We arrived at the Shire after riding at full speed for several hours. We left the horses in a safe place. I didn't tie up Shadomane's saddle because there was no need. We had been together for ten years, and even though it was a bit sarcastic, I knew I could trust him. Halt didn't tie Aberlard's saddle either. The forest rangers' horses are specially trained, and no one who doesn't know the code can ride them. I wish mine was like that. Don't get me wrong—no man can ride Shadowmane, but MEN CAN'T. When a beautiful woman comes around, he doesn't say a word. He actually enjoys it. This had caused me a lot of trouble before.
"Shadowmane…"
" Yes, darling?"
"Please don't fall for a woman's charm, PLEASE!"
He gave me a strange and dismissive look.
"Do you think I'm some sort of fool? I'm a loyal horse! I am the noblest of knight's horses! How could I—"
"Look, a beautiful woman is riding a lovely mare."
He quickly turned his head.
"WHERE!?" he seemed to shout. Then he froze like a statue, his head slowly turned towards me, and I had a very dark expression on my face. I thought for a moment if I should sell his meat.
Halt laughed so hard beside me that he was almost falling over.
"HAHAHA… I haven't laughed this much in a long time. My stomach hurts!"
He could barely stop himself from laughing.
"PLEASE STOP LAUGHING," I said, with an even darker look. Turning to Aberlard, I said, "Mr. Aberlard, I'm leaving Shadow in your care. In return, I'll give you 3 kilos of top-quality apples. Please take good care of him."
Halt grinned and said, "The forest rangers' horses are special. Only the owner can—"
Aberlard cut Halt off, letting out a loud whinny and giving me a look that said everything: "Leave it to me. He won't be going anywhere. The apples better be ready."
"Deal," I said, grinning at Halt.
Halt's face turned darker, and he turned to Aberlard.
"You're supposed to be on my side. This is treason! It's a clear violation of the forest guards' protocol. Where's your honor?"
Aberlard rolled his eyes and gave me a look of disdain. He was saying, "Please! You're talking as if I defied the king's orders by telling the Redmont cook about the royal feasts before they were announced in exchange for a small cake! Stop bullying the young ones. Then, when you're the target, you cry on my back."
Halt's face grew even darker, and I started to laugh. "Ha! Karma! The noble forest ranger silenced by his own horse! HAHAHA…"
Halt growled, "Let's get going."
It was evening by the time we reached the Shire, which meant the dwarves had already started their feast. We asked for directions to Bilbo Baggins' house, but we weren't the only ones asking...
"Good day, Mr. Hobbit. Could you tell me where Bilbo Baggins' house is?"
The stout hobbit smiled at me and asked, "Why are so many dwarves and humans looking for Mr. Bilbo's house?"
"I'm a guest of the grey wizard Gandalf, and I came to see him and the dwarves with him."
"AAH! The firework wizard Gandalf!?"
Actually, he's a sword master. The wizardry part is just camouflage. I smiled and said, "Yes."
The hobbit grinned and said, "The ones who came before you were also asking about dwarves. At first, I didn't understand, but it seems they went to meet Gandalf too."
Strange, because Gandalf should have given directions to the dwarves, and I'm sure no one else had asked for directions for the sake of secrecy.
I furrowed my brows. "Were the ones before us dwarves?"
"No, they were humans."
My frown deepened, because in the main story, Gandalf was the only human in the group.
"Mr. Hobbit, were these humans looking for Gandalf, or the dwarves?"
"They were asking about a group of dwarves, and their leader's name was Borin Oakleaf."
"Thorin Oakenshield!"
The hobbit laughed. "Yes, him. I must be getting old."
I wasn't laughing. I kept my composure and asked, "Mr. Hobbit, did these humans have any distinguishing features? What do you remember? This is important!"
I asked in a more serious tone, and Halt, seeing my change in demeanor, stopped being so relaxed and became as serious as a bowstring.
