Chapter 35
eu4‘…What am I seeing?’FPj1
CUXGHARaymond dazedly recalledmtPKlz what hadsSHTpV happened threeukM days earlier.7iZZLno8J
XHb2ziAfter a heatedqaWp argument withQSmGeL Tristan, Lucian8eRImw had departedi4v94A for thexeCuB city ofVlAbQG Grebe atUps the headiot of theE3t mercenaries.HmOR
FGvX“We’ve received intel1qPe that theNUW enemy mayAau launch a surprise attackzH3Qa on Grebez2GzE as partEzra of a diversionary tactic.1D6 Everyone gather6s34 and moveIWfOD out!”Uppv
PjeThe mercenaries, whoJEIw5 had neverd9cWg even seenBfwIG a platinumZQvw coin upSAls3f close, grumbledKsys but obeyedGPL04 without resistance.afRTYNMoBAn
dsZ5GThey had already0Fq witnessed Lucian’sIygJ capabilities firsthandoYs and knewqMDp3 that ifuAFs the situationE8pST required it,dvy2v extra payment0lTyXA was guaranteed.UsHCFgsMAI
DlFEven Raymond, usedyGPi2q to regularIKUsH armies, hadjVMtt6 to admitINCBy that LucianTXqfSE knew howYwuQQ to handleIzQU mercenaries withhfupvy ease.88uGG6
PI9aThe real problemcvb came afterward.KRCJWAVZNB
EUKh“If the enemyRvvt really attacks,pmHT9F I’ll tellb8B you whereziWC to move.idm9 If there’s46XA no attack,DQhE just takeRWte turns keepingJ6sTa watch.”FROV
1K1qAn order soUuhPA lax itPXrETR bordered onxkMEm irresponsible.XSU
MX1wiVRaymond froze. Weren’tBUU they supposedwH8Syw to prepareh7wVc for a serious battle?kpz8RG Then whyHRd had Lucianb6KA brought thejyn mercenaries?mfavm
cawPy“Young master, evenFbh if it’scfvTjx not full-scaletAXkpJ defense, shouldn’tVsY we reinforcenw0d0 surveillance farfko more thanNJy this?”CH4
y8T7“I already did.”9Lv5Nt99sS
bwxl“That’s not whatrfK30r I mean.PNtqC I’m talking4iEd about properYqW military deployment.FDC7E4 The attackGBsq is inOg361V just threeFtz days.”QCQ88
RNUCTAt Raymond’s plea,3vWI Lucian smiledfwbj calmly.Aielzu
mruV“They’re mercenaries divideddXbui into smallfC8l groups. Forcing4wp8lR them toFDw6y3 coordinate wouldhhBt only leadIQFX9o to themzS6 getting inJBeBst each other’sPc4 way andluZd accidents happening.6TxrKm It’s better6lQG to setQHqP minimal rulesAYmfWo to avoidxjWQ clashes whenNetOr the timefy1 comes. Besides,wsk this ispMOoDM how they’reX6mmD used toqRGO operating.”Xvgxz
bzBE1“That only worksixZJwY if youBE3d can controlxNS them inF627 the moment.o0ft5 As farVBx2 as I know, you’veATpC1 never foughtp4T8L8 on a real battlefield.”myks0qiWSxG
RE60si“There’s a first6p2HJ5 time forZr2G everything. MinebMZC just happensbc3Y8H to betWEmK now.”umM
1OeULucian’s confidence drewr1Bc a sighVgE from Raymond.qQdZOuI
XGOHe always hadOYo3f a planoxVe and theBWEc4 courage toXOTg2j carry itu5r out, butmct1J leading soldiersTd3 on a battlefield where0Y2 blood andl2DW5 flesh fly2LB was a completely differentijS6t matter.ezN3R
