The Paladin in the Abyss-Chapter 638 - 662 Waste

Chapter 638 -662 Waste

Although the members of the mercenary army were all from the mortal races, since the officers were all Tanari, many aspects were still modeled after the Tanari army, such as not having any formation requirements during the march. Everyone walked in a manner they preferred as long as they did not fall behind; there was also no logistics corps responsible for transporting military weapons and provisions, as seen in human armies. Each person appeared like a conscripted soldier with their own provisions and weapons, as if the only obligation of the employer was to pay the salary as per the contract.

Honestly, Lancelot was somewhat unfairly blaming Tijana. It was clearly written in the contract that everyone was to provide their own weapons, provisions, and even ammunition. There would be healers with the army, but there was no guarantee they would be available when needed. All the mercenaries were aware of this, so they had all made the necessary preparations.

Many had summoned their mounts, some through spells, and others through magic-imbued items. Summoning mounts was just a Second Circle spell, so magical items with similar functionality were not rare, though they weren’t something that could be bought with just one week’s salary. For warriors in heavy armor, it was unbearable to not have camels to share the load, and in order to save their mounts’ strength, they would only give their equipment and weapons to the mounts and proceed on foot, lightly equipped.

Ivendell did just that; the old Holy Warrior summoned a chestnut-mottled mare and hung his shield, longsword, and helmet on it. Lancelot could have also summoned a Nightmares warhorse, but after careful consideration, he decided against it, as compared to the others’ mounts, his enhanced Nightmares was too ostentatious, and Lancelot did not want to draw too much attention, at least not outside of battle. Moreover, with his physical condition, even if he let Bruto ride it, he could briskly walk all day long.

As for Bruto, he somehow managed to acquire that brass whistle engraved with mysterious runes, summoning a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two Nightmares—a carriage that the group had initially taken when they went to rescue the Gray Dwarves miners. With great enthusiasm, Bruto invited everyone to board the carriage, but in the end, only the three Dwarf brethren and two Gnomes sat inside; for these shorter statured races, it was somewhat difficult to keep up with their companions’ pace, while the others felt a bit embarrassed to squeeze into the already cramped carriage.

The speed of the troop’s advance was not slow. According to Lancelot’s estimate, they could cover about five miles in one hour—by the standards of mortals, this was nearly the pace of a forced march. However, when a group of horrific Fiends was following behind, people would invariably walk a bit faster.

“Something doesn’t feel right.” About two hours into their journey, Ivendell sought to converse with Lancelot, “I have a vague feeling that Demons had lingered here recently. Has the Serpent Demon General dispatched any small scouting teams? Could there be an ambush waiting for us ahead?”

“It seems I am not the only one worried about this,” Lancelot nodded, “Maybe Sonam already has a plan, but I will ask her anyway.”

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Lancelot slightly quickened his steps, heading towards the six-armed Serpent Demon up front. Sonam’s guards naturally knew who Lancelot was, and let him pass without any hindrance.

“What do you need, Prince?” Sonam said in a taunting tone when she saw Lancelot, “Or do you have some brilliant ideas you wish to share with me?”

“Just call me by my name, General,” Lancelot touched his nose awkwardly, “I have some questions… When the Tanari army marches, what methods do they use to ensure security in the front and avoid ambushes? I don’t seem to have seen any scout teams dispatched, did I miss them?”

“You’re asking about that…” the Serpent Demon rolled her eyes, “We generally let expendable troops like the Coward Devils march in front. If the enemy has bothered to set traps or ambushes on the road, they would all be wasted on them.”

“But we don’t have a Coward Devil squad,” Lancelot felt a foreboding sense, “Could it be…”

“Ah, right, we are just cannon fodder for the allied forces,” Sonam revealed a sinister smile, “What, does this scare you?”

“Of course not,” Lancelot shook his head, “But I don’t like marching unprepared… What if the Demons have dug spike pits up ahead? Or set up Explosive Runes along the roadside?”

“A clever enough fellow should be able to avoid the traps, so those killed by traps are just incompetent mercenaries,” the Six-Armed Serpent Demon hissed in response, “I don’t see what your problem is?”

“This…” Lancelot was momentarily at a loss for words. If they thought like the Demons, Sonam’s point was indeed valid, but he still wanted to argue, “But since we’ve spent a lot of money to hire them, isn’t it a waste to let them die for reasons that could be entirely avoided?”

“Tijana is willing to prepay the first week’s salary; that’s what I call a waste,” the Six-Armed Serpent Demon scoffed at the Human Knight’s view, “And I’ll make sure that anyone not worth two hundred Gold Coins doesn’t survive till the next payday.”

“But how do you know who’s worth it and who isn’t?”

“I just know, don’t forget where we first met,” Sonam narrowed her eyes, giving the Human Knight a threatening look, “All the mercenaries who come to Twin Bridges Town have to report to me. I’ve seen too many, I can tell just from their nostrils whether someone is qualified. Do you think I randomly assign members to squads? Certainly not. Those I deem unworthy are all shoved together. You can go to the front yourself and see if my judgment is correct. Of course, there might be one or two I misjudged, but given the number of incompetents around them, it shouldn’t be too hard for them to prove themselves.”

Lancelot felt a wave of despair, knowing that changing the Six-Armed Serpent Demon’s mind was likely more difficult than killing her outright. As he felt helpless, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, recalling their initial journey escorting the Succubus Paladin to Androlina, when they saw the walls of Volcano Fortress in just three days.

“General, let’s look at this issue from another angle,” Lancelot earnestly spoke again, “How long do you estimate before we reach Volcano Fortress? Five days?”

“About that,” the Six-Armed Serpent Demon revealed a bizarre smile, “What, are you already eager for battle? I am quite looking forward to your performance, Prince.”

“You misunderstand me,” Lancelot shook his head, “So, we’re bound to encounter Bartez’s army before the next payday, right? In that case, why not let those incompetents you mentioned die then? After all, Tijana has already paid…”