The hobbit furrowed his brows, thinking. After a moment, he spoke. "Hmm... let me think... They were rough, burly men, armed and looked like bandits. Oh, I remember! They had a silver jackal emblem on their clothes, and there were eight of them. They came separately."
"Thank you very much, Mr. Hobbit, for this valuable information. Here's two top-quality bottles of wine from Bree."
The hobbit beamed. "Always, sir!"
We parted ways with the hobbit, and Halt spoke.
"It's only been a day since we met, and we've already run into so much trouble. Will and Gilan would've loved you. So, what are we doing?"
I thought for a moment, not paying attention to Halt's teasing. Now, everything was falling into place. At first, I thought Saruman had tipped off Azog, but it seemed like the group had already been exposed before we even left.
"Halt…"
"Hmm?"
"We're going hunting. We can only find the group after we deal with these men…"
My head ached. We hadn't even set out yet, and we were already in this much trouble. Thorin's bounty alone was high enough. Add the reward for his nephews, and you could claim a piece of Gondor's safe lands and even build a town. The journey wouldn't be as calm as in the movie.
"Heh! I was starting to worry that our noble knight and future king might chicken out. What are you waiting for, princess? Let's go," he teased.
"…We should spar one of these days, old man," I said coldly, but my hands were clenched into fists, trembling. I really wanted to hit him!
Halt just chuckled and shrugged, saying nothing.
… Halt and I separated and began to watch around Bilbo's house. Although the house looked like the one in the movie, it was only a resemblance; I didn't remember it clearly. After the Hobbit film came out, I watched it countless times, but I've only seen The Lord of the Rings a few times, so I don't remember much outside of a few scenes. Anyway, I didn't get too close to the house but started inspecting the surroundings from a distance. I also checked where the dwarves' horses were. Unlike us, they had tied them to a grove in the Hobbit town. At first, there was nothing around, but to the north of the horses, there were two people, and to the east, one person was watching the horses. I don't think they would directly oppose Thorin and his group. Thorin Oakenshield is already a famous figure, and his team includes the wizard Gandalf, who is known for his magic. Kili and Fili have been active mercenaries for a long time, Dwalin and Balin are old soldiers with some reputation. The Jackals aren't stupid, the ones who attacked me in Bree were mediocre – they weren't even entry level, they thought they could beat me by relying on their numbers, but they were very wrong. It's ridiculous that a group of rookies think they can defeat a intermediate - peak level knight.
I moved silently through the forest, my full plate armor heavy, so my steps were slow and steady. It was evening, and some Hobbits were drinking and singing outside the grove, which worked to my advantage. I went behind one of the Jackals standing in the bushes and broke its neck.The one 7 meters to the left of him, I locked in an armbar and strangled him. My forest training from my military days came in handy; it had saved my life many times. Military service is compulsory in my country, so I wanted to finish it before university. My year of training has been very useful. I knocked out the person to the east, tied him up, and threw him over my shoulder. I hope Halt has quietly dealt with the three people in the town.
---Halt's Perspective---
This is an interesting world. Though some information has been implanted into my memory, there is still so much I need to see and learn. I know orcs; they resemble wargs, but they are more savage and organized. During the war with the wargs, when Horece killed Morgrath, the wargs went out of control and scattered like a swarm of bees. Despite their ugliness, they were a race living in the mountains, few in number. But orcs are another story; they breed quickly. Ten orcs could turn into 80 in three months, and their growth rate is rapid. In just one year, they can become strong enough to fight humans. Orcs are divided into different types. Regular orcs and uruk-hai are standard infantry, and they can grow from rookie level to mid-tier. Half-orcs are more dangerous. These orcs are the result of breeding with women they capture from humans, elves, and even dwarves, and they are smarter. They can rise from rookie level to elite. Their intelligence is sharper than the first two types. The three most troublesome orc types are as follows: The Great Orcs, which are larger, faster, smarter, and more savage than regular orcs and half-orcs. Their skin is red. It takes one year for a Great Orc to become ready for battle, starting at mid-tier and potentially reaching a professional level. There are also frost Great Orcs and dark Great Orcs. They are similar types but with different qualities. Elves, on the other hand, are a different topic. Their fighting style resembles that of forest rangers, but I can't say for sure without seeing it. They are also very long-lived, and speaking of long life, it seems like I'll live for over 200 years. Let's see what life has in store for me.
