??Chapter 47: Chapter 22: Ard Forces
Chapter 47: Chapter 22: Ard Forces
Balmore was filled with curiosity about the group that had arrived today. It was quite an extraordinary affair that a party of seven had managed to break through the Monster Group, even though two were the renowned Thunderhorse Knights. However, he knew that the lord of Caucasus was not to be underestimated either.
It was said that this fellow had quite a reputation in Cyprus, daring to harm even the beloved county master of the Duke. Although such deeds are the prerogatives of the nobles, they also depend on the target. It seed no one in the Hor region had yet provoked the Duke, not even the son of a financial officer. But this fellow seed to have successfully escaped punishnt, of course, if he could make it alive to Caucasus.
“Your baron, it seems you’re prepared to stay in Bruce for a while?” The polite inquiry fully demonstrated the humble deanor of a knight.
“Oh, Sir, I do intend to do so. According to what you’ve said, the journey through the Leon Region seems a bit unsafe, and I was hoping to find so company, so I thought I’d stay here a few more days,” Kor smiled as he replied.
There was no need to conceal this, for the other party had declined his request. Kor worried that the other might be acting on the Duke’s orders, helpless at the mont, he could only hope for divine providence.
“Heh, I’m afraid I have to disappoint you. The number of people who go from Bruce to Darman Pass is very few, with hardly a few in a year. Your territory to the south of Darman Pass, although expansive in its defenses, has far too sparse a population. Most of them are self-sufficient, rarely visiting Leon, let alone coming here. Caravans travel there only a few tis a year, and always in groups. It’ll be difficult to find any caravans heading that way at this ti,” Balmore replied, eting the other’s gaze with a smile, while the baron’s dark, deep-set eyes took on a sowhat sinister cast in the evening twilight. Perhaps it was his own psychological reaction, Balmore thought to himself.
“Is that so? Then we’ll just have to wait a couple of days. If we can’t find anyone to join us, we’ll have to make the journey alone,” Kor said with an innocuous, genial smile.
“You bought quite a number of slaves. Do you have any plans for them?” Balmore cautiously probed the other party’s intentions.
“Hmm, I’m hoping to have a few people assist my folks in tax collection after we reach Caucasus. The market outside your castle is the most concentrated area for manpower resources, making it convenient to choose, so I instructed them to pick out so to take back to Caucasus, and to train them along the way so they’d be ready for use upon arrival,” Kor replied unconcernedly, though his mind was carefully gauging the other’s intent.
“Oh, I see. I saw your steward buying quite a lot of weapons and armor, and I thought you were preparing to train them into knights, hahaha,” Balmore said, his face breaking into a jovial smile.
“Hehe, Sir, you jest. If warriors could be trained in a day or two, they wouldn’t be true warriors but Puppet warriors. You, Sir, should know this better than I,” Kor responded calmly with a light smile.
Puppet warriors? Balmore was startled and gave the other a careful look before speaking, “Your baron seems to have so knowledge about magic, do you also understand about Puppet warriors?”
“No, no, Sir, you misunderstand. I just heard about the horrific Puppet warriors, which are said to be crafted or sculpted from special materials and imbued with magic power through certain special abilities, to create warriors surpassing real ones, but that was just an aside,” Kor explained.
Ignoring the other’s probing gaze, Kor strolled atop the castle walls. He had noticed that the commander seed very interested in his party, paying close attention to his every move and his itinerary, which made him cautious. He subtly probed whether the commander had learned from the two Thunderhorse Knights that he knew magic, and he was sowhat reassured to see that they had kept that information hidden.
Balmore felt a bit more at ease. It was better not to ask too much about certain things, just like the secrets of the two Thunderhorse Knights, but Balmore did not want to know. He just wanted to peacefully secure his position as commander, to stay a few more years, to amass more assets, and to retire as a peaceful gentleman when his term ended.
After receiving the dusty report from Knight Maray, Kent asked for all the details before telling Knight Maray to take a rest, and then he sank into deep thought in his room alone. Although he did not know the exact circumstances of the last mission, he was aware that the Archbishop was very concerned about it, having sent Lord Gaya twice to inquire about the progress. Although there was no blaming tone in the words, Kent felt the pressure each ti he t Guardian Gaya’s inquisitive gaze.
Could it be that a thief had really stolen sothing important from the Holy Court? But why hadn’t the Archbishop and Protector of the Faith ntioned it when he undertook the mission? Kent had pondered this question a few tis but could only keep his doubts to himself. Now, all he needed to do was to confirm the identity of the one who had taken the corpse, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the rest.
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