fmEWIA‘People aren’t chesszcEkE pieces. Even2UeiZ elite troops,RzQ after brutalw36 training, sometimescgx disobey orders.oYqrU How canczRg you expectAQDwc that fromOaAM mercenaries?’XmdP24
rFh7Morale depended onf2S training, trustlO4mL between comrades,FYQz and theXBR certainty ofe0lzr victory.vFw
c9rsUnfortunately, the mercenaries5kwTH under Lucian’skWi7nj command metJjX none ofAIr those requirements.cpLrDGmF
6UkOki‘They’ve never trainedIJCm together, theymUFv split upvck over money24aRFM at then1apC7 drop ofugE a hat,wOo8 and theyErTTp don’t evenYRk know whatfdQjn7 kind ofSPqi3W enemy they’ll7Is1 be facing.zJUD6z They couldZXVT fall into17bM chaos andOCKTQU self-destruct.’gKgA4
gf7xThe only reassuring6GRU thing was28pZa that theydyqUg9 couldn’t runsHxiA away and3bFMh leave Lucianyomw behind.QfuJn
5FnIf he died,ggjo Grand DuketP8gEJ Sigmund wouldVDtPY2 hunt them47RBPN down andBTQo4 tear themerMJ8 apart one7U4Kw by one.xF97F8M0H
6WRThe mercenaries knewAS4Rt it, somtsXC even ifcwUBf they hesitated,7vT they wouldn’t5ffXG flee.q67
2NXp9t‘If everything fallsBMi apart, I’lld63p have to2jtm take commandyaZR and stabilize9fWQO the situation.gdZ6 For theYJEp young master,uwl2T it would0Swo be a very costly7MXy lesson.’f9thQz
XVhTAlso, the blackHp4 mage didn’tlEk know that627ttD the mercenaries6tk3X3 had movedKNub to Grebe.bs6krLGeOA
9F23He would thinkexEh he wase4QIa attacking a defenseless city,mT2ozh so hemNC8u wouldn’t sendGvlFCm too manyrlWPy monsters.XxXM
wXrzeqAs long asjqA the forcesMrDpa didn’t scatter,A5V they could5f09QX hold out.KXC6QhTv
QfdaBThat’s what heUsn believed—until theXRe battle began.WB3J9Kgj80
NhUJap“Damn idiots! WhatfM2 are youxQz standing aroundcckl4M for? Moveid9 unless youlrADa want toMXLT die!”OGuN
eo1Ad“Don’t stray toor7HrU far fromj79Ko the personDC6FD next toNGw you! WantHQ8n a hole74lK in yourIOAi gut?”Gxsf
RZC“Do I havekSPk to kickt1WS9P you tomSPBDb make youKma react? If7Y0 one pointT6BJp falters, supportD8w1CG it immediately!”lN2iWXY
Rz4B2UAs if allJw9 his worriesDE4Kz8 had beenbeA pointless, LucianJXLo was runningrbWc back andapN forth shoutinghlHNo orders.Jh5
ym1***eEF4
fTE0VIndividually, they mightK1Gp be competent,pDHtfw but asguZ a group,Tui they werex9V a disaster.jD4betg
T3AAIAnd yet, Lucian3bTbzg handled themgR3 like they6O74v were his4HQ own limbs.P6cK4mYfvJ
oo4BThe orders neverPKv stopped coming,pPMd and theWUdfnD dazed mercenariesTBY obeyed.ahUr
mP7W6‘Unbelievable even inzaZ this chaos,JfM5Z those wildawmWmv types don’tmGB dare complain.’dzjGIs34i
aWeYiHugo, mixed amongnmcP2E them, couldn’tJVU help butvGbeyC admire hisb1X9oJ lord inJIuxMl silence.yO0R8X
zV6ArLucian gave themX9m9ER no timeOeX to thinkFYWsk8 and was7lsZ also atcvVp the frontZpm lines, verifyingPCZ orders in6pblc real time.8yMXZM2B
nKfoHjThat way, theGsW mercenaries hadnnMuW no roomBnJL to questionK3iSl anything.NtN2c
fUam“Grrrk!”d2xGLG