As for the young man who brought me into this world, my first impression isn't bad, and I've been allowed to see some information about him. He can be kind-hearted and gentle when needed, but he is also cruel and cunning when necessary. His interrogation in Bree wasn't that of a knight; it was more like a forest ranger's, or even a torturer's style. I've always been against judging someone based on second-hand sources, so we'll get to know each other over time, and I'm curious about what surprises he will bring. Also, the people I care about will come to this world through him, but royalty will be excluded, as extra royal families only bring trouble when establishing a kingdom. Maybe Duncan and his family will be the exception because they have no eyes on the throne. Duncan was a man who never enjoyed life; he was always busy with state affairs and didn't like having others do his work. That's why he was a good king, and the people loved him. Ha! Also, he would be jealous of me. I could have been a king like him, but I refused. It wasn't for me. I loved the forest rangers and my cabin in Redmount. Being locked in a room would drive me mad. For that, I thank my intellect. If I hadn't tricked Crowley and made him commander, my life would have been unbearable.I realized I had to avoid him for a long time when he understood this, but it was worth it.
Now, I'm walking in the town, looking for spies. I spotted one in a hidden position overlooking the entire market. I bought some wine, swirled it in my mouth, and acted drunk, stumbling and singing as I approached him.
"'Hick' what a beautiful night 'hick' what a beautiful moon 'hick' Gilan come chase me! 'hick'."
"Get lost, you trash!"
"Hello, my dear friend, 'hick' isn't the night beautiful? 'hick'."
"GET LOST!"
"Ah 'hick' don't say that, let me show you a magic trick 'hick'."
The man stopped, curious, and asked skeptically, "You? What kind of magic are you going to show me?"
"I can show you the stars up close."
The man looked at me suspiciously, "Really?"
I smiled and said, "Yes, and just for tonight, free of charge!"
The man hesitated for a moment but gave in to his curiosity. "What should I do?"
I smiled innocently, "Sit down, cross your legs, my dear friend, and close your eyes."
He did as I said and asked, "What should I do now?"
I pretended to take a sip from the bottle, then said, "Empty your mind and take a deep breath."
He breathed in, and I smashed the bottle over his head.
The man swayed back and forth for a moment before saying, "...beautiful and cute stars..."
I snapped his neck and placed him in an empty barrel. "Two left."
I found the second one in a small Hobbit tavern. These hobbits are truly unique creatures, their footsteps are nearly silent, small and inconspicuous. They could naturally be forest rangers, but their build is weak, and even if they use bows, they can only use a bow of up to 90 kg strength.
The second man was sitting in the darkest corner of the tavern, drinking and watching the area. I sneered, 'Heh! A rookie drinking while on duty, wait a minute! Is that pie on the table?'
Sitting at the table across from me, a young hobbit was eating an apple pie. And my biggest weakness is pies and pastries. Once my wife discovered this weakness, she would solve any issues I rejected with pie and cake, and she could make me dance on her finger. As they say, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. After retiring, do you wonder why I gained weight?
I glanced at the pie, and two thoughts clashed in my head: 'You've been traveling for a day; you need to eat something' and 'But I'm on duty!' 'A slice of pie won't ruin the mission' 'No! I'm a proud forest ranger, the young knight trusts me; I can't do this!' I struggled for a minute, then walked up to the tavern owner with great seriousness and said, "One bottle of your strongest alcohol for me and my friend here, and most importantly, a slice of pie."
