Ishak Irshad is alive. And he's coming to attack Asbi with the enemy army, Zaad thought deeply.
"Does Father know?"
"I've already sent the bird Abysska. If there are no problems, it should arrive at Magraf yesterday or today."
"I see."
Zaad took the pot down and placed it on a thick cloth. Then he put the kettle on the stove.
"So, what did he do? Why is Jean here?"
"That Hamid reported that Smilkia pirates had come. They were rampaging around in a language he didn't know, so Father took this seriously and ordered Jean to confirm what they were saying."
"Well, Jean is certainly the only one who can speak Smilkia. So? Were they really violent?"
"No. On the contrary, there were only 20 pirates in question, and they were far from strong, they were worse than trash. Even Jean said they didn't have the skills to attack Asbi, so he said this was probably a trap. I think he was right."
"Hmm."
Salam looked at Hamid, whose face had already turned white.
"Do you understand that death is the only penalty for traitors in the Tareq family?"
"I-I didn't betray..."
Thud!
The moment Salam spoke, Hamid desperately denied it. But before he could finish the sentence, he collapsed. His head was lying on the floor.
"Clean it up."
Zaad said briefly, looking at Hamid lying on the floor. His men carried Hamid's body outside. Several of them wiped the blood on the floor and silently cleaned it.
More importantly, Salam moved so fast that Jean was done in the blink of an eye.
"Are you surprised, Jean?"
Zaad asked, and Jean nodded.
"Is it okay to kill him suddenly?"
"No problem."
Salam answered immediately. He put the knife back on the desk, drew water from the well, and washed his hands.
"Did you not ask who he teamed up with and why he betrayed us?"
"Looking at this turn of events, I can see who he teamed up with. The reason he betrayed us is probably because of money or a woman. Even if he was manipulated by false information and reported it as it was, it shows his incompetence. But that's not our problem."
Zaad said as he handed Salam the knife he used to cut Hamid's head, then put tea leaves into the boiling kettle.
"But there's no reason to let Hamid live after he betrayed us. His betrayal will put us and our men in danger from now on."
"Yes, I think so."
When Jean nodded, Zaad smiled.
"Let's eat when we're done. Salam, how many people are in your squad?"
"10 people, excluding me."
When Zaad asked, Salam answered while drying the washed knife on a nearby cloth.
"We're going to have a war soon, so if we don't eat properly, we won't be able to survive."
"That's right."
Salam held back Jean's hand as he tried to put the candy in his mouth, and wrapped it in paper again.
"Jean, you can't eat candy before meals."
"You put it there, so Jean is eating it."
"Sorry."
When Zaad retorted, Salam said with a look of remorse. Jean looked at the candy with regret and just nodded.
"At this rate, this amount of food won't be enough. Shall I make another one?"
Zaad took out another pot from the shelf and started cooking again. Salam took out plates from the shelf and served them one after another. He placed them in front of Jean, one for himself, one for Zaad, and some for the people in the room who were on Zaad's Squad.
"Brother Zaad, you're a good cook."
It was very delicious, Jean thought and started eating. Hearing Jean's words, Zaad laughed.
"Men have to be able to cook, you know?"
"Huh? Why?"
"It's important to make safe food like this, but when you get home, it's also a man's job to cook for his wife and children, you know?"
"Doesn't Sister Zainab cook?"
"Huh?"
Zaad tilted his head.
"Is cooking a woman's job in Archia?"
When Zaad asked, Jean tilted his head.
"My sisters are all trying their best to learn how to cook. They said that when you marry, you must cook independently. Is that wrong?"
"Hmm."
Zaad tilted his head as he chopped onions.
"In Urda, married women have only three jobs. Serve your husband, give birth to children, and raise them. And also her husband must provide her with assets and other things if she asks. When I'm away, my servants do what I should do for my family."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. And if a wife does housework and cooking, it's a blessing, but a husband can't force her to do it. If she does it for her husband and children, he should accept it as her conscience and be grateful."
"Yes. But what happens if the man doesn't do the housework or cook?"
"The woman can apply for a divorce. It was her father who made her marry an incompetent man, so it's his father's responsibility to divorce her. If there's no father, it's fine to ask a brother or relative."
