The day after receiving her mission from Nina, Liza left Muno Castle before the sun had fully risen.
Tama and Pochi walked close to her, one on each side, with their weapons ready and their attention fixed on the road. Behind them advanced the unit assigned to the mission, a group of soldiers large enough to escort prisoners, secure supplies, and respond if any of the targets turned out to be more numerous than expected.
The previous night, Liza had reviewed the preparations with them.
She did not do everything herself. That would have been useless for a mission whose purpose was also to make the soldiers gain experience. Instead, she observed, pointed out mistakes, and let them correct those mistakes themselves. A poorly adjusted strap, a bag of bandages stored somewhere it would take too long to reach, rations distributed without considering who would carry more during a long march. They were small details, but on the road, small mistakes could become large problems.
The soldiers accepted her instructions seriously.
That was good.
Liza did not hold an official position within Muno's army. She was not a noble, a knight, or a commander appointed by the baron. However, her strength, discipline, and the way she had helped with their training over the past few days had made the soldiers respect her.
Liza walked at the front without turning around every moment. She could not watch every detail for everyone. She knew that. She had some knowledge of how to organize a group thanks to her life in the tribe, and she was used to giving orders to Tama and Pochi when they traveled together, but that was not the same as leading Muno soldiers on a real mission.
Even so, she could notice the basics.
Some spoke quietly among themselves. Others adjusted their weapons more times than necessary. One tried to look back toward the castle before straightening when Pochi watched him with curiosity.
"Are you okay?" Pochi asked.
The two nearest soldiers tensed.
"Y-Yes!... Um, everything is fine."
"…A little nervous, to be honest."
Both looked at each other.
Tama let out a quiet laugh.
Liza spoke from her position.
"It is normal to feel nervous before a mission," she said without stopping. "What matters is that you do not allow it to make you break formation."
The soldier who had admitted he was nervous swallowed.
"Yes, Instructor."
"Instructor."
That was how they had begun addressing her. At first, she had felt uncomfortable with the title and tried to make them call her by name, but after their insistence, Liza soon had to accept that the soldiers needed a way to address her.
The group continued advancing.
The road descended from the castle toward the nearby lands. At that hour, Muno had a softer color. The light of dawn touched the fields that were beginning to recover, the half-repaired houses, and the towers that still carried marks from the demon's attack. It was not a prosperous land, but it no longer looked completely frozen.
Liza thought about her master's task.
From the beginning, he had given them a clear role. They would be his bodyguards. They would deal with minor enemies so that he would not have to trouble himself with them. Later, after seeing him return wounded by the woman with the sacred sword, Liza had also sworn to him that she would be his strength when needed.
However, she had almost never been able to fulfill that role.
The enemies her master faced were not enemies she could remove from his path. Heroes, demons, legendary monsters, armies, and beings that escaped any common measure. Each time something like that appeared, Liza and the girls could only stay close, obey, and trust that he would return victorious.
There had been only one occasion when she felt she had truly fulfilled her role.
The nights when she went out with him to hunt bandits were among those few times. "Simple" enemies, threats she could actually face.
That was why it hurt when she learned that her master had been going out alone with Hans until she asked to accompany them.
Liza understood the reason. Her master had not wanted to trouble her or drag Tama and Pochi into unnecessary work. That consideration was part of his kindness. But to her, it was also proof of her own insufficiency. If her lord did not take her, if he preferred to resolve it with Hans or by himself, then perhaps he did not consider her necessary for that kind of task.
Not reliable.
Not yet.
Liza tightened her grip slightly around the shaft of her spear.
This time, she had to do it well.
Bandits, even in large numbers, were not enemies her master should trouble himself with. They were precisely the kind of obstacles she should remove before they came to stand in his way. If Muno needed to clean its routes and show that it could act, then Liza would use that mission to fulfill her own duty as well.
It was not enough to repay everything she had received.
But it was a task she could take into her own hands.
"Our destination should be farther ahead, after the bend in the road."
