Ch.38Imperial Special Forces (3)

A commotion broke out inside.

And moments later, the slave traders began stumbling out while coughing violently.

Knights who had been waiting on both sides plunged their swords into the backs of the slave traders.

“Go in!”

The knights, who had each downed a bottle of Healing Potion and applied it to their faces, charged into the cave filled with acrid smoke.

When roasted like coffee, the fruit of the Mangamcho produces smoke with effects similar to tear gas.

It’s comparable to the CS gas used in military chemical warfare training.

Pushing that smoke into the sealed cave essentially turned it into a chemical warfare chamber.

The slave traders and their captives, without any protective equipment, would be disoriented, tears and mucus streaming down their faces.

Meanwhile, our knights had temporary immunity after drinking Healing Potion and applying it to their faces.

They were entering for the internal sweep with a completely overwhelming advantage.

For now, there’s no other method available.

Our knights, under Liberone’s guidance, have mastered field rotations but are unfamiliar with this kind of guerrilla warfare.

The captured slaves would suffer too, but at least they wouldn’t die.

Shortly after the knights who had consumed Healing Potion entered, numerous people began fleeing outside.

“This way, please!”

Knights on standby guided the escaped people and distributed Healing Potion.

“Jack. The internal sweep is complete.”

A knight who had gone in with the advance team returned to report.

After downing some Healing Potion, I followed him inside to find numerous corpses of slave traders strewn about under the flickering torchlight.

How many of these guys were gathered here?

Even as I examined the bodies, a procession of escaping people continued under the knights’ guidance.

“Have the advance team withdraw and send in the next group. We’ll collect all valuables from the slave traders.”

The newly arrived knights searched the cave interior and the corpses, filling sacks with gold coins and various precious metals.

It was an incredible haul, exceeding our village’s annual budget in the early days.

We loaded everything onto the wagons waiting at the entrance, along with the people, and returned to the main force.

There were over seven hundred people in total.

While that seems like a huge number, in the game, five hundred slaves represent just a fraction of what the central slave traders handle.

In reality, there are many more transit points like the one we attacked, but unfortunately, the others are too far away to target.

If we had even one high-level mage in the village who could open dimensional gates, it might be possible, but mages of that caliber are rare even in royal palaces.

Anyway, once all these people are incorporated into the village, we’ll be due for an upgrade.

In this virtual medieval fantasy world, communities with over a thousand people are uncommon.

Even Odelin City, if I remember correctly, doesn’t reach two thousand residents.

With these seven hundred plus people added to our village population, we’ll easily exceed a thousand, meaning a Level 3 upgrade.

In other words, we’ll become a city.

Of course, it’s not just about population—infrastructure matters too—but getting more people is the hardest part; building structures is relatively easy.

If we can persuade these people to join our village and gradually develop the necessary facilities, we should be able to advance to city status by the end of the year.

The biggest change that comes with becoming a city is permission to establish an official security force.

My long-cherished dream of establishing proper law enforcement is within reach.

I’ll convert the entire Potion Knights into the security force.

The central government will send troops, but according to my knowledge of the original work, if there are valid and recognized reasons, cities can select their own security personnel.

Since we’ve been operating as vigilantes since our village days, we should be able to get approval with properly prepared documentation.

This operation has truly yielded tremendous results.

Speaking of security forces, I’m thinking…

With various threats ahead, we’ll need to raise the knights’ skill level further.

What we’ve accomplished is already remarkable.

We’ve taken rural youths who knew nothing and, in just a few months, turned them into an armed force capable of ambushing and annihilating slave traders.

Sir Hostante and Holy Knight Liberone’s experienced guidance has been invaluable.

However, our current knights can’t handle anything beyond conventional combat.

For special situations like this one, we need to recruit instructors with specialized knowledge.

As I mentally scan through the list of NPCs I’d met while playing the game, Liberone approached.

“Good work, Guardian Angel.”

“You too. No one seriously hurt?”

“No. Fortunately, they hadn’t been captured for long. We should be able to return safely to the village.”

“We should head out soon. If we stay here too long, other slave traders might pick up our trail.”

I called the knights and issued orders.

“Put the elderly and weak on the wagons, and have those who can walk do so. Knights should all be mounted to defend the rear and flanks of the formation, with Liberone at the front.”

The knights moved in unison at my command, organizing the people.

Just then, several people hesitantly approached me.