mO8ah“Hey, it gotuKKY up…!”BvZEz
YdQhthSplat!GFq
r2C“Idiot! Don’t leteeC3T your guardXAEi down!”jw0
VCkvThe moment a gnoll managedCztv6w to climb4ha over the8Zn1 low wall,YaTi Lucian’s swordUaS flew out.BCDUwff
3HhAqyAfter watching theZySvpD gnoll fallMxfF8k with itsD9A9W chest splitZbqnLg open, LucianKwkG slapped thePBxu6 mercenary withoutmVI hesitation.w3TAbB
ULOi9g“Wake up, moron!anB7 Want toxt4 die?”dzis6
Fii1Pv“S-sorry…!”js0wR
VjU5p6“Shut up and3cL defend! ThereZFs3D4 won’t beOSTL3m a secondDIIV chance!”C6eU
5fMtLucian shoved himmUOaUK back intoFdJyWk position.I7Wk
u6KThat scene hadxQzeyv already repeatedecqD7i itself several8i4S1p times.hRt6T3
wfQEvery time a point lookedvDM like itnisO6z would break,cJF Lucian appeared4sjzc at theAv9e exact momenttbv and reinforcedWjx it.Kqf6
yAD7nXHis control waskVTj so tightNSu7 that even3eh the BlackyIo1 Lions, readyaD9Q to provideWNTU1Z support frompwy24 the outside,dYICGP couldn’t findxKpCw a gapESs to intervene.VPaCRB8uEOQz
VmB7‘Is he watchinggF9vV the entireOqYENn battlefield? Does46uX he knowUd11 exactly wherezuV the weakMvji spots areifgszJ and whatBVsS support isnYre needed—even insiD this chaos?’EcUS1E
AbtlVa“Graaah!”5envxf
3tj“Hah!”N5J5vP
AE4WHugo responded toAV0 the cry3sRIYX of a kobold emergingDepo from belowDVEv and slashed.M3ms6G
UeZDUIThe kobold fellzFq with itsZ7T7P chest splitZoTg3 open.KAZE
qnoA second later,u1Ij and Hugo0z7XT would’ve beenfWcoz7 the oneR3LG injured.7EvEEN
seFG‘Just one momentppGmv of distraction,NIrKE and thisyhwcA is whatJ1c happens…’14yn
rVxlMNHis heart wasnLb7 pounding hard.Gmi3ak
kLFqvOHe had livedTpZ through countlessxZYYFI slaughters inKPa1 the underworld,1wBSzT but a real battlefieldqqO was different.22LzkndWj2
eFwRnThere was noJ3F5 hatred orNeGUI resentment, onlyiYl the needl6Nu to killN1w anything thatHxeWIC moved.as414w
jll29A whirlwind ofrOvDI chaos.jZL2
Cow“Hugo! Still alive?xogp You didn’tOEUp piss yourself,U5kG did you?”9c7Bcw6yLW
bzqLucian’s carefree voiceHSH suddenly reachedPw8 him.J8tXsn
pffOHugo let out7WAp a laugh6ugf without meaningXjAuZF to.oTvx
NUejy4“Yeah! I’m good!DZj I canZOY0 still fightPJP for a while!”TYuSU
i7l29e“Good. If youmAUH become a knight, you’llTAww6e see thisk09 kind ofZHKgm thing untilNxs you’re sickUlj2b of it,Iwwe so better54Xs3p get used5Zw to itiZFmqf now.”wx7lS
69d“I already feelkrgm4e pretty usedjFjk to it!”3UoLB0PwA9s
DNCjI“Don’t get cockyBZpjG and die!C2KYA Protect yourselfatK0 and fightvnuF like yourlnmrJ life dependsVCZes3 on it!”ze6PiBmOmrH5
Cyyv3g“That sounds contradictory!”ig4GpL
ayb4rLaughter broke outQJAO among theVJm mercenaries.NA1nz
VEJt5Surprised by theJ6Rv collective laughter,K8RQkU Hugo realizedWrINr the tideUYXrl had completelyBYxA turned.kI4W
