Chapter 32: 32 Feigning Surrender

Chapter 32: A Feigned Surrender

The interrogation dragged on for what felt like an eternity, lasting until Marth finally unburdened himself of every secret he held.

Aside from the revelation that Prinst, Dyson, and the others pledged their allegiance to Baron Rayson, the second most critical piece of intelligence concerned the military strength of the Thayne Fief.

Baron Rayson Thayne himself was a peak senior knight, rumored to be a mere breath away from advancing to the bronze rank.

Furthermore, he commanded a small squadron of knights, led by a captain named Philton Henry, who was also a senior knight.

Excluding the three individuals deployed on the mission to Mountainwood Town, the Thayne Fief's knightly squadron still boasted two intermediate knights and six junior knights.

Roning found a stone by the roadside and sat down.

Even if he counted Marth, who had just surrendered and sworn fealty to him, his side possessed a mere five extraordinary individuals in total.

The Thayne Fief still commanded ten such extraordinary beings, among whom were two senior knights.

The leap from intermediate to senior rank brought a massive surge in the volume of battle aura; even with McKen’s wealth of combat experience, he might not be a match for them.

Weighing the odds, Roning realized that if he were to wage war against the Thayne Fief now, he would stand almost no chance of victory.

Yet he knew all too well that the enemy already regarded Mountainwood Town as a prize in their pocket; now that Roning had become the master of the town, Rayson would not let the matter rest easily.

This wicked neighbor would be a formidable adversary to deal with.

"My Lord, the casualty report has been compiled."

At that moment, the mage Elrond approached, "Though the battle just now concluded swiftly, our side suffered seven light injuries and three severe ones."

Roning’s expression tightened; though these men were commoners, they were effectively his trusted inner circle, and he was loath to lose a single one.

"How are the severely wounded?"

"I have mostly healed two of them; they should be fine after two weeks of rest. The remaining one is in graver condition; his arm was nearly severed, and the bone was damaged. I am afraid he will require a month of rest."

"Take me to see them."

Under Elrond’s guidance, Roning arrived before the severely wounded guardsman, whom Chahar had already bandaged, having cut away his blood-stained sleeves.

"How do you feel?" Roning asked with genuine concern.

To have the lord himself bