Novel Bin Vol. 1 - Ch. 106 - Dark Wolf (2)
The first step we took was to visit the commander right away at the ridiculously huge green tent of the 6th legion. It was located at the corner of an elevated plateau. It was a place with lush nature, so livestock naturally prospered here in great numbers.
And speaking of court rank, it was conferred to high-ranking officials in this kingdom to distinguish their class, with a total of eight classifications.
In the case of the Knight Order, Captains were obviously the 1st, vice-captains and advisors like Godorfun-sensei in the past were 2nd, the commanders took the 3rd to 7th positions, and the novice knights had the 8th rank. Provisional members receive no court rank.
As for Dante-san, his rank was an example of his strength. Back on Earth, he would have been a so-called division leader, someone who commanded a force of tens of thousands in times of emergency.
Hmm, why did I know? Well, I might not have an interest in ranks or positions, but I had to learn to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.
"Ahaha, disciplined as ever eh, Dante? You should know only members of the Knight Order are allowed to enter this tent, so take it easy man. Too much stiffness isn\'t good for your health. Oh, I guess that young\'un is the star of Godorfun and Dew\'s eyes, huh?"
Inside the tent, around 15 knights, seemingly members of the 6th legion, were sitting in a circle discussing their strategy. A bob-cut woman --- I guess she must be the captain of the 6th legion --- was sitting at the center cross-legged. She tapped her shoulder with a pointing stick while staring at me.
I wonder if it was the influence of mana, most of the people I had encountered happened to be young looking. From the facial features, she was quite a charming woman of 40 something, though she was apparently over 50 according to Dante-san.
But how should I say this...... she looked more like the typical uncle from her actions.
On the other hand, "To think even Captain Suzunami would be here as well. I assume you\'re here to take a look at him as well?", Dante-san asked with a wry expression while urging me to greet her.
"I\'m Allen Rovenne, a provisional member of the 3rd legion. I\'m still a fledgling more than anything else though, so I hope to learn from all of you."
I politely bowed my head in introduction. However, as if she had seen something unexpected, she squinted her eyes and closed the distance from her position. After taking a look at me from up close --- the gap was so small that I could feel her breathing on my skin --- she said,
"Oh my, is this really the same troublemaker that gave both Sir Godorfun and Dew headaches in the rumors? He looked more mellow than anything else. Fufu, is the sheep\'s skin you\'re wearing supposed to impress me? But you know, actual wolves are more of my type."
Captain Suzunami said in a teasing tone. Her eyes were laced with a hint of curiosity, like those of a child who suddenly found a new toy.
"I am not sure how rumors that I don\'t even remember an atom of have spread out, but I want to make it clear. I revered both Godorfun-sensei and Master. Though we did have a few debates, I believe there was nothing so aggressive as to warrant me the title of troublemaker."
I said with a smile. After hearing my reply, Suzunami-san giggled.
"Hoho~? You have guts. The more the merrier, so I\'ll be counting on you!"
She said while suddenly squatting down and started running her fingers over my thighs.
"W-W-W-What in the world are you doing!?"
I was wary of some sort of rough greeting that I might not know of in this other world, but her movements were all so natural that I wasn\'t able to react properly while she continued to rub my thigh and butt.
"Oho, I see. I\'ve heard about your talent in body-strengthening magic but given your trained muscles, you\'re not simply letting your talent carry you, eh? Now I\'m looking forward to your performance.
...Hmm? That\'s enough to get your face red... Don\'t tell me you\'re a virgin? Uh-huh, you should get some experience before you get caught up in their trap. I know many talented people who couldn\'t properly handle themselves and got their bodies ruined. I don\'t mind if you want me to be your first though, hahaha!"
My motto in this life was to live freely, avoiding affairs of the folks at the top but... I would definitely set up a law against sexual harassment for real if I happened to be in a position of power......
Just as I was cursing this wild woman in my mind, an exceedingly beautiful female knight entered, parting the curtains hanging at the entrance of the tent.
"Rosetta reporting in. The deployment of Marquis Endemion\'s forces has been completed...... Wait, what\'re you doing, Captain Suzunami?"
◆◆◆
The female knight introduced herself as Rosetta Rolleard.
It seemed like she was an acquaintance of Dante-san, so she dropped by to say hello to him. Though seeing the 150 cm tall Rosetta-san standing next to the 2 m tall hulking figure that was Dante-san was ringing some kind of bells inside my mind.