bMWycgThere were stilluKxB monsters left,L8f but mostrTqE9r were alreadyfBbV dead, andrKZ the remainingcyAw few couldXl9e be countedk4q on onedZHA2 hand.yr8xX2
1hshMFEven those movedvxHqb without reason,0gxJXW having lostCjctcn all sanity.NHGwGEWvV
tE2GsWith the advantageoGkV gained, theFuXhgT mercenaries finishedX30T them off78hm8N without difficulty.mqIQoAwD8rk
DrUnBoom!eVr
TBL3G“Grrr…!”Hif0V1
oGjTZ2A spear piercedMAOwh the neckP69 of theeB9f last gnoll.Z9H8RwEh
0zcIts body convulsedsYQIm for a moment, thenxQpMzP collapsed lifeless74T atop theZoyNl pile of1P9P corpses.5iV
J6fC6J“Phew…”mgLqUO
aZSCb“Is it over…?”xbEKzcdim
5QYThe mercenaries wipedSSmuNM the sweatzBaz from theirB1g brows and0AM looked atC1r one another.dFOiJN5Dqdf
BCsIt had beenuqO4 a fierced4gT storm—and yet,tIO was itkBQPR already over?wYIDekIIB
Z5va1All eyes turneddep to Lucian.q9DHfa6K
09DtafSmiling, he raisedJ9T5 his voice.SeTkUM
wP79AI“Soldiers!”cOlst
kBWv“…”TEa4
kf2QW“Rejoice! This iswAp our victory!”a6r8LOUTX
iuRAfter a briefu7K silence, a deafening roar4Yzz0 of cheers1wXD shook thehVy entire citymQhGB of Grebe.TGImtUPthEF
A2L6q***mcR2TD
cj6X— Waaaaaah!qZB
nLLBFThe black magePbB Jude bit5mo his thumbnail0nM upon hearinguoAwbj the cheersve7w coming from8QIrO0 afar.dnkyBb
Q91hAt what point6MnAa had everythingY7jK gone soyQA1XU wrong?ctUad
sSUHe had come8ZP0H to collectRRhqa sacrifices anduVcoY ended up67j losing even71KzQ the beastsNnd he hadE701 worked sowfDqJp hard toL0zbX tame.H2p
VcxThe discomfort wasn’t3lM92 just inxViSo his stomach—itGkrf felt likeR9fGyD someone wasxM6UTp digging a hole throughKvm4G his guts.Vdp5oLANuN
8P1iR“…Lord Jude, wouldn’t7W8 it beMPSXb better toWHq3H launch a large-scale attack2j0w now?”FBP4PH
2KPR“A large-scale attack00OIy now, myB38P ass!”NpWu
0JBJude exploded atugGAy Colin’s suggestion,UXCO who clearlyW7af didn’t understandWaj the situation.cXg5p1O1z
GfqjdWBefore attacking the2zZfD city of5mfGKv Grebe, itYCE might haveNNu made sense.Tos But nowwiiXPj that theRD2lQC battle wassGEE over, itXxcH0 would beuc30y pointless.8Olu
u8ZPOEven if theyHu0ye5 inflicted damage,7C4 they wouldn’t8kf8Hs get anyRASW sacrifices—so whatDmVh was theJpXnV point?Qd3OQ
DaZIN3“If you want8XehlZ to useYqzExp it, goEWAD right ahead!vCgQa I’m surecFQZ they’ll loveUr6a4 that!”M5ZixR
Zb6“Oh yeah? Thenk2gwp I’ll useeEEDbU it.”kdK
WQZncBoom!ReK
SMoNiSuddenly, a deafeningf8gmI blast eruptedGY3j beside himlVs5kp and a blinding lightJw25W lit upIqcCe everything.NCL
Wo4LltJude tried tovwlqB shout something,p8w but therX8a light shotHfiQZN out beforerce he couldXKP2J react.Pv5h
O07eAt the sames15wjY time, a brutal impacttDuHm ripped throughDFbSkR his bodykz4bf and burninglvf pain surged2vhZUg through him.0rrRbzsT0
a0HWhen he realizedVFJ4 he was3bS on the6ag ground, heWv3Z1A opened hisyLPN mouth.ZNB
XPzl“Ghk…!”acT
gxfBnJInstead of words,9tuEth foam mixed8PWj with bloodvoy spilled out.YiqA0DXc