"Hmm, yes."
"So, for your future, you should learn to cook too. When you return home, ask Father, and he'll do something about it."
"I understand."
"Well, eat."
"Yes."
As Zaad says this, Salam smiles and looks at Jean.
"That's what it is, Jean."
"Yes. But can you cook, Brother Salam?"
"Yes, I can."
"But why are you not going to get married?"
"I won't marry a woman unless I like her."
"What kind of woman?"
"I don't know."
"That's weird."
"Weird... hahaha."
Salam laughed and put food in his mouth again. Zaad just laughed and finished cooking. After Zaad and his men finished their meal, they listened to Salam's report and made a plan.
"Oh by the way..."
Salam called out to Jean who was playing with a candy. Since Jean had been eating sweets since this morning, the candy had become just a toy after Zaad had forbidden him to eat it. Seeing Jean looking a little depressed, Salam could only smile bitterly.
"I have something good for Jean."
Salam said as he went outside. After a while, he returned and brought a long thing wrapped in cloth.
"You brought a gun?"
"Uh-huh."
Zaad asked with a stunned look on his face, and Salam nodded.
"I brought it with me, hoping to kill him from a distance, but I couldn't find his location. And when I found out where he was, it was too late. They had already boarded the ship."
Salam nodded, unwrapped the gun, and handed it to Jean.
"You can use this, Jean."
"What?!"
"What do you mean with 'What?!'? This is an important role."
Jean blinked and looked at Salam, who pinched his nose with a serious look.
"Oh, yes. But is it okay?"
"If it wasn't okay, I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place."
Jean took the gun with a hesitant look when Salam said that. Salam placed a bag of bullets in front of Jean.
"Well, let's clean up a bit before they arrive."
"I've already had the Smilkia pirates clean up."
"Everyone?"
"Yeah."
Zaad said, drinking tea.
"You should leave at least one person behind."
"Go to rest. Your squad should rest too. Use the room on the second floor."
"..."
"I'm letting my squad rest in the afternoon, so you go first."
As Zaad said this, Salam nodded silently and gave instructions through the window. As Salam's squad members entered one after another, Jean waved to them with a smile. They smiled, bowed silently, and went up to the second floor of the building with Salam.
"Are you on good terms with anyone?"
"Well. I don't know much about that, but I've been with them before."
"Was it during Ishmaya time?"
"Yes."
Jean nodded.
"Brother."
"What?"
"May I take this gun apart?"
"Why?"
"To check it out. I will use it, so I'm worried if I don't check if it's in good condition."
"Then do as you like."
Zaad answered immediately.
"If there's anything you need, just tell me."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean nodded, took out his dagger, and immediately disassembled the gun instead of using it as a tool. With a practiced look, Jean arranged the disassembled parts in order. That way, Jean said, there would be no confusion. He began to clean the disassembled gun.
"Is that how you do it?"
"Yes."
Jean wiped the traces of gunpowder clean and made fine adjustments.
"You're used to it, aren't you?"
"Yes, I do."
Jean reassembled it as he said that. Zaad thought it was an impressive skill.
"I did it as a toy."
"Did you learn it from your grandfather?"
"Yes."
Jean nodded.
"Sometimes I played with my brother."
"Which brother?"
"My third brother."
Zaad wondered if that was the one with the same eyes as Sabir Efrad.
"Can he use a gun too?"
"Yes, he can."
Jean answered obediently.
"Brother Vesta is much better with a gun than I am."
"I see."
"We once went boar hunting together. He took down a running boar with two shots. I was still small, so I didn't do it."
When Jean said that, Zaad couldn't help but smile. Zaad wanted to say Jean was still small even now, but he didn't.
"There are no boars in Urda. But there is plenty of trash like boars. No, sorry, that's rude to boars. They are less than boars."
"Um, yes."
Jean somehow understood what he meant.
"Do you want to try out that gun?"
"Is it okay to use it in this village?"
"No problem."
Zaad looked at the gun, which had already been restored, and took the bullet bag.
"Well, I'll take you up on your offer, and go."
Jean nodded and stood up. As he tried to take the gun, which was bigger than him, Zaad laughed, took the gun, and put it on his shoulder. Then he took Jean on his arm and headed for the olive grove behind the mansion.