Apparently, Dante-san had taught her a great deal of things when she had come to the 3rd legion as an intern five years ago from the Royal Academy. She apparently also knew Mamon-san and Langsha-san--- the other two members of the 3rd legion dispatched alongside Dante-san and me. I also gave her my greetings.
"I\'m Rosetta, one of the aides of Captain Suzunami. I would like to extend my gratitude for accepting our request. We hope to have a happy cooperation with you."
Rosetta-san, despite being a member of the army, was a woman with refined features exuding a prim and gentle aura which, to be honest, was my ideal type.
Well, she was cute, but she must be someone with amazing talent if she was given the post of an aide to a legion captain (something like giving a promising candidate a secretary-like position).
Just as I expected, she had concisely but clearly made clear the important details in the meeting to brief us about their strategy at the urging of her Captain Suzunami. Well, that was to be expected.
Alright, I guess I am a bit more motivated with her appearance. It would be a shame if I fumbled here.
"With that, I hope the 3rd legion team takes care of the pursuit and elimination of the Dark Wolves inside the encirclement. I think I don\'t need to say this, but please make sure that the Dark Wolves doesn\'t escape the encirclement, and prioritize cornering it at the Clover Valley, where Captain Suzunami and three other knights would be waiting in ambush."
"Alright, Rose. Let\'s do our best."
Dante-san said with a wink.
So envious...... I also wanted to try calling her by her nickname.
"Thank you for the briefing. Now, let\'s start, shall we?"
\'Heave-ho,\' Captain Suzunami uttered as she stood up.
The other members of the 6th legion also stood up at once following her and wore their green mantle.
The gentle atmosphere inside the tent suddenly tensed with their action. Even the stiff-shouldered, old-man-at-heart Captain Suzunami was giving off the aura of a leader.
"March on."
""Yes, Ma\'am!!"
I also put on my drooping-eyed old-man mask --- I had taken it off before entering the tent --- and followed after the folks of the 6th legion to the outside.
◆◆◆
Outside, 20 something commanders of the Marquis Endemion army --- veteran knights in their prime --- were standing there.
None of them held court ranks as only the Knight Order serving the nation (royal family) possessed them. To put them into a hierarchy, their position was far lower than even the common unit of the Knight Order.
In this strategy, they and their 2000 subordinates would be carrying the torches and put up an encirclement surrounding the Dark Wolves.
Rosetta-san did not falter once as she swiftly passed her commands to the senior commanders.
"I appreciate all of your cooperation. We will start our operation at 5 p.m., two hours from now, which is when the Dark Wolves prepare themselves to leave their den.
The extermination of the Dark Wolves would be handled by the Knight Order. Just make sure the encirclement doesn\'t get broken even if a Dark Wolf tries to target you and immediately blow the whistle in such a case to call in the nearby Knight Order members. Aside from that, make sure to avoid a battle with a Dark Wolf as much as possible.
That\'s all. Do you have any other instructions, Captain?"
With Rosetta-san turning around, Captain Suzunami stepped up.
"The pack of Dark Wolves, our extermination target, is estimated to have more than 90 of them at the very least. The leader of the pack is a specimen nicknamed «Black Lightning» and according to the information gathered, the pack has targeted a total of 148 citizens. I\'m sure you\'re aware that among them are also your brethren from the Endemion army. So it\'s time to pay them back!
In lieu of that, we have also invited «Clear Cut» Dante Segran and--- pfft!!............ «Comedic Codger» from the capital\'s 3rd legion to thoroughly eradicate this evil. Give it your all! Pfft!"
Captain Suzunami was encouraging the gathered troops with a dignified expression --- it was hard to believe she was the same old-man-at-heart lady --- when she suddenly burst out in laughter noticing my mask.
The rest of the old commanders gave me uneasy glances. Rosetta-san also desperately endured the urge to laugh out loud with a red face, her shoulder intermittently shaking and tears faintly glistening in her eyes, as she signaled the beginning of the operation.
"E-E-Everyone, take your... spot~!!"
How should I say this... Sorry. I didn\'t mean to do that.
E/N - So the MC is also a man of culture, I see
Also I just realized that they were dealing with a pack and not just one Dark Wolf. I\'ll edit the previous chapters later to correct that