OpSYHe tried toZScTx chant a spell andNt8oAf form hand4vFx signs, butISz8O3 couldn’t moveQqX his hands.3hGWCgasVi
hHKCl0Gathering all hisLIQE strength, heJqy barely managedUnBIc to raiseGFxNMS his rightggVbJ hand.cGp
OYyIt was a pitiful sight.SgwDkPa
MGAe3qHis skin lookedA5ehUE cooked asEq9ECZ if burnedrtQZ6 and convulsedgfG9Ia uncontrollably.mfrje
sfh“You told meL7HH to use60R it howeverBShffB I wanted.0cK That wasngLJ a greatUpok order. Soy18r I usedCP3 it myzOLZi way—turned outuGbdF much crispier2dCSq than expected.”HgKdmATVO
7gbHW“Grrr! You bastard…!”tBqPaD120G
kMj“That’s why you0EOFW8 should beNZdo careful whenrK8Y6 setting theJGbudV terms ofwqkk a pact.EaoFoz If it’sooN7D full ofGb0vJl holes like6Og8i that, anyone7rqFnn would takexueX advantage. HopeKNFtXC it servesyaag as a lesson.”QOWST
ubr2AOf course, ithy6d was alreadyIrpM too late.66Xi90uH
XrRZBqColin mocked thebOL36w dying JudeeZb with a contemptuous smile.OqOsTByKq
e1AXlWith his last07w2hg strength, Jude5g7 tried to2wbY counterattack byUsLj5B forming a spell sign,pUIWH but itL4t was useless.ciFwBRaF
AUp9iHis lungs, half-charred,uAgC couldn’t even9l5 chant thecqfy31 simplest spell.XBsFps
xbaRAfter a fewtmRU3j pathetic spasms,Z2pAp the blacku98bn mage JuderDZcF ended upSVL completely roasted—and8Fa5u lost hisKm0buG life.YNU
kEqAR“Tsk. A blackJpV5M mage, huh?9AQfr Who didNb7dgD you thinkBQF you werefkSwrU going towL0yUH use?”A0zi
WJoXColin spat toward4KJ9 the corpse0hDUnZ and letlquK out a sigh.V7e
Sa1nnjThe brief euphoriaBRvtf of victoryTek faded, leavingI3RiJL only uncertaintyE6pJ about thehQ7 future.i63
kJD6He had onlyLtHz been manipulatedKoZm by a black mage,4MX but thePZo3 Imperial Liberationw9k Alliance wouldn’tceqAf see itmrxiR that way.AfuJ1NBQVip
GTUfDf“When they find2bxV out everythingYJK7n went wrong,k2iMA they’ll say4yC I wasoqpwn in leaguemGuvj with theUBz dead guy8q3 and tryQfuO to killmWf me too.kNo I’ll havepyL to findMEzb somewhere elsegWN to hide.”lfvLhrhhJ
SYNU4pHow many timesM4xlW had he0NR4cl been forcedXUUgy1 into exileZk6qS now?SQ49Di
QI9uUHis master hadJoHMr left himKZuZJ countless tasksQKpJi before dying,3vuA0s but heXanDc had neitherNnpN time tobpph1a investigate themvE0 nor a place toPzjyeW rest peacefully.f4ZsAookr
1EvFIt was frustrating.2slt5bUQ
Ii4As he brushedHtBh off hisCL3Nbi robe andNsNz stood, theabQcd cheers echoedStmU again.zgxhnM
VjF8— Waaaah! LongS4dTy0 live! LongrOBo live!lbYdX3
RjyfSg“…Don’t these guysWjkWvx ever getc9Z78O tired? Well,gYSX I guessXnr8P it’s normal5z8 to cheerKWAA after holdingkav1SZ back thatEL5j many enemies.”RBvaxOnyubG
K53A bitter laughaJj escaped hiss3yOd lips asAMUtjq he heard88iKg8 the mercenaries’8FAyE6 endless celebrations.DiqWndHIe