I thought, "Who would be harmed by a slice of pie? The man is already in a public place and right in front of me, I can take care of him while he eats the cake!"
I went to the man's table and greeted him. "Hello, friend."
"I didn't say you could sit here," he said harshly.
"Calm down, friend, I fought with my wife because of a Baggins, and I need a drink, I saw you alone and thought I'd come over. Please accompany me, I'll order first-class wine for you, on me!!" I said in a very sad, innocent voice.
He thought for a moment, and unable to resist the allure of first-class alcohol, he agreed.
Soon after, the tavern owner brought the pie and drinks, and the man began to eat. 'I'm a professional forest ranger! I'm eating this pie for the mission,' I thought to myself to calm down.
I talked with the man for a long time, laughing and joking. Forty minutes later, without realizing it, I had eaten seven slices of pie, and the man was nearing his limit. He finished three bottles of high-alcohol liquor on his own. I pretended to be drinking and swapped out the cups when he wasn't looking. 'Forest rangers prefer coffee; alcohol messes with our way of thinking,' I sighed.
The man couldn't take it anymore and passed out. While no one was looking, I took his money pouch, paid for the food and drink, and treated him to a first-class room for the night. I took him to the room, tied him to the bed to make sure he didn't go anywhere, and told the tavern owner not to disturb him, as he'd be very angry when he woke up and to ignore the growling sounds. "And I gave an extra tip for that, I'm such a good soul, right?" I said dramatically with a deep sigh.
"Only one left."
After wandering around for a while, I found the last man at the eastern exit of the ShireHe was watching the town's exit from a hard-to-see location. I moved behind him and silently approached. Even for rookies in the forest rangers' six-month training, this task would be child's play. These men were careless and very weak. I choked out the last man with an arm lock and hid him in a bush.
"Let's go back to the young man."
---MC's Perspective---
I arrived near the house and waited for Halt, who came after a while.
"You're slow, old man," I said with a grin.
Halt looked at me sharply and calmly replied, "They were scattered around the town's obscure locations, so it took time to handle them."
I furrowed my brows because I could smell a faint sweet scent on his breath. I studied him closely.
"Halt?"
At that moment, he was taking a drink from his water flask.
"Hmm?"
"Did you eat my pie?"
He choked on the water...
"COUGH COUGH—DON'T ACCUSE ME! I'M THE SECOND CAPTAIN OF THE FOREST RANGERS, ONE OF THE KING'S MOST TRUSTED ADVISORS! HOW COULD I EAT SWEETS WHILE ON DUTY?!"
He said this firmly, and I looked at him for a few seconds before calmly replying, "When you first saw your apprentice Will climb into the baron's office, weren't you stealing the pie made for the baron?"
Halt shot me a glare and said harshly, "You're slandering me! Anyway, this isn't the topic, what's our plan? After all, we have a group to catch, right?"
"You're changing the subject," I said.
He glared at me and started reaching for his knives. I cleared my throat and continued, "You take out the one on the left, I'll handle the one on the right. They're probably the group leaders."
Silver Jackal small groups are units of four. There are twelve groups around Bree. When these teams are combined, they form companies of 100 men, and these companies are headed by division commanders, above them by administrators, and finally by clan leaders, although the identity of the clan leader is unknown to anyone. It's a simple structure but a functioning system. So far, we haven't encountered anyone at mid-tier level. Bree is a peaceful area, so most of those active here are foot soldiers, but problems will start once we hit the road. I hope we've quietly dealt with these groups without alerting the teams.
We silently dealt with the remaining two, and though they tried to resist, they couldn't match two professionals.
"It was easy, these foot soldiers are no problem," I said.
"Yes, the tough groups haven't shown up, Bree and Shire are peaceful regions, so there's no mid-tier crew here," I replied, and we headed towards Baggins' house, with three bound captives in tow.