The soldier acting as guide checked the map before pointing out the route.
The target was located south of the main road, at an old roadside post that Muno's maps still marked even though it had not fulfilled its original purpose in years.
Liza nodded and raised a hand to slow the pace of the march.
"From here, we will proceed carefully. Do not speak unless necessary, and do not separate from the formation."
Tama advanced ahead.
Although all three of them had trained at the same time under Hans's guidance, each had received a different focus. Tama had been guided toward the role of scout, making use of her agility, precision, and stealth. Among them, she had the sharpest senses, so she was the most suitable for that position.
Liza stopped the march before the post came into direct view.
That was why Tama advanced alone.
She did not run in a straight line toward the post. She slipped through the tall grass, circled the road on the side where the bushes grew denser, and disappeared without drawing attention. Some soldiers tried to follow her with their eyes, but soon lost her among the movement of the leaves.
Pochi remained beside Liza, her shield fixed to her arm and an uncommon seriousness on her childish face. Her eyes followed the place where Tama had gone.
"You stay with me," Liza said.
"Yes, Sister Liza."
The answer was short, but Pochi straightened her back slightly when she heard it.
Unlike Tama, Pochi was not made to disappear before combat. When the time came, her place would be where the pressure was greatest, protecting the soldiers or breaking through the point Liza indicated. Until then, she had to wait.
The soldiers waited as well.
There were three dozen in total. Not all of them had the same experience, but they were not useless men thrown onto the road to fill numbers. Among them were several young soldiers, true, but also soldiers with years of service within Muno and a few veterans who had survived the barony's worst years.
None of them could compare to Liza in terms of strength, and that was the main reason she was in command, but the unit was not made up of simple novices.
Nina would not have wasted an important mission that way.
Liza could feel their gazes on her.
Expectation, doubt, and trust. She felt the weight of their emotions pressing on her shoulders. Although they had only known one another for a short time, their faith in her strength and in her feat against the demon alongside Tama and Pochi made them, in a certain way, a united group. That faith did not turn the soldiers into experts, but it made them obey quickly.
And in a mission like this, that could decide more than individual strength.
Tama returned shortly after.
She did not appear from the same place she had left. She emerged from the undergrowth to Liza's right, descending from a rock with a light movement.
Without needing a signal, she gave her report.
"There is a lookout above," she said quietly. "Another by the entrance. I saw three archers. Two on the roof and one in a broken window."
Liza listened without interrupting.
"How many?"
"Fifteen… maybe sixteen. There are boxes, and a covered cart inside the yard. There is also a back exit, among the bushes."
That was enough.
Liza looked toward the noncommissioned officer Nina had sent as second-in-command. He was a serious-faced man, older than most of the soldiers in the unit, with an old scar beside his jaw and the air of someone accustomed to obeying orders, but also to making others obey them. He was not the strongest among those present, but he was the most stable.
"Sergeant."
The man approached immediately.
"Instructor."
Liza pointed to the map with the tips of her fingers.
"The main entrance is here. The back exit is toward the bushes. If we attack only from the road, those inside will try to flee through the rear."
The sergeant nodded.
"That makes sense."
"We will divide the unit into four groups. You will take one and circle around to the rear with men capable of holding position without advancing too early. I need you to close the exit."
The sergeant looked at the soldiers and chose quickly.
As a man who had spent years in the militia, he knew many of those present, so he easily chose who would form the groups, as well as those who would accompany him.
He did not take only veterans. He mixed more experienced men with younger ones, so each group would have at least one person capable of staying calm and giving orders if the fight became disordered.
Liza remained silent during the process. She could command through strength and judgment, but there were things for which she simply was not ready. The sergeant's job was precisely to complement Liza in those shortcomings, to transmit her orders in more suitable language or simply fill in the details when necessary.
"Another group will block the road," Liza continued. "If anyone manages to leave through the entrance, push them back or stop them. Do not pursue beyond the marked point."
"And the main attack?"