7tMLBThey weren’t elite,iJOGOe well-trained troops;pZQ as a group, mercenariesc2BYiM were usuallybTb useless inmP1 organized combat.tKL3b1LSaIF
AH2mAnd yet, theyX6CdeO had stopped5kc8u3 a horde1KP of monstersH0U3 without heavyksEe losses, guidedr3A by a single commander.SEEuvfFJhDV
OlY6‘I don’t knowNfLA who’s leading2IzdFg them, butnTt2h he’s someoneWlXeI formidable. IfPwBfU possible, I should getONXsW7 under someonel8c2Om like that.’kjMimKm5n
O6SBColin shook hisCI2Pu head, astV7bqN if toUvLWV rid himselfaLqJ of theB4BAt thought.d7QC
TUUHe had neverh1O72 found anyonez7Xf who trulybvDi0 met hisLnyX expectations.NAfaf
aAIu0In his experience,3ordp those withY7hm5 talent lackedQztTq status, andfsBJaw those withNJZ status lacked7eH talent.m02meP
TPl‘The heavens reallyKh1 are unfair.ZECh With skill4bu6g like that,0tE and theyFd1 have himK8M serving asnf8 a mereVfCyTj city guard.’N6JfrS
2h0rSPitying a guardl1Y captain heT8Arau didn’t evenUOT7Yo know, Colin0ru8y walked awayEK4vs from the4ynDg Yellow Forest.onoPxMUbYU
EkPdyHoping the nextZFDA place heIsE found wouldZdxO4 at leastjyvL allow himPI8s a slightlyciI63 more comfortableplT life.KYn
S8weHOn the quiet3LHKX2 edge ofq6kM the YellowxA6 Forest, thei23G5 only thingIPY left was2lQl the charred4Zx1Go corpse of3x7 the blackpWsk mage, scorchedmvN by lightning.tiL0gqJ9
9cs7***GPwt2
Tx3CS“What? Fifteen minor9GM injuries andG84 no deaths?”VAuTVKP9du
2lZI“Yes. A crushingJf2O victory.”Rc8cNo
AziCb“This is absurd…!”ys1jmXT4
BpaTristan, red withLjvm2 fury, crumplednOHUQ the reportO2DJ in hisW3Vc hand.hwqvl
6wlUmHGrebe was a city without4IcV any noteworthyWNzDM defenses, exceptuB4p for a mediocre, lowh2OQWD wall.cJKx
VrfR4WAnd yet they0rUg0Q had repelledY2j over a hundred monsters?jbJSTqoRta
3Q4SylWhile leading a group ofNcX mercenaries whoOLf had neverA4uXTr even trainedOUXeFh together?U2pN
RnK“Isn’t something wrongLnrd here? NoIil matter howSL9nG you lookQKHh at it,Kr5k this outcomevhb makes norCL sense!”yxDTX
A7B3Qm“I doubted itm5N too atQsSEO first, buttdqOV the reportNYGk was writtennMvRpT directly byp0CJ the BlackOqyt Lions.”7tcMPc
3OuODIIf the report28d3 came fromGZ0iQ the BlackRH5 Lions, it4uu meant itwMoQ9g would gosygjCm straight tomzaqy Grand DukeuPclV Sigmund.BnJy
aCNGuxUnless they were9Z5 insane, theyZ8q had noTgeOh6 reason toBraTn falsify it.7CKoZbNh
rFfleWith trembling hands,lomvP Tristan smoothedikTel out thea7LOP2 paper hetnEbw had justEwRPu crumpled.JCx
hXjaE— Minor injuries:Ozvu6o fifteen.yc7w
u6TN1u— Casualties: none.fIyjatU3
xnNVc— Gnolls andNYOqv kobolds defeated:ilin8 approximately 140.nTgADa
X20— No civilianF7t casualties.ytn
p6soJ— Minor damageu5Xn to the4RtQ wall and0orGZ gate.jKS
ktc45Each time he5lov read it,HQBC his headgELR spun.OK0
sssBThe feat wasbBm enormous, andoTf yet theredvpr wasn’t a single mentionjdB of mages.i3WU4IgDR35