“Excuse me… Are you the one leading these knights…?”

“What? No, I’m just someone who came along…”

“Yes, he is. This is the man who led the knights to free you all.”

When Liberone interjected, the people’s expressions brightened.

“Thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, Knight Commander, we would all have become slaves!”

“No, I’m not the commander…”

“Thank you! Thank you! Long live the Knight Commander!”

The small group gathered around me suddenly began cheering.

When those few shouted loudly, people boarding the wagons under the knights’ direction looked over curiously.

“That’s the Knight Commander who saved us!”

“Really? Thank you!”

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

The story spread like wildfire, and all seven hundred people began cheering.

Why do people in this world love cheering so much?

“Wave to them, Guardian Angel.”

Following Liberone’s suggestion, I awkwardly smiled and waved, triggering an ear-splitting cheer.

“Let’s get moving. Making noise won’t do us any good. Everyone, let’s go!”

With Liberone at the lead, the large group slowly began moving.

“Oh my goodness, I’m dying here.”

Mirella, sitting beside me on the driver’s seat, massaged her shoulders while complaining.

Her shoulders must be killing her after helping prepare stew for seven hundred people at the makeshift kitchen.

“Brother, are these people really coming to our village?”

“Of course. We have to take them all in. I heard their villages were completely burned down.”

“Ugh, that’s terrible.”

“That’s what slave traders always do. That’s why we killed them without mercy.”

“Hmm, I see. Oh, right!”

Mirella clapped her hands and reached into the luggage compartment, rummaging for something.

What emerged in Mirella’s hand was a white piece of clothing.

“If we don’t raise a flag, wouldn’t that mentally ill administrator immediately commit suicide? Since we deliberately didn’t raise a flag to avoid announcing your death.”

“Haha, right. You should wave it enthusiastically.”

* * * * *

After traveling for some time.

The village comes into view ahead.

“Brother, look at that. What a drama queen, seriously.”

I can see a dark figure standing at the eastern entrance to the village. It’s the administrator.

She’s holding something like a small fruit knife. What a crazy woman.

As soon as the wagon enters her field of vision, the administrator suddenly starts shouting something and raises the knife high.

“Hey! Mirella! Quick, the flag!”

Mirella jumped up and frantically waved the white cloth.

The administrator lowered her knife and stared intently at Mirella, then raised the knife again?!

“What’s going on? Didn’t we say a white cloth meant I wasn’t dead?”

“I know, right? Sir Knight! Isn’t that what we said?”

Liberone, riding just ahead of us, nodded.

“I definitely heard the same thing. Perhaps the administrator is confusing what she said herself.”

“Ugh, this is so annoying.”

Mirella hurriedly rummaged through the luggage compartment and this time pulled out a black cloth, waving it frantically.

This time, the administrator actually sat down on the ground and the knife…

“Oh, forget it!”

Mirella now held both the white and black cloths in each hand, waving them like a cheerleader, but the administrator still held the knife, looking ready to die at any moment.

Realizing I couldn’t leave things like this, I jumped down from the driver’s seat and ran forward.

“Administrator! I’m not dead!”

Seeing me, the administrator shouted something again and tried to bring the knife to her neck.

What is wrong with her? This is ridiculous.

I pulled out a potion from my waist and threw it hard.

The bottle hit the administrator’s head, breaking and thoroughly soaking her head and face with Healing Potion.

Only then did the administrator look at me and wail:

“Mr. Jack! You’re alive!”

* * * * *

The administrator, who had been standing like a statue at the village entrance all day, pulled out a small knife she had prepared when she saw wagons in the distance.

There was no flag.

Mr. Jack must have died, and they’re not raising a flag on purpose because they’re afraid I’ll be shocked and kill myself!

Just as she was about to end her life, she saw Mirella waving a white flag.

Mr. Jack has died, and they’re waving a white flag falsely to stop me from killing myself!

Then came a black flag.

Mr. Jack is indeed dead!

Next, white and black flags waved simultaneously.

Mr. Jack must be severely injured, hovering between life and death, about to pass away!

Someone jumped from the driver’s seat and ran toward her. It was Jack.

I must be seeing hallucinations as my time of death approaches!

The ghost of Jack threw something that struck the administrator’s head, spilling liquid.

After tasting it with a flick of her tongue, the administrator’s mind rapidly cleared.

“Mr. Jack! You’re alive!”