Chapter 265: Desperate Warwick

As the twilight deepened, Ronin instructed Carlos to descend into a desolate, uninhabited mountain forest.

Thud!

The great dragon released its massive talons, casually tossing Warwick, whom it had carried all this way, onto the ground.

Only now, with his heart long shrouded in terror, did Warwick clearly perceive the full appearance of the monster that had captured him, and it was this single glance that turned his entire body cold, as though he had plunged into an abyss of ice.

"W-What kind of magical beast is this!"

He had seen his fair share of magical beasts, yet he had never witnessed a creature so colossal, hideous, and terrifying—one that struck absolute awe into the depths of the human soul.

Most chilling of all were its eyes, cold and entirely devoid of emotion.

"His name is Carlos, and he is a dragon," Ronin spoke up, offering a reminder.

"A d... dragon?"

Dense beads of sweat broke out across Warwick's forehead; did such legendary creatures truly exist?

He dared not question it, for instinct told him that the entity before him was indeed a true dragon.

Had he really been captured by a dragon?

How utterly absurd!

Only then did Warwick notice the tiny human standing beside the dragon's massive foot.

Elegantly dressed and strikingly handsome, it was only when Warwick noticed Ronin's hair that his pupils dilated violently, and he cried out in sheer shock, "You... you are of the Wushan family?"

Ronin let out a soft sigh.

This damned hair color; anyone with even a modicum of worldly knowledge could recognize it anywhere, leaving him utterly unable to conceal his identity.

Silver was simply far too rare.

"As you can see, I am the commander of the noble coalition forces, Ronin Wushan."

His tone was casual, as though speaking to an old acquaintance, without a hint of coercion.

"Now, tell me your identity and details. Remember, do not think of escaping or concealing anything, otherwise by this time tomorrow, you might just be excreted by Carlos."

Warwick failed to comprehend the words for a brief moment, but the realization struck him swiftly: if he did not confess honestly, he would likely become dragon dung.

Carlos could not help but steal a glance at its master before sizing up Warwick, "Master, he is too skinny to produce much. And I don't particularly enjoy eating human flesh."

"Rest assured, I am only frightening him."

The dragon was still quite innocent.

The exchange between man and dragon occurred through a communion of souls, completely unheard by Warwick; yet, noticing the dragon's scrutinizing gaze, he instinctively assumed the beast was contemplating devouring him, causing him to tremble uncontrollably.

When he had first been captured and flown through the sky, Warwick had witnessed his own warhorse swallowed whole by the dragon in a single gulp, a sight that struck terror deep into his bones.

"Speak,"

Ronin urged, "My time is limited."

Ronin patted the dragon's leg, and Carlos let out a token roar toward the heavens.

"I'll speak! I'll speak right now!"

Scared out of his wits by the display, Warwick hastily began to confess.

Through the friendly conversation that followed, Ronin learned the man's identity, never expecting that his random capture would net such a big fish.

According to the captive's account, the core membership of the Borant Bandit Group consisted of five individuals.

Among them, Warwick possessed the lowest strength, having only recently broken through from bronze to silver rank, which was the sole reason he had been promoted to the core circle, currently managing the extraction and transport of iron ore in Chishan Town.

Within the entire bandit group, the strongest was their leader, Amicus, a long-renowned gold-rank knight who was said to have wandered across various lands and defeated numerous opponents before forming the bandits;

The deputy leader, Haldane, ranked second in strength, with rumors suggesting he already had one foot inside the gold rank;

There were also two other core figures, Gilbert and Ranivisa, whose strengths were comparable to each other and slightly weaker than Knight Hahn.

Aside from these individuals, the Borant Bandit Group possessed six bronze knights, twelve high knights, and fifty-six intermediate knights and below.

Taken as a whole, the Borant Bandit Group possessed formidable strength, already comparable to a formal knight order.

While the noble coalition forces of the Wushan Territory still held the advantage in the number of professional knights, it was truly difficult to say which side was stronger if the enemy proved to be well-trained.

Corin had spoken of the Borant Bandit Group with utter disdain within the fortress of Boulder Castle, deeming them utterly fragile; it was now clear that he had either vastly underestimated them or intentionally provided false intelligence.

And if Ronin's suspicions proved true, once Corin chose to defect on the battlefield, the balance of power between both forces would undergo a catastrophic reversal.

Kneeling upon the ground, Warwick asked tentatively, "My Lord, I have revealed everything I know. Could you perhaps spare my life?"

Although Warwick felt his death was highly probable, he could not resist the urge to beg for mercy.

He had only recently become a silver knight and had not even had the chance to enjoy the life his new status afforded him; he did not wish to perish just like this.

Ronin offered a gentle, genial smile, "Rest assured, Warwick. In light of your honest confession, I shall naturally grant you a way to live."

"And your dragon?"