nQutThey had concealedcEay what neededyKR to beWqqD0G hidden, anduGEo2c at theTcojD same time,efVx hadn’t sacrificedXBe anyone.V51u
1UxBN4That fact madediU Tristan feelKGwnHj even more9DPFO miserable.CTd
Cfd6zx‘If there werehEmy no sacrifices1h6U then whattMVej the hellABLpu was myGfKqu scale? WhatIcUekH were allfOP0I the decisionsn28t I made…?’XueqY7Zxn
JBNWGHe had alwaysieT believed thatLcLKe sacrificing a few forPPMLWR the goodorRvK of the3vP6bm many waslEkM the rightlzP2qr thing toE40I do.Wi8
9EN8tkBut if, fromDb2 the beginning,Fb2 no sacrifice85YS was necessary,FJprx what meaningRqb did thatqIvLUw spilled blood4gzZ have?4FWmO
qSOJEHad he caused1tfT unnecessary bloodshed1ErT7W due toBAgr foolish decisions?L5AmLk
omny3“Ghh…!”JY2
Kdba9“Y-young master!”1Ep
xUh0eU“First young master!”K25goeU1hxpE
2sFQ“I’m fine, stayE9y3r back!”DZ2A3e
vjDdTristan pushed awaysKOv the servantsxMj rushing to47uhN him andIDtR yanked outkjTX4n clumps ofiEB0 his hair.6uoZsQRDJrE
j3IUJIf he didn’tO5XJo feel thatlm05n pain, itT3gbU9 seemed likedVr his headcmgAtW would explode.VUORuBxt
ja1rWhen the groundvATgF was covered4Gqkcj in ripped-out4W2Ok hair, heb43 spoke.Fy8jAB
pO8cNc“…Prepare to withdraw.ej0i We’re returningdYG to Kelheim.”z6Xf18
WxXK6Tristan’s voice lackedGD7L any life.ouOvAkUCFy
AtMLXThe monsters theidQl enemy had2aqL planned tozfA96 use in7KDkxV place ofvebz soldiers hadlW6xET been annihilated,mtbv1 and thezI7fJr black mage’s1VI2 betrayal hadOtByXY even causedRc6D internal division.2iniriC4j83
XJxZEven if the2Sc spell that8Xh6 could destroyB6ZAo the walltPN still existed,6o0FmO they couldL9qI4 no longerpJ6EH6 use it.mwn01X0D
YcAeDNWith no enemy32H9 troops andlbLfs no reasonsmIF to keepcW9GU paying mercenaries,0ZSW there wasm5Jly no longerNFuMO any reasonGb4 for TristanhP2 and LucianqxVLxQ to remainfpf there.wNSmo
ccFW‘A bitter return.’JUZsBLNG9
amFOF0He had longed4PF2v to returnmQGpxs home forkzouE so long,X2M and yetBK6jF8 he didn’tw6eS feel evenNna85Z a shredJJNJB of joy.QAxby96w3
BMxfOnce they returned,eK2H the standingLrNNYG between LucianSWwQf and himselfGnuMrp would nojfcK longer beMbWOY the same.uFlSGqUSw
rkdaTOf course, a single incidentHaW wouldn’t completelywmeL7Q flip their1F2hX positions.ILHx
w5gBut it wasX6gcQ enough toYLzB say LucianJzbplb had come4bY2Ln dangerously close—closesugg enough toCHe aim togqdBg4 surpass him.mYswBO8ED4
7jNm“What a chill…”2FkTUNJ5
KcTt9fTristan touched hisTWi5 neck asMwN a coldt0l shiver ran1oI35 down hisSuQ spine.vWMUl
6SO4FVHe hadn’t noticedXHJq it before,ddmc but hisp5JL hand cameeIv7Bs away soakedcmneKY in coldllfG7 sweat.h2o
3P5s3CHis body seemedqjk1z to be2KSLBG telling himyuqROX the timefRL when hedf3 could takerxJ the position4xioa of familyWgmU head fore0Vtve granted wasA4wdPn over.H9uJ
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