Menuju Desa Tanpa Nama di Perbatasan - 08

Bab 8: Menuju Desa Tanpa Nama di Perbatasan

"Maaf mengganggu, Tuan Van. Makan malamnya sudah siap."

Di tengah perjalanan panjang ini, akhirnya aku merasakan berkemah untuk pertama kalinya. Yah, sih sebenarnya aku pernah tidur di mobil waktu di Jepang dulu. Tapi ini pertama kalinya aku berkemah di dunia berbahaya yang penuh monster dan makhluk aneh.

Waktu aku melangkah turun dari kereta dengan perasaan agak deg-degan, ketua rombongan petualang—pria dengan bekas luka besar di pipinya—menyodorkan sepotong daging bakar.

Kami menyewa dua kelompok petualang sebagai pengawal, dan mereka semua keliatannya tangguh-tangguh. Setengah dari mereka adalah penyihir tempur, dan dari sepuluh orang, dua di antaranya wanita. Yang satu bertubuh besar, petarung tipe warrior dengan otot padat. Satunya lagi penyihir kurus berjubah yang sama sekali tidak mirip petualang.

Pria tua di depanku ini namanya Orto Seat, petualang berpengalaman. Dia sudah malang melintang lebih dari dua puluh tahun, jadi terbiasa berurusan dengan berbagai macam klien. Makanya dia bisa bicara profesional meskipun kliennya adalah bocah 8 tahun sepertiku. Meskipun bahasanya kadang agak kurang hormat sih.

"Kerja bagus. Makasih sudah jaga perimeter. Jangan lupa istirahat bergantian."

Saat aku menjawab dan menerima daging itu, Orto menatapku dengan bingung, matanya berkedip-kedip.

"Ada apa?"

Mendengar itu, Orto terkekeh kecil dengan senyum kecut.

"Oh, nggak... nggak ada apa-apa. Baiklah, nanti saya kembali lagi untuk laporan."

Orto pamit pergi.

"Ada apa sih?" tanyaku.

Till mendengus bangga, "Ehehe."

"Bahkan petualang kasar sekalipun bisa melihat bakatnya Tuan Van. Yah, kalau pengalaman seperti saya, Tuan Van, saya bisa menyebut lebih dari seratus hal luar biasa tentang Anda! Hmph!"

Aku makin yakin kalau Till itu agak... unik. Yang bisa kulakukan cuma ketawa kering.

—

Setelah dua minggu perjalanan, akhirnya kami sampai di desa perbatasan yang diberikan padaku sebagai wilayah kekuasaan. Aku melewati empat kota besar dan kecil sejak meninggalkan ibukota, dan setelah kota kedua, kami terpaksa berkemah berkali-kali.

Kami bergerak lambat karena muatan barang berat. Kalau diperkirakan sehari menempuh lima puluh sampai seratus kilometer, berarti kami sudah berjalan sekitar lima ratus sampai seribu kilometer. Ini menunjukkan betapa luasnya wilayah Marquis. Kalau di Jepang, kami sudah melintasi tiga atau empat prefektur, tapi aku nggak yakin berapa tepatnya.

Dan pas aku lagi mikir gitu, kereta tiba-tiba berhenti sebelum sampai desa.

"Ada apa?"

Till bertanya pada Orto, dan dia menjawab dengan panik.

"Nggak baik! Keliatannya desa itu diserang!"

Mendengar itu, aku segera melongok ke luar jendela. Di depan kereta, Dee dan tiga pengawal lainnya sudah berjajar, siaga.

Di kejauhan, puluhan sosok mengepung desa. Pakaian mereka campur aduk, tapi semuanya bersenjata lengkap dengan berbagai bentuk zirah.

"Entah itu gerombolan bandit atau kelompok tentara bayaran nakal. Intel kita soal musuh hampir nggak ada. Tapi saya bisa lihat, sekilas aja, mereka paham cara bertarung."

Orto yang mendekat ke jendela kereta bilang gitu sambil mengerutkan kening. Para pengepung itu memanah dari jarak efektif maksimum, memastikan mereka mengambil risiko minimal. Desa dikelilingi pagar kayu tebal yang keliatannya kokoh, tapi nggak efektif banget lawan panah karena busur bisa melengkung melewatinya.