"I will enter with Pochi and the third group. The fourth will remain on standby to assist wherever necessary."
The sergeant looked toward where Tama waited crouched beside the road.
"Will the young lady handle the lookout?"
Tama raised a small hand.
"I'll take care of it!"
Liza nodded.
"Tama will neutralize the upper lookout, and when she gives the signal, we will advance. During the battle, she will make things difficult for the archers."
The sergeant did not argue.
That also said something about him.
He might be older, and he might have more years within Muno, but he understood the difference in strength. In the field, Liza's authority came from the soldiers' view of her, so he would avoid contradicting her orders as much as possible. If she gave a clear order, he made it reach the others.
"You heard her," the sergeant said, turning toward the soldiers. "First group with me. Second group to the road. Third with the instructor. Fourth in support. Move quietly and wait for the signal."
The soldiers obeyed.
They moved until the place came into view.
It was a low building of stone and wood, built in other times so guards could rest, inspect goods, or change horses during long patrols. The roof still stood, though some boards had been replaced with wood of poorer quality. On one side, it had a dirt yard surrounded by a low palisade, reinforced with old carts, logs, and parts of doors torn from somewhere else. The main entrance faced the road, while the rear was pressed against the undergrowth, where the terrain descended toward a group of trees.
For a band that did not want to stay in one place for too long, it was a convenient location. It had a roof, shade, space to hide stolen goods, and a clear view of the route. They did not need to build anything of their own. It was enough to occupy it for a few days, attack careless travelers, and leave before an organized force arrived to respond.
That force was here now.
It was not perfect, but it was orderly. The men checked straps, adjusted shields, and split into groups without shoving each other or talking too much. The younger ones looked to the veterans before moving, and the veterans answered with short gestures to place them where they needed to be.
Liza observed the process.
They were not an elite, none of them. Neither the soldiers as a group nor she as a leader.
But they did not need to be, as long as they could listen, stay together, and trust that each part would fulfill its function. That should be enough for this mission.
Pochi moved a little closer to Liza.
"Sister Liza, should I take the initiative?"
"No. Wait until I indicate it. Stay with me until then."
"Understood."
Tama had already moved again.
This time, no one tried to follow her with their eyes.
The sergeant's group circled toward the undergrowth with restrained steps. The soldiers on the road occupied their position without getting too close to the main entrance. Liza waited until every group was where it needed to be, then took her spear and looked toward the old roof of the post.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then, the lookout above disappeared from sight.
There was no sound at all. He simply vanished from his place.
A small hand appeared over the edge of the roof, holding a dagger that reflected the sunlight and waved twice.
That was the signal.
Liza raised her spear.
"Advance."
The soldiers followed her order.
The group with her moved with shields forward and spears ready behind them, without running faster than necessary. Pochi walked at her side, holding the shield with both hands, attentive to any movement that might break the line.
The first bandit saw them when they were already too close to the entrance.
"Enemies!"
The shout stirred the yard of the post.
Some men stood up at once, others searched for weapons leaning against the walls, and one dropped a bag to the ground while trying to run toward the main building. The initial disorder lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough for Muno's unit to reach the entrance.
"Shields forward," Liza ordered.
The soldiers obeyed.
An arrow flew from a broken window of the building and struck one of the shields. The soldier who received it took a step back by instinct, but the man behind him placed a hand on his shoulder and kept him in position.
Good.
Liza did not need to correct him.
The second shot never came.
From the roof, Tama appeared behind the archer who was trying to aim again. The man did not see her until the string of his bow was cut with a clean pull.
"What a shame," Tama said, crouched on a broken beam. "It broke."
The archer turned toward her with wide eyes, but Tama was already no longer in the same place. She slid along the edge of the roof, passed behind him, and pushed him with both hands. The man lost his balance and fell into the yard, onto a pile of old sacks.
Tama did not go down to check the result.
She was already moving toward the second archer.
Liza entered through the main gate and allowed Pochi to move ahead.
