Ch.4Road Organization

In this world, the concept of ‘roads’ was truly complex and peculiar.

The modern roads that people think of certainly existed, but one couldn’t expect such contemporary infrastructure in this backwater village.

Even within my city, dirt paths were everywhere, and paved roads were nothing but a distant dream.

Therefore, in this world, roads typically meant winding, sloped paths designed to avoid monsters.

Places difficult for humans to traverse were usually difficult for monsters as well, so taking such troublesome routes could minimize monster attacks.

However, even if one avoided monster attacks, human threats remained.

Criminal groups formed by exiled offenders and social misfits attacked merchants indiscriminately just to survive. Their reckless assaults resulted in injuries and deaths, and it was only a matter of time before the scent of blood attracted monsters.

Consequently, unless one was exceptionally brave or foolish, while ‘travel’ existed as both a word and concept in this world, very few could actually undertake it.

In this world, even women were too afraid to walk at night—that was the norm.

“I entrust this to you, Ignatz.”

“Leave it to me, Your Highness!”

Of course, since people in this world knew painfully well that they would starve if the transport of goods ceased, the main roads used by merchant caravans were surprisingly safe for the most part.

These major roads remained clear of vegetation because they were constantly trampled by caravans, and they were easy to follow due to the wheel tracks left by carts.

Local rulers would personally send their forces to periodically eliminate bandits and hunt monsters, so unless one was exceptionally unlucky, most travelers could reach their destinations with limbs intact.

Most, that is.

“My lord, let me apply some ointment.”

Fortunately, even though winter had arrived—when bandits would normally conduct raids with desperate eyes—the bandits in this area had already been eradicated.

This was because those who had cracked my skull were bandits, and my knights, seeking to avenge their lord, had ridden out almost daily to smash the heads of every bandit they could find.

However, true to their muscle-brained nature, they had done a sloppy job with the cleanup. The problem was that there was a 99.99% chance that the bandits’ corpses had been delivered fresh to beasts seeking prey before hibernation or to perpetually hungry monsters.

“My lord, I, Ignatz, shall lead one hundred soldiers on this expedition!”

“Good. Do not disappoint me.”

“Yes, sir!”

No matter how powerful the monsters and beasts of this world might be, the reason humanity still maintained civilization was clear.

It was their overwhelming numbers and organizational power.

*

People throw around terms like “army of a million” or “army of ten million” so casually that a hundred men might not seem like much. But these weren’t just any random group—they were carefully selected strong men from this city, properly equipped and trained by knights as men-at-arms.

They were regular troops capable of demonstrating their skills not just in subjugation missions but also in combat against other humans.

This had considerably lightened my treasury, but if we failed to deal with the monsters currently swarming the roads, my treasury would become even lighter.

Roads filled with monsters and beasts were something merchants absolutely wanted to avoid, so it was better for me to deploy troops to clear them. This would not only make the roads safe but also send a powerful message to people in the area.

It was an intangible signal that I had a firm grip on this region.

Someone once said that fists are closer than law… In this world, my fist was the law, and my one hundred and one fists possessed sufficient physical force to deliver my commandments to the monsters on the road.

There was a possibility of defeat, but if defeat came, it would be at the hands of soldiers serving under another ruler’s banner, not from beasts or bandits.

As evident from the merchant caravans passing through, this city’s location was not particularly isolated.

Therefore, I waited patiently. If we were defeated, so be it; if we were victorious, that was fine too.

Why should I get worked up over something I couldn’t control?

“The butcher shop will be busy for a while.”

“Indeed it will.”

After the hunt, Ignatz would return with carts loaded with the carcasses of beasts and monsters, and the butchers would have to work 120 hours a week to obtain the hides and strip the meat from the bones before they froze.

Without a single penny of payment, of course.

*

“Grrrr…”

“There it is! A dire wolf!”

“After it! Don’t let it escape!”

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Spearmen forward! Archers stand by until ordered!”