Dari celah-celah pagar, aku bisa lihat mata-mata penduduk mengintip, tapi mereka nggak bisa melancarkan serangan balik. Di depan gerbang desa, sederet pria berzirah tegar berdiri dalam barisan disiplin. Di belakang mereka, ada sosok-sosok yang kelihatannya penyihir.

Kalau penduduk desa tertekan dan nekat keluar, mereka bakal diguyur panah dan sihir. Nggak ada penduduk biasa yang punya inisiatif memecah kebuntuan. Satu-satunya pilihan mereka adalah bertahan di dalam tembok kayu, pasif kayak kura-kura.

"Tuan Van. Saya minta izin untuk bertempur! Kalau kita serang bareng, kita bisa menang!"

Musuh itu kelompok bersenjata dengan empat puluh sampai lima puluh orang. Bahkan kalau kita serang mendadak, apa kita sanggup lawan musuh yang kekuatannya nggak diketahui, dan jumlah kita kalah? Nggak, aku harus pertimbangkan kemampuan Dee dan para petualang yang di atas rata-rata. Mungkin kita bisa?

"Yah..."

Aku baru mau jawab, tapi Orto motong.

"Mohon tunggu. Itu terlalu berbahaya."

Orto memperingatkan, dan Dee menatapnya tajam dengan alis terangkat.

"Saya paham. Ini bakal berat, tapi bukan mustahil. Kita akan alami korban dan mungkin ada yang mati. Tapi kita punya kekuatan untuk mengusir mereka."

Orto menggeleng pelan saat Dee bicara dengan suara berat.

"Ini aturan saya. Saya nggak ambil pekerjaan yang bakal bikin anggota rombongan mati. Jadi petualang, kita terus-terusan dihadapkan situasi yang mempertaruhkan nyawa meskipun kita nggak mau. Makanya saya selalu bertindak buat minimalisir risiko. Kalau nggak, saya udah mati dari dulu."

Mata Dee makin tajam dengar jawaban Orto.

"Pasti akan tiba waktunya setiap orang harus mempertaruhkan nyawa. Waktunya sekarang. Desa ini adalah wilayah pertama tuan saya. Penduduk desa ini adalah rakyat pertama tuan saya. Saat rakyat tuan saya dalam bahaya, kita harus angkat pedang! Siapa lagi yang akan bersumpah membela wilayah tuan saya?!"

Dee menghunus pedangnya, tapi Orto tetap diam.

"Itu bagus, kode kehormatan ksatria, tapi itu urusan kalian. Bukan urusan kami. Bahkan kalau kalian bayar ekstra, kami bisa mati. Kalau sering bepergian, kalian bakal lihat desa hancur dan musafir diserang monster. Maaf, tapi situasi desa ini bukan pemandangan aneh."

"...Baiklah, saya nggak akan minta kalian bertempur di garis depan. Tolong, setidaknya pastikan keselamatan Tuan Van."

Waktu Dee bilang gitu, Orto setuju dengan enggan. Meskipun dia pasti bakal mundur saat ada ancaman yang bikin nyawanya melayang. Rencana sudah disusun.

Sampai akhirnya, Espada angkat bicara.

"Saya tidak setuju. Selain Tuan Dee, dua ksatria lainnya pasti mati. Artinya, Tuan Dee sendirian harus berhadapan dengan sekitar tiga puluh orang lebih, termasuk para penyihir. Menurut perhitungan saya, peluang kita sekitar 50-50. Kalau Tuan Dee juga mati, mustahil kita bisa menguasai desa bahkan kalau menang."

Espada menolak dengan nada dingin, bahkan bisa dibilang kejam. Dia sangat menentang petualang yang nggak ikut tempur di garis depan. Mata Orto ikut dingin mendengar pendapat itu.

"Saya udah bilang kami nggak akan bertempur di pertarungan berisiko begini. Lagian, rombongan kami bukan pihak yang harus bertempur. Kami akan rugi karena harus lindungi anak-anak dan kereta."

Espada melirik dingin ke arah Orto dan mengingatkannya.

"Meskipun kelihatan tua, saya juga penyihir empat elemen dengan bakat tanah. Ada banyak tanah terbuka di sini, jadi bantuan saya bisa diandalkan."

"Apa? Kamu bisa—? Nggak, bahkan kalau bisa..."

Espada menatap dangkal ke arah Orto yang termenung.