A few days later, the feared situation occurred. Asward Zaim, a cousin of Zaid's relative Osman Tareq, who had received the call, was standing next to Zaad, watching the army coming to attack the village from the roof of his house. The Tux troops on horseback drew their swords and headed straight for them.
"Will the reinforcements arrive in time?"
"I hope so."
Zaad said briefly. For now, the only fighting force was the men of the village. Salam reported that the enemy was coming from the sea, so Zaad ordered Salam's squad and the village's men to the port. The women and children there fled to the Zaim family mansion.
"Did you see them, Jean?"
"Yes, Brother."
Zaad called out to Jean, who was looking through the rifle scope.
"Can you reach them from that distance?"
"Yes, I can."
"Then fire!"
"Okay."
Jean took aim and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
It hit, Zaad thought as he looked at the fallen Tux troops.
Jean took aim at the next enemy and shot. Asward Zaim gasped as he saw what was happening. A young child with an unknown weapon shoots and kills enemies at a distance with a blank look on his face.
Jean loaded his gun again, drew his bolt action gun, and aimed at the enemy. One by one, the enemies collapsed from their horses. Zaad thought that his accuracy was good, and looked around. It was easy to do because of these tall buildings.
"Oh, sorry, I missed."
"Don't worry about it. We'll handle the enemies who reach the village, so you just need to reduce their numbers."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean loaded his gun again and aimed at the enemy again. When empty cartridges piled up near Jean, one of Zaad's subordinates quickly put them in another bag.
"Prepare the arrows."
"Yes!"
Zaad said, and the subordinate nodded and signaled from the top of the building. Then several men drew their bows.
"Shoot."
"Shoot!"
At that signal, countless arrows were fired from the village, raining down on the Tux army. Most arrows were poisoned, so even a single graze would cause fatal damage.
It was almost instant death.
Clack!
Jean loaded another bullet and aimed at the enemy.
"Can you see the man wearing shining armor on the left?"
"Yes, is that a big guy?"
"Yes. That man is the general. Can you aim?"
"Yes. Should I shoot him?"
"Shoot."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean aimed and pulled the trigger. The bullet was fired straight and hit the face that was not covered by armor. The enemy fell off his horse and as he flew up, the second shot came. The man fell and stopped moving.
"Brilliant."
Zaad couldn't help but smile and praise Jean.
"Do you still have any bullets?"
"I still have some."
"Until you run out of bullets, reduce the number of enemies as you see fit."
"Yes."
Jean nodded and shot again at the enemy army whose general had died. Asward Zaim, watching this, just blinked.
Too frightening, Asward thought. Is this the power of the Tareq family? He wondered.
After this battle, he must make a bond with the Tareq family. He needs this bond no matter what, Asward thought.
"The enemy has fled."
Asward said, and Zaad nodded.
"Continue attacking, Jean. Aim for people with glittering hats or armor."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean nodded and shot again at the enemy. The bowmen continued to shoot until their attacks were no longer reaching them.
"Stop the arrows. They're no longer reaching."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Zaad said, and his subordinate quickly gave a signal. Then the storm of arrows stopped. While Zaad's troops with bows and arrows descended from the rooftops to retrieve their arrows, the village men ran around the village with their weapons. They carefully checked to see if there were any enemies.
"Is there any movement from Armiya Port?"
"We saw smoke signals."
Zaad asked, and his subordinate quickly confirmed.
"Jean, stop firing for now. How many bullets are left?"
"15 more left."
"Then don't fire anymore. The enemy has already fled far away."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean nodded.
"The range is long."
"Yes, it is."
Asward said, and Jean nodded.
"What kind of weapon is that?"
"It's a gun."
"It looks like a good weapon. But it looks difficult to use..."
"It's certainly difficult. That weapon isn't something that just anyone can use. It's a dangerous weapon."
Zaad answered Asward's question.
"But I can't believe your younger brother can use it..."
"He's special. He's a very talented younger brother."
Zaad said, looking at Jean with the bullets in his pocket, and nodded.
"Lord Zaim, can I leave this place to you?"
Zaad asked, and Asward Zaim nodded.
"It's probably okay now. Thank you."
