The Family Head of the Treles Family, Kamzi, and the Family Head of the Pope Family, Fabrice, stood to the left and right of the wooden ship, guarding the sleeping person within.
Lord Hels noticed that the corpse on the ship was covered with silk, and he stepped forward to take another look at his father.
However, when he lifted the silk cloth, he froze, and then he heard Kamzi lower his voice and say,
"My lord, it is our fault for failing to protect him, Marquis’s head was taken by the traitors and handed over to those Dwarves.
"After defeating those Dwarves, we interrogated so prisoners and learned that my lord’s head had already been sent to the Dwarf Kingdom, so we could only replace it with a wooden carving."
Upon hearing this, Lord Hels clenched his fists, clearly struggling to contain the fury in his chest.
The Lady, seeing this, had a prisoner brought over.
Unlike those Dwarves, this was a Half-Beast prisoner, and furthermore, Lord Hels recognized him, it was Morse, who had previously joined Marquis Kuren’s campaign, responsible for the logistics of the large army.
Miss Rabbit actually admired this guy’s acting a lot; the first ti they t, Morse was always urging her to hurry into the mountains to rescue Marquis Kuren.
The urgency and frustration he showed had not a single flaw, and the arrow that struck his arm was indeed real.
If it hadn’t been for the guards thinking they were as good as dead and wanting to flee, the Lady would have found it hard to suspect the loyalty of this devoted Imperial Grain Officer.
Even until the mont they left the valley, returning to Solid Stone Castle, Morse was still weeping loudly in front of Marquis Kuren’s body, pleading with Miss Rabbit to take him along when she led her army to campaign against the Dwarf Kingdom, to seek revenge for the Marquis.
The Lady didn’t waste words; the next mont, she drew her dueling pistol from her waist and pressed it directly against Morse’s forehead.
Morse, who had previously witnessed the terrifying power of this Holy Artifact, didn’t dare to move under the intimidation of the title of Champion.
Miss Rabbit exposed Morse’s traitorous identity on the spot, but Morse insisted that he was frad by those guards and was unaware of it all.
The Lady wasn’t in a hurry, and called Dwarf Prince Oli to confront Morse, and Miss Rabbit also found Morse’s handwritten letter in Jero’s military tent.
With both testimonial and material evidence, Morse finally stopped quibbling.
After confessing his guilt, it only took a few days for his beard and hair to turn completely white, and he aged as if a hundred years had passed overnight.
When he was pushed in front of Lord Hels, Lord Hels almost didn’t recognize him at first.
The new Family Head of the Figrola Family tried hard to suppress the murderous intent in his heart and looked towards Morse, asking,
"Why? Why did you betray my father, betray this land?"
Morse’s expression was decayed, and he forced out a miserable smile.
"There’s no particular reason; those Dwarves promised a larger territory after the success, and they would pay a considerable sum of money. I couldn’t resist the temptation."
Upon hearing this, Lord Hels nearly drew his sword from his waist.
"You know how much my father trusted you, letting you manage the army’s provisions, and look at yourself, in all these years, has my family ever wronged yours..."
"Lord Hels, what’s the point of saying these things now?" Morse interrupted Lord Hels, looking down as he spoke.
"If you want to take revenge for your father and the others who have died, you can kill right now."
"No, you can’t die yet, you haven’t told where your accomplice, the murderer Ilkand, is.
"I heard the last ti he was seen in the west, he went to Solid Stone Castle where you were stationed. What were the two of you plotting?"
Morse shook his head, "I didn’t know he had also turned to those Dwarves at that ti. I had his n killed and even locked him up in the dungeon, but after that, he disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Yes, he just vanished into thin air."
"Do you think I look like a fool?" A cold murderous intent flashed in Lord Hels’s gaze.
"I swear, every word I said before is true. I have no ties with Ilkand, and now that I’ve fallen to this low, there’s no reason for to protect him anymore."
Morse pleaded, "At this point, I have but one request, I hope you can order my execution imdiately, so that I may atone for my terrible mistake."
"There’s no such luck," Hels said coldly.
"I refuse to believe that you sided with those dwarves simply for land and money. Until you’ve been interrogated and told us everything you know, you’re not dying that easily."
After finishing his words, Hels instructed Iron Face to take Morse away.
Seeing the sheriff about to leave, Miss Rabbit quickly called him back, "Wait, there’s another one."
As she spoke, she had Thomas bring the Dwarf Prince over, pointing at Oli, "He seems to be the brother of the Dwarf King Herry. I captured him after defeating that Dwarf Army."
Hels glanced at Oli.
Unlike Morse, whose heart had turned to ash, the Dwarf Prince looked sowhat haggard but hadn’t given up on himself.
Moreover, Miss Rabbit hadn’t intentionally mistreated him because of his status, and compared to other prisoners, he was granted an extra al each day.
Oli, seeing Hels looking at him, boldly returned the gaze, unafraid.
However, his expression stiffened upon hearing what the Lady said next.
"If it pains your heart and you feel like chopping soone, you could chop him," Miss Rabbit suggested.
Yet Hels shook his head, "The commander of that Dwarf Army has already been killed by your n, and I’ve lost interest in the rest. Of course, I won’t forget this grudge.
"I will certainly lead my troops to the other side of the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range one day and personally teach those dwarves an unforgettable lesson."
Hels paused for a mont and then continued, "According to Imperial tradition, these prisoners now belong to you, and you’re free to deal with them as you wish."
"Hm?" The Lady was taken aback, "Wait, did you just say you don’t want this Dwarf Prince, or that you don’t want any of the dwarf prisoners at all?"
"All of them," Hels said. "Rock Snow City’s dungeons can’t hold so many people."
"I can’t find enough cells to keep them either," Miss Rabbit admitted, also troubled.
"And that’s more than ten thousand mouths to feed. Just the food alone would cost quite a bit of money every day," she pointed out.
"Then you could just kill them all," Hels replied.
"Wouldn’t that be a bit too cruel," the Lady scratched her head, "Forget it, I’ll wait for Prophet rlin to return and ask him."
Afterward, Miss Rabbit joined Hels in entering the city to attend a victory luncheon.
At the luncheon, Hels once again praised the Lady for her bravery and masterful command in battle but did not ntion the reward that Miss Rabbit was most concerned about, lacking the readiness to pay as there was after the Dragon Slayer battle.
The Lady was incredibly anxious.
Although she had won a great victory, the cost was severe. Before venturing into the mountains, she had boldly proclaid that for each dwarf slain, one could collect two Gold Lions at her place.
The Lady had figured there would be, at most, ten thousand enemies in the mountains, not realizing the dwarves would co in such large numbers.
The more glorious the victory, the more tragic the loss.
Miss Rabbit was so eager to return to Rock Snow City for two reasons: to bring back Marquis Kuren’s remains and the prisoners in her possession, and also to recuperate losses by extracting so benefits from the wealthy Figrola family.
The Lady thought that although she hadn’t been able to save Marquis Kuren, her achievents this ti should not be underestimated.
She did not just rescue the three thousand trapped in Gravel Valley but also thwarted the dwarves’ plot to encroach on the Western Borders, successfully defending the land.
This must be worth... at least seventy to eighty thousand, she reckoned.
However, when the Lady cast an eager glance at the new Family Head of the Figrola family, he rely raised his cup, prompting everyone to drink another round.
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