"Kami nggak akan ambil banyak risiko asal ikut rencana saya. Pertama, saya akan bangun tembok tanah pelindung. Lalu semua petualang melancarkan serangan jarak jauh dari balik tembok itu. Saat perhatian musuh terpusat ke kami, Tuan Dee dan timnya maju mengepung dari samping. Dengan strategi bertahap begini, peluang menang besar dengan korban minimal."

"...Apa tembok itu bisa lindungi kami dari serangan jarak jauh musuh? Kalau panah melengkung dari atas, habis kita."

"Kereta ini dilapisi plat besi di semua titik penting. Panah nggak akan masalah. Tujuan kita cuma menarik perhatian musuh dengan serangan pertama, kalian bisa mundur ke balik tembok begitu selesai. Itu cuma peran pendukung."

Aku agak nggak enak dengan strategi Espada. Aku nggak tahu seberapa efektif serangan pertama nanti, tapi tetap aja berbahaya buat yang terlibat. Kemungkinan mati masih tinggi. Tapi entah kenapa, aku percaya Espada bakal melakukan sesuatu.

"Espada, kau berencana tetap bertempur?"

Dia mengangguk, seolah itu sudah jelas.

"Tentu saja. Kalau saya nggak lanjut serang dari balik tembok sebagai umpan, Tuan Dee dan para ksatria akan mati sia-sia."

"Mengepung musuh itu taktik paling efektif. Aku sendiri pernah mempelajarinya. Tapi kalau rencana itu gagal, kau pasti mati sebagai umpan."

Saat aku bicara dengan suara keras, Espada tertawa—anehnya, dengan sangat alami.

"Akhirnya, saya bisa menunjukkan kebolehan dengan tulang-tulang tua ini. Tuan Van, saya hanya mohon, izinkanlah permintaan egois saya."

Chapter 8: To The Nameless Frontier Village

"Excuse me, Master Van. Your meal's ready."

In the middle of this long journey, I finally got to camp out for the first time. Well, not counting that time I slept in my car back on Earth. But this is my first time camping in a dangerous world where magical beasts and stuff actually exist.

When I stepped out of the carriage feeling kinda nervous, the leader of the adventurer group—the guy with a big scar on his cheek—handed me some roasted meat on a stick.

We'd hired two adventurer parties as escorts, and they all seem pretty tough. Half of them are combat mages, and two out of the ten adventurers are women. One's this big, warrior-type woman, all muscle and strength. The other's a skinny, robed sorcerer who doesn't look like an adventurer at all.

The older guy in front of me is a seasoned adventurer named Orto Seat. He's a solid dude who's been at it for over twenty years, so he's used to dealing with all kinds of clients. That's why he can talk professionally even when he's dealing with an 8-year-old kid like me. Though his honorifics are a bit off sometimes.

"Good work. Thanks for guarding the perimeter. Remember to rest in shifts."

As I reply and take the meat, Orto looks at me kinda confused, blinking.

"What's wrong?"

Hearing that, Orto chuckles lightly with a wry smile.

"Oh, no... it's nothing. Well then, I'll come back later to report."

Orto heads off.

"What was that about?" I ask.

Till puffs up proudly, "Ehehe."

"Even a crude adventurer can see Lord Van's talent. Well, if you're as experienced as I am, Master Van, I could name over a hundred amazing things about you! Hmph!"

I'm more convinced than ever that Till's... a bit off. All I could do was laugh awkwardly.

—

After about two weeks of travel, we finally arrived at the frontier village I'd been given as my domain. I'd passed through four towns, big and small, since leaving the capital, and after the second town, we were forced to camp out many nights.

We moved slow because of all the heavy luggage. Figuring we covered fifty to a hundred kilometers a day, we'd probably traveled around five hundred to a thousand kilometers. Really shows how vast the Marquis's territory is. If this were Japan, we'd have crossed three or four prefectures, but I'm not sure exactly how many.

And while I was thinking about that, the carriage suddenly stopped before reaching the village.

"What's going on?"

Till calls out to Orto, and he replies frantically.

"This isn't good! Looks like the village is under attack!"

Hearing that, I immediately looked out the window. Up ahead, Dee and the other three guards were already lined up in front of the carriage, on high alert.

Beyond them, dozens of figures surrounded the village. Their gear was all mixed up, but every one of them was armed, wearing some form of armor.

"Either a bandit gang or some rogue mercenary group. Our intel on the enemy's almost nonexistent. But I can tell, just from a glance—they know how to fight."