"It will not kill you either," Ronin said, offering words to soothe the man's anxiety.

Only then did Warwick breathe a sigh of relief, though he now looked upon Ronin with a dread far exceeding his fear of the dragon.

They had previously plotted to slay Ronin upon the battlefield, but Warwick now recognized that such a feat was entirely impossible.

With a flying magical beast like a dragon at his disposal, Ronin could easily escape the battlefield even if his personal combat strength was lacking.

Come to think of it, since when did Wushan Castle possess a legendary creature like a dragon as a magical beast?

If the outside world were to learn of this, there was no telling how massive a storm it would stir up.

"I have one more question for you,"

Ronin continued his interrogation, "On that night two months ago, how exactly did you manage to breach Chishan Town?"

"This..."

Warwick hesitated.

Perhaps only Amicus truly knew the full details of that battle in Chishan Town.

However, having been promoted to the core circle, even if he had not personally participated, he had overheard certain rumors and could guess a fair portion of the truth.

"Reluctant to speak?"

Ronin chuckled softly, "Then let me take a guess."

He decided to fish for information from his captive.

"Baron Corin of the Boulder Territory is in league with your Borant Bandit Group, and it was through your combined efforts that you so easily annihilated the five knight squads of Wushan Castle stationed in Chishan Town."

He paused, adopting an expression that suggested he already knew everything, "Am I correct?"

Warwick was struck with utter shock, "How do you know that?"

Such a confidential matter was something he himself had only surmised after overhearing fragments of conversation; someone like Ronin, who ought to be completely in the dark, should have had no way of knowing. Where could he have possibly obtained this information?

Could there be a traitor within the bandit group?

The faces of Haldane and the other core members flashed through Warwick's mind, but it seemed impossible; those men could never be traitors.

Could it be that something had gone awry on Corin's end?

Roning spared no thought for Warwick’s inner musings, knowing only that Cryan's betrayal was now an absolute certainty.

It was hard to believe that this border baron, who held command over the Fifth Knights of Wushan Castle, would actually commit such an act.

"Since you chose treason, you must bear its cost!"

Roning was already calculating how to deal with the traitor.

Should he simply take Toru, Marvin, and the others to seize Cryan immediately, or should he exploit the man?

Using a traitor to leak information and deliberately mislead the enemy was a viable tactic; he could even drive Cryan to lead the Megalith Fief's knight squad into an initial clash with the Red Hill Town bandits.

Yet such an approach carried high risks; if the man sensed anything amiss, he might well defect straight to the Polant Bandit Corps with his knights.

Furthermore, Warwick was now captive, and the disappearance of such a central figure would inevitably alert the bandits, a detail Cryan might soon discover.

If that happened, Roning's efforts would amount to going out for wool and coming home shorn.

"Cryan and his subordinate are both Silver Knights, and I am still uncertain of his squad's exact fighting strength; by comparison, securing Cryan directly before the battle begins remains the superior strategy."

After a moment's reflection, Roning resolved to seize the man first, eliminating the threat from his rear.

The woods were dead silent, and Warwick, watching Roning furrow his brow in deep thought, quietly scanned the surroundings for a chance to escape.

Against Roning alone, he felt confident; after all, how strong could a youth of seventeen or eighteen truly be?

The critical obstacle remained the dragon.

Warwick eyed the dense forest.

The interference of the trees prevented the dragon from flapping its wings freely, a constraint he might exploit to make his escape.

"Staying here does not guarantee survival, but running gives me a chance to live."

Warwick hesitated no longer and, taking advantage of Roning’s distraction, sprang up and fled at a breakneck pace.

Roning was still pondering how to capture Cryan when Warwick suddenly pulled this stunt.

"Master, it seems he has run away?" Carlos prompted.

Roning could not help but roll his eyes; he had only missed Warwick's movement because he was lost in thought.

What had Carlos been doing just now, reminiscing about the taste of horse meat?

"Thank you for the reminder, I see him."

Daring not delay, he immediately gave chase, for this crucial witness could not be lost.

Swish!

Two figures streaked through the dense woods, and Warwick, glancing back, was horrified to find the distance between Roning and himself rapidly closing.

"What is happening?"

He was utterly bewildered, "I may not compare to Haldane and the others, but I am still a Silver Knight, so how can I fail to outrun a mere brat?"

Roning had already reached the peak of the Silver rank, and even without the aid of Haste magic, his raw speed far surpassed his quarry's.

"To dare flee right under a dragon's nose, I truly admire your courage."

Roning threw a punch, a blazing fist of fire hurtling toward the man's spine.

Warwick ducked to evade the blow and spun around, his face twisting into a savage grimace: "I cannot beat the dragon, but I can still deal with you!"

He abandoned his flight entirely, turning back with the intent to capture Roning instead.

"As long as I take you, I need not fear your beast, even if it is a dragon!"