As Tiberius had said, there were far more monsters on the road, even accounting for winter.

Several soldiers were seriously injured when ambushed by a ghoul that merchants had reported seeing, but fortunately, they suffered only broken bones rather than fatal wounds.

After Ignatz captured the ghoul and continued clearing the road of prowling creatures, they had already filled half the carts they had brought from the city.

“Sir Ignatz, shall we proceed further?”

“We must. We still have half the carts empty. I’d like to clean up at least to where the forest begins.”

“I’ll relay that information.”

“Hmm.”

In this subjugation mission, the soldiers were performing much better than Ignatz had expected.

Perhaps it was because they had accumulated strength during the agricultural off-season? They were still energetic even after three days.

“Come on, everyone! Keep up your strength! We’re not far from the forest boundary! This is our chance to claim this forest completely for our Amurtat!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good! Let’s move out again!”

Training soldiers might not be the most rewarding task, but seeing those trained soldiers move efficiently in actual combat demonstrated the tremendous impact proper training could have.

As military manuals in the library often illustrated, a smaller number of regular troops could crush a larger number of conscripts. Training soldiers to a level where they could function without being paralyzed by fear in actual combat could determine the outcome not just of battles but of entire wars.

This was just a subjugation mission, but Ignatz firmly believed that as His Highness’s city grew, the day would eventually come when they would clash significantly with another ruler’s army.

“Sir Ignatz! We’ve reached the forest boundary.”

“Good! Deploy the troops! Divide them into groups of fifty and sweep both sides of the road!”

“Understood.”

In truth, hunters would have been better suited for this subjugation, but as the saying goes, if you don’t have teeth, use your gums—the army could certainly perform hunting duties.

It wasn’t a question of possibility versus impossibility, but rather of efficiency versus inefficiency.

“Wheeeeee!”

“That sound… a manticore?”

“This might be dangerous for just the soldiers…”

“I’ll go check it out. You stay here.”

“Understood.”

A manticore was a lion with a human face, one of the most ferocious monsters.

No matter how numerous the soldiers might be, it was too much for troops who hadn’t been specifically trained in monster hunting. The knight Ignatz needed to step in to prevent unnecessary casualties.

“Graaaah!”

“Simpson! No!”

“Oh no… am I too late?!”

“Wheeeeee!!”

As Ignatz rushed toward the source of the manticore’s distinctive flute-like cry, he heard several screams suggesting that a soldier had already fallen victim.

“Make way!”

“Sir Ignatz!”

“Help us! We’re outmatched!”

When Ignatz arrived on horseback, he saw a soldier bleeding from the head after a strong impact against a quilted tree, and the manticore violently swinging its tail to knock away the spearmen’s blades.

“I’ll handle this opponent. You support the wounded. Quickly!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Simpson! Try to stay conscious!”

*Shing!*

As Ignatz drew his long sword and pointed it, the manticore seemed to sense that a different caliber of opponent had appeared. It boldly disengaged from the surrounding soldiers and charged directly at Ignatz.

“You beast!”

“Wheeeeee–!!”

The manticore made a great leap to pounce on Ignatz, who quickly lowered his stance and raised his sword high.

*Squelch!*

“Pwuuuuu….!!!”

Now a trumpet-like sound was heard instead of a flute-like cry—a signal that it had received a fatal wound.

Ignatz struggled to withstand the weight of the manticore that seemed about to crush him, driving his sword deeper. As soon as he felt it penetrate something, he quickly withdrew his blade and stepped back.

*Thud!*

“Pwuuuuu!!!!”

“Sir Ignatz! Are you alright?!”

“I’m fine!”

*Flap! Flap!*

It seemed Ignatz had pierced the heart, as the manticore thrashed its tail around while coughing up red blood from the wound in its chest, and soon breathed its last.

“It’s dead. Have the corpse moved to the cart. And prepare to return.”

“Y-yes, sir.”

Ignatz personally cut off the manticore’s head, then grinned.

“His Highness will be pleased.”