Orto, leaning close to the carriage window, told me that with a frown. The besiegers were firing bows from maximum effective range, making sure they took minimal risk. The village was surrounded by a thick, sturdy-looking wooden fence, but it wasn't much use against arrows since they could arc right over it.

Through gaps in the fence, I could see villagers' eyes peeking out at the attackers, but they couldn't risk a counterattack. In front of the village gate, a line of tough-looking armored guys stood in disciplined formation. Behind them, figures that looked like mages.

If the villagers cracked under pressure and rushed out, they'd be showered with arrows and magic. No ordinary villager could take the initiative and break the stalemate. Their only choice was to turtle up behind those wooden walls.

"Master Van. I request permission to engage! If we attack together, we can win!"

The enemy was an armed group of forty to fifty fighters. Even if we launched a surprise attack, could we really take on an enemy of unknown strength when we're outnumbered? No—I had to factor in Dee and the adventurers, whose combat ability was way above average. Maybe we could pull it off?

"Well..."

I was about to answer when Orto cut in.

"Please wait. That's too dangerous."

Orto warned, and Dee shot him a sharp look, eyebrow raised.

"I understand. It'll be hard, but not impossible. We'll take casualties—some might die. But we have the strength to drive them off."

Orto quietly shook his head as Dee spoke in a heavy voice.

"That's my rule. I don't take jobs that'll get my party members killed. As adventurers, we're constantly in situations where we have to risk our lives even when we don't want to. That's why I always act to minimize risk. If I didn't, I'd have died long ago."

Dee's eyes sharpened at Orto's response.

"There comes a time when everyone must risk their lives. That time is now. This village is my lord's first domain. These villagers are his first subjects. When my lord's people are in danger, we must draw our swords! Who else will pledge their blades to defend my lord's land?!"

Dee drew his sword as he spoke, but Orto didn't reach for his.

"That's fine chivalry and all, but it's none of our business. Even if you paid us extra, we could still die. When you travel, you see war-torn villages and travelers attacked by magical beasts. I'm sorry, but this village's situation isn't exactly unusual."

"...Fine, I won't ask you to fight on the front line. Please, at least ensure Lord Van's safety."

When Dee said that, Orto reluctantly agreed. Though he'd definitely retreat at the first sign of life-threatening danger. The plan was set.

Until Espada spoke up.

"I disagree. Apart from Lord Dee, the other two knights will definitely die. In other words, Lord Dee alone would have to deal with over thirty enemies, including the mages. As far as I'm concerned, our odds are around 50-50. If Lord Dee also dies, there's no way we'd secure control over the village even if we win."

Espada refused in a tone so cold it could be called ruthless. He was strictly against the adventurers staying out of the front-line fight. Orto's eyes turned cold at that opinion.

"I've already stated we won't fight in such a risky battle. Besides, our caravan isn't in a position to fight in the first place. We'd be at a disadvantage since we need to protect the kids and the carriages."

Espada gave Orto a cold glance and reminded him.

"Despite my ancient appearance, I'm also a four-element mage with earth aptitude. There's a lot of exposed ground here, so you can expect considerable assistance from me."

"What? You can—? No, even if you can fight..."

Espada stared impassively at Orto's contemplative expression.

"We won't expose ourselves to much risk as long as we follow my plan. First, I'll build a protective earthen wall. Then all adventurers launch ranged attacks from the safety of that wall. When the enemy's attention is focused on us, Lord Dee and his team make a flanking charge from the side. With this multi-step strategy, we have a good chance of winning with minimal casualties."

"...Can that wall protect us from enemy ranged attacks? If arrows arc over it, we're done."

"This carriage is lined with steel plates in all key areas. Arrows won't be an issue. Our only objective is to draw the enemy's attention with our first strike—you can retreat behind the walls immediately afterward. It's merely a supporting role."

I felt a bit uneasy about Espada's strategy. I didn't know how effective that first attack would be, but it'd still be dangerous for those involved. The chance of death was still high. But somehow, I trusted Espada would figure something out.

"Espada, you're planning to stay and fight?"

He nodded like it was obvious.

"Of course. If I don't continue attacking from behind the barrier as a decoy, Lord Dee and the knights will die a dog's death."

"Encircling the enemy is the most effective battlefield tactic. I've studied it myself. But if that plan fails, you'll certainly die as the decoy."

When I said that firmly, Espada laughed—oddly, completely naturally.

"Finally, I get to put on a show with these old bones. Master Van, I only ask that you indulge my selfish request."

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