Musou Knight: Crow of Cinders-Chapter 10: Interlude - Bug, the Witness

Chapter 10 - Interlude - Bug, the Witness

Bug had been serving as a conscripted soldier in the Invidia Army for 25 years and climbed his rank to the scout platoon. He and his comrades enjoyed the privilege of traveling and hunting in the woods.

They learned about the battle between their forces and the Avaritia Army not long ago, and they expected stragglers in the area. They were ready to rob or take advantage of commoners who had fled home because of the war.

It was 4 AM. The patrolling unit got up early. That day, Bug and his friends patrolled the woods as usual. However, they discovered an anomaly, namely, giant crows. They were so fat that they looked like chickens.

At first, they wanted to catch them and turn one of them into food, but the crows were too smart for their own good. They ran into the woods.

Bug and his companions continued their pursuit until they came across a humble dwelling belonging to a potter.

At first, Bug thought about raiding the artisan for spoils, but fat birds were rarer. After all, cooked birds could fill their stomachs, and they hadn’t eaten any meat for months.

Soon, they encircled a group of fat crows and were about to catch them, but his friends got distracted by the pottery and the potential wealth in the kilns.

Then, they unnerved an inhabitant. A young person wearing an Invidia vanguard troops uniform appeared.

Although their uniforms and leather armor shared a resemblance, there was a minor difference. They had on a green scarf with a frog design, while the young person was without their platoon scarf. This indicated two things: he might have lost it, or he was a deserter.

Bug believed it was the latter, as nobody was sane enough to abandon their scarves and linger in their territory. They would be asking to be arrested and punished for no reason.

Since the youth seemed inexperienced, Bug let his friends handle the deserter. He turned his attention to the panicking crows.

He didn’t pay attention to them. He simply overheard some quarrels.

"Just kill the fool and burn this place down. I saw a furnace and some pottery. We can sell some of these pots and vases."

"Right. Just kill everybody and get this over with."

Bug thought it was a logical conclusion. Robbing villagers, including their own side, was their privilege during wartime. He pondered the potential riches they could obtain afterward.

A weird sound broke his chain of thought. Hot wind blasted his face, and a strong shockwave knocked him flying backward as though a giant hammer smacked his stomach.

When Bug got up, his two friends nearby screamed.

"M-M-M-MUSOU?!"

"A MUSOU KNIGHT?! W-WHO ARE YOU?!"

Bug was alarmed. He didn’t get to see it clearly, but he realized it from the words of his friends. Without hesitation, he jumped off the ground and started running without looking back. His friends also panicked and ran.

Fortunately, the youth didn’t pursue them. The trio sprinted deeper into the woods until they ran out of breath.

While panting in exhaustion, Bug turned around and asked his friends.

"What was that?!"

His friend, Ant, replied, "Musou! What else?!"

"Musou?!"

Bug had never seen a Musou knight in action, but he heard rumors. Witnesses described the musou knight’s special powers as magic, capable of bringing about either ruin or wonder.

He remembered how a mysterious shockwave knocked him flying. He touched his stomach and still felt the burn. As Bug looked down, he saw his charred skin and his burned leather armor, which was still on fire.

Upon realizing the fact, Bug shuddered and discarded his burning clothes. He turned to his friends, who were in a similar condition. This situation was not something they could manage.

"L-L-Let’s report this to the lord," Ant suggested.

"Are you crazy?!" Bug refuted. "That’s a knight! A MUSOU KNIGHT! You mess with them, they will hunt you down and your seven generations! Have you seen what the prince’s knights did to Dube Village because a drunk idiot stole a knight’s ration?"

The men shivered as they recalled the heads of villagers on poles in front of the burnt town.

Ant swallowed his saliva and asked. "T-Then, what should we do?!"

Bug thought about it and came up with an idea. "We keep this incident a secret."

"B-B-But the dead."

"If anybody asks, tell them we ran into Avaritia scum and they died fighting! As for that knight..."

Bug thought about the mysterious youth and gnashed his teeth. He couldn’t think of a better solution.

"We’ll spread a rumor that Avaritia sent a knight to spy on us in this area. Let the other knights handle this!"

"Oh! You’re a genius! You should work as a strategist!"

Bug faked his laughter. He clenched his injured stomach and suggested. "Let’s head back and get ourselves treated."

"Yeah..."

The three dragged their feet back to camp.

.

Invidia Fortress City, Frogine, served as a forward base against the Avaritia Faction during the conflict. This fortress, defended by 20-meter high stone walls in a star formation and musou knights, was considered impregnable.

The Invidia used this fortress as a launchpad for their attacks on the Avaritia, a weaker faction. After the initial battle, the Invidia emerged triumphant, and they built several military bases to push the war into Avaritia’s territory.

The scout camp for Bug was situated on the western edge of Frogine, one kilometer north of Studium’s abode.

Bug returned to the half-empty base only to find another scout team, which shared the same camp. Their team leader, Mite, was Bug’s rival.

Mite noticed Bug’s haggard state and laughed.

"Ha! Look at you! Did you run into the Avaritia? I thought you claimed that you were close to becoming a squire. Now, you’re more like a beggar!"

Bug couldn’t help but be offended. He yelled back, yet he followed through with his initial plan.

"Oh, please. You would have been in worse shape! They even bring a Musou knight!"

"Pfft! Yeah, right. Excuses! A musou knight? If they really sent one, you would have been dead! No way you could have run!"

"...You."

Ant helped his team leader. "Captain Mite. We really ran into a Musou knight!"

"Heh. Keep lying. Your team fucked up, and you’re trying to hide your mistakes. So, is this what your team has left? Three people?"

Bug glared at Mite. He did his job, even though Mite didn’t believe him. However, Bug swore that he would report his ’story’ to the platoon leader later to get out of trouble.