Two bandits tried to block the soldiers' path, one with a short sword and the other with an axe. The first crashed against the shield line before reaching Liza. The soldier who received him resisted the impact, and the one to his right used the opening to strike the bandit's leg with the shaft of his spear. The bandit fell to his knees.
The second jumped when Pochi stepped in front of the formation.
She raised her shield.
The axe struck the reinforced surface with a dry sound. Pochi did not retreat. Her small body pushed forward with strength far beyond her size, and the bandit was sent flying into a wooden fence.
"I will protect the front," Pochi said, without taking her eyes off the enemy.
The nearby soldiers adjusted their positions.
Liza did not need to repeat the order.
The pressure at the entrance began to give way.
The bandits were not prepared for an organized unit. They were dangerous against travelers or merchants, but this was not a group of isolated victims. The men of Muno advanced with shields together, measured spears, and a clear order. They did not separate to chase those who retreated, they did not run into the center of the yard, and they did not leave open spaces between them.
That forced the bandits to fight where Liza wanted.
"Once more," she ordered. "Advance."
The line moved.
A Muno spear struck a bandit in the chest and forced him back. Another tried to slip under the weapon, but Pochi appeared in his path and knocked him down with the edge of her shield. A third threw a dagger at Liza from the side.
She tilted her head slightly.
The dagger passed beside her face.
Before the man could take another, the tip of Liza's spear struck his wrist. The weapon fell to the ground. Liza turned the shaft and hit him in the stomach with the wooden part, leaving him without air.
On the other side of the yard, a group of bandits tried to run toward the rear.
They did not get far.
The sergeant's group appeared among the undergrowth just as the fugitives reached the exit. They closed the path with shields and spears, as they had been ordered.
The bandits stopped.
One cursed and tried to turn back toward the yard, but when he did, he found Tama crouched on a fence, looking at him with a light smile.
"Hello~."
The man stumbled back before his vision blurred.
From the yard, another bandit fell to the ground after receiving a spear blow to the shoulder. The soldier who took him down let out a brief laugh, more from relief than mockery. The companion beside him also smiled.
But then the fallen bandit opened his eyes, pulled a hidden knife from beneath his sleeve, and thrust himself upward.
Pochi arrived before the attack could reach the soldier.
Her shield struck the bandit from the side and slammed him into the ground. The knife flew away and stuck into the dirt.
"Do not lower your guard," Pochi said, frowning in an attempt to show seriousness. "You have to hit them until they can no longer get up."
Her words were truly cruel for a girl of her appearance to say.
The two soldiers went rigid.
"Yes!"
Liza heard the answer without turning around.
Pochi had handled it well.
Although she was only sharing what she had been taught, her words did not seem to have humiliated or bothered anyone.
The battle continued.
This time, Muno's soldiers did not allow themselves to be carried away by confidence. They advanced more carefully, knocked down those who tried to resist, and pushed those who sought to escape toward the center. The fourth group, which had remained in support, began securing the fallen and moving weapons away from the ground.
The yard became increasingly narrow for the bandits.
Then the door of the main building opened.
The leader came out with a broad sword in hand.
He was a large man, with a messy beard and heavy shoulders, wearing a hardened leather cuirass over his chest. His body was robust and his face rigid, but if one paid attention, sweat ran down his forehead as he tried to look imposing. Then he saw the state of his men. His eyes quickly crossed the yard, passing over the soldiers, over Pochi, over Tama on the roof, until they stopped on Liza, the figure who had given the order.
The path toward her was strangely clear.
But instead of finding that strange, he saw an opportunity to get out of there. As someone accustomed to attacking and fleeing, he had no interest in protecting the men who had followed him until now.
If he could gain leverage over that girl, he thought, the unit would lose one of its pillars and he could take advantage of the confusion.
The man did not shout a threat. He gave no one time to react. One of his subordinates kicked a box forward to cut the line of sight between Muno's line and the building, and the leader moved behind that improvised cover.