"You can thank me after we win. There are still enemies out there. We're going to the port now."
Zaad took the gun from Jean's hand and put it on his shoulder. One of his subordinates retrieved the empty cartridges and nodded to Zaad. Zaad picked up Jean and jumped off the tower, moving from one to the next.
Asward thought it was a brilliant acrobatics, and instructed the villagers one after another.
"We can see the port soon."
"Yes."
Zaad said, and Jean nodded.
"The ship has docked at a distant location."
There are four ships in total, Zaad thought. Salam's team was already engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy that had landed.
"Can we aim from here?"
"Go ahead a little further. That building is in the way."
"Okay."
Zaad said, searching for a tall building. When they reached the roof of a tall building, Jean quickly took the gun from Zaad and took out five bullets from his pocket.
Jean loaded the bullets, pulled the bolt action, and looked through the rifle scope.
"I can't see the general."
"You don't have to shoot the small fry. Can you aim at the person piloting the ship?"
"Yes."
"Can you reach them from here?"
"Yes."
"Then fire!"
"Yes, Brother."
Zaad gave orders, and Jean took aim and fired. One by one, Zaad confirmed that the men had collapsed. The next ship's captain-like man was also hit by a bullet fired from a long distance and collapsed. And the last one collapsed, along with the captain and the man near him.
Jean loaded it again and pulled his bolt action.
"What next?"
Jean asked, Zaad was looking at the ships. Zaad's men had already fired arrows, shooting down the enemies entering the village. The local villagers stood back and set up their damage.
"Can you shoot a ship with a gun?"
"It's difficult. If you want to destroy a ship, use a cannon."
"A cannon?"
Zaad thought deeply. Then he shifted his gaze back to the ship.
"A horse got off the ship."
"Can you aim?"
"Yes."
Jean nodded.
"Do you see that silver decoration?"
"Yes."
"That's the general."
"I'll shoot."
Jean said, and Zaad nodded, looking at the enemies getting off the ship.
Bang! Bang!
The enemy, wearing silver decorations, fell off his horse with the sound of two consecutive shots.
"Did you hit him?"
"I don't know."
"Then shoot again."
"Yes."
Bang!
The sound of a gun rang out again.
"The other horses are in the way."
"Don't shoot for a while."
"Yes."
"Seven shots left?"
"Yes."
Jean nodded. He just maintained his position and watched the outcome of the battle. The remaining seven shots would only be enough to kill seven people at most, so they were not very useful in a battle like this.
"The enemy is streaming in."
"Yes."
Jean said, and Zaad nodded. And when he gave the signal, Zaad's team who had bows and arrows, immediately drew their bows. Ten arrows were fired from one bow, and the enemy was quickly whittled down.
"Brother Salam is surrounded."
"Can you use that gun to shoot at the enemies surrounding Salam?"
"Yes, I can. But only seven at most."
"Seven is fine. If you can, do it."
"Yes, Brother."
Jean nodded.
"I'll shoot."
When Jean said that, Zaad nodded. He watched where Salam was, and watched as the enemies around Salam fell one after another.
What an incredible hit rate. His skill must be a natural talent, Zaad thought.
"I'm out of bullets."
"Okay."
Jean reported, and Zaad nodded. On the other side, Salam looked at where they were for a moment, waved, and Zaad smiled. One of Zaad's subordinates, who had collected the empty cartridges, took a bow and arrow set and handed it to Jean.
"Fight with your bows and arrows for a while."
"Yes, Brother."
Zaad said, and Jean nodded.
"Young Master, a unit that seems to be reinforcements has appeared from the north."
"Who's holding the flag?"
"Abbas Irshad."
Abbas Irshad is an assassin, the eldest son of the main Irshad family, and Ishak Irshad's half-brother. Now that Ishak Irshad's betrayal has been revealed, Zaad doesn't know what Abbas Irshad's intentions are in coming here, so he wants to avoid contact as much as possible. He thinks he is an enemy to be wary of.
"Is the chief Jahir there?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll leave the defense of the west to them. We'll just have to protect the port."
"I understand. I'll tell him."
Zaad's subordinate bowed his head and hurried to the north. Zaad took the bow and arrow his subordinate handed him and shot an arrow at the enemy.