, so they should be unable to cause trouble for the time being. As for their identities, they called themselves something like the Blood Church. I only know that it is a fanatical religious organization."

"A fanatical religious organization! That is a most fitting description."

Cameron shifted his gaze toward the Light Spirit Swordsman. He had probably caught the faint scent of blood emanating from him, along with the dense light-elemental mana.

"There are two things I would like to ask. Who are those two?"

"He is a servant I created."

Cameron let out a sound of admiration, then carefully scrutinized Avilan from head to toe with sharp eyes.

Summoning servants in this other world was nothing like how easily Avilan did it. A living person had to willingly serve as the vessel, and sacrifices were needed as well before a servant could be summoned. It was just like how those black-armored knights had ultimately sacrificed one of their own. One could not summon a servant that obeyed orders completely by simply using corpses.

Avilan had learned this long ago. Thus, on this continent, anyone surrounded by a large number of servant creatures was either immensely powerful or an exceedingly evil mage.

"Then may I see your face?"

"I wear this for certain reasons related to being a spellcaster."

"Could you take it off?"

"I must refuse. If that fellow"—he pointed at the Light Spirit Swordsman—"loses control, it would be troublesome."

The village chief, who knew the Light Spirit Swordsman's strength, and the villagers inside the village chief's house, who could hear the conversation, all revealed astonished expressions. Perhaps sensing the drastic change in the village chief's expression and the atmosphere at the scene, Cameron nodded heavily.

"I see. Then it would be better not to take it off."

"Thank you."

Avilan could not help admiring his own wisdom. He had resolved the issue with a few casual words, while at the same time secretly cast a scouting spell on Cameron.