It was a simple maneuver.
But effective against someone who was not paying attention.
Liza heard the box strike the dirt, the shift of weight behind it, and the sound of the sword coming from a low angle.
She did not move until the leader appeared at her side.
The sword was aimed at her neck.
For an instant, the man seemed convinced he had reached her.
Then the world spun.
He did not understand what had happened.
His sight lost the ground, found the sky, and then he saw his own body still leaning forward, with the sword extended toward the place where Liza had been a moment earlier.
Liza's spear was already in another position.
The movement had been too fast for his eyes.
The yard fell silent when his head landed on the ground beside his collapsed body.
Liza shook the blood from the blade with a sharp motion and raised her voice.
"Those who surrender will live. Refuse, and we will not hesitate to kill you!"
At first, no one moved.
The bandits looked at their leader's body, then at the rear exit closed by the sergeant, the entrance blocked by Muno's soldiers, Pochi with her shield raised, and Tama sitting on the edge of the roof with one of their broken bows in her hand.
The first one dropped his weapon.
Then another.
Then the rest.
"Secure the prisoners," Liza ordered. "Remove the weapons from the ground. Search the building in small groups. No one enters alone."
"Yes, Instructor!"
The soldiers moved immediately.
The sergeant entered the yard from the rear exit and began organizing his men to help with the wounded and the prisoners. The younger ones obeyed the instructions of the veterans, and the veterans followed Liza's without argument. Soon, everything the bandits had began to be separated in an orderly manner.
There were a few wounded, but no one had suffered serious injuries.
Liza swept her gaze across the yard while the soldiers searched the place. They found coins, blankets, tools, weapons, and several samples of merchandise. The covered cart was behind the main building, almost hidden beneath a stained tarp. Inside were more stolen objects, two small chests, and several packages wrapped in cloth.
"Everything will be taken back," Liza said. "Viscountess Nina will decide what is to be done with it."
The sergeant nodded.
"Understood."
Pochi approached Liza after checking that the soldiers she had protected were not wounded.
"Sister Liza, I protected the ones at the front. Everyone is fine."
"Well done."
Pochi straightened her back, visibly satisfied, though she tried to maintain a serious expression.
Tama descended from the roof shortly after. She did not jump directly to the ground, but used a broken beam, a fence, and a barrel to descend without making a sound. When she reached Liza, she raised the bow with the cut string.
"Mission accomplished!"
Liza looked at her.
"Good work."
Tama's smile became clearer.
Liza turned back to the soldiers.
"You did well too. You maintained formation, closed the exits, and followed orders."
Several straightened.
The praise was not long, but in Liza's voice, it was enough for the men to feel its weight.
The realization of their victory ran through them like a shiver.
"But remember: this is only the beginning. Whether in the mission or in battle, we must not lower our guard until we are certain of our victory. If you are wounded, someone else will carry the burden of your mistake."
"Yes, Instructor!"
Liza said nothing more.
There was no need.
The first target had fallen. The prisoners were secured, the merchandise recovered, and the route would open again once Muno sent a regular patrol to occupy or destroy that abandoned post.
It was a small victory.
But it was a victory for Muno.
Not only for Liza, Tama, and Pochi.
The soldiers had fulfilled their part as well.
Liza looked at the road extending beyond the post. There were still other targets, other groups, and other problems waiting among the damaged routes of the barony.
The next one might not be so easy, but even so, Liza would give everything she had to fulfill her duty.
She gripped her spear more firmly. Although she had not needed to push herself too hard this time, she would make sure to be ready for whatever came next.
"We are finished here. Prepare to move."
******
Author's Note:
As always, thank you very much for reading and continuing to follow the story.
There isn't too much I want to add this time. This chapter is the first part of Liza's mission, and I mostly wanted to show how she, Tama, Pochi, and the soldiers of Muno begin working together outside the castle.
I hope you enjoy this small event focused on Liza and the others.
That's all for now. Thank you again for your support, and see you in the next chapter.