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Chapter 33: Arrival at Viscount Norman’s Domain

Chapter 33: Arrival at Viscount Norman’s Domain
—Mid-January.

We had marched straight through the New Year, and finally arrived in Viscount Norman’s territory.

According to the display from my [Sma-ho] skill, the battle had already begun.

I left the Barbar Mercenary Party stationed at a distance and headed out on reconnaissance with Rosso of the Great Lizard Tribe, Jessica of the Elves, and the guide.

The guide was a man sent by Lord Rion, the viscount’s son. He was familiar with the terrain around here.

Moving carefully, we consulted with the guide and pressed on.

Crossing a few hills and woods, we neared the battlefield.

I checked the topography against the [Sma-ho] display.

There was a wooded hill just ahead—beyond that was the battlefield.

Conveniently, the hill was thick with trees.

I asked the guide:

「I’m thinking we scout from that hill. Thoughts?」

「Good choice. The brush gives cover, and if we’re spotted, it’ll be easy to slip away.」

「Alright. Let’s go. Quietly.」

「「「Got it.」」」

The four of us advanced cautiously up the hill.

My [Sma-ho] showed no enemies nearby, but we still moved carefully to avoid being detected.

Despite his size, Rosso was good at stealth—crawling close to the ground like a lizard.

Jessica, being an Elf, was also skilled in forest movement—nimbly climbing trees without a sound.

The guide and I, however, rustled through branches, standing out more.

Still, we managed to reach the hilltop.

「Huh? The castle’s surrounded! Are we too late?」

Rosso whispered in a low voice.

I peeked through the trees.

There stood a small castle in the middle of a flat plain—completely surrounded by troops.

Just as Rosso said, maybe we were too late…

「No… Lord Rion is still inside! See the flag? The blue field with a golden lion—that’s the heir’s banner!」

A flag flew from the castle tower.

Too far for me to make out.

「Jessica, can you see it?」

「It’s just like he said. Blue field, golden lion—flying from the spire. I also see a flag with two golden lions on a blue and red field.」

「That’s the Norman family’s banner!」

To confirm, I used [Sma-ho] to zoom in.

There he was:

Rion Norman – Heir to the Viscountcy – Average Ability

Thank goodness. Rion was alive. And apparently… average.

If your allies are incompetent, it’s a nightmare.

Next, I checked the enemy side. Two names stood out:

Bartlett Norman – Brother of the Viscount – Slightly Incompetent
Count Jarna – Head of the Jarna Family – Incompetent

Slightly incompetent and incompetent. Lovely.

Now for troop numbers:

Rion’s side: 50 infantry
Bartlett’s side: 300 infantry

Bartlett had stationed 50 each at the north, east, and west walls, and 100 at the south gate.

The remaining 50 were positioned some distance from the castle.

That distant group was the main camp, where Bartlett and Count Jarna likely were.

Hmm… Even though they’re holding out inside, Rion’s side is at a serious disadvantage.

It’s some consolation that the enemy commanders are dim, but man—are high-ranking people in this world cursed to be idiots?

Switching between my [Sma-ho] screen and the actual landscape, I noticed something odd.

(Hold on… is the Viscount still alive?)

Zooming in further, I found:

Viscount Norman – Head of the Norman Family – Average Ability

Wait a minute.

I had assumed Viscount Norman was dead, and that Rion and Bartlett were fighting over the inheritance.

But if the Viscount is still alive… that changes everything.

I turned to the guide and asked in Ring Kingdom language:

「Hey, what’s the situation here? What happened to Viscount Norman?」

「My lord must have passed away… That’s why Bartlett brought troops to besiege the castle!」

The guide clearly thought the Viscount was dead.

But my [Sma-ho] said otherwise—he was still alive.

How could I explain this?

Racking my brain, I recalled what people in Japan did when a prominent figure passed away.

「If the Viscount really were dead, wouldn’t there be signs? Like a half-mast flag? Or black drapes on the walls?」

The guide gasped and looked up sharply.

He stared at the castle for a long moment—seemed like he got the idea.

「You’re right… If the lord had died, they’d fly the flag at half-mast. But the banners are all normal! That means the Viscount is still alive!」

That was enough to confirm it.

We knew the enemy formation, and we’d seen the terrain.

「Alright, we’re heading back.」

Quietly, carefully, we slipped back down the hill.

The Viscount was alive. Our client Rion was alive.

But the castle was surrounded, and things looked grim.

Now then…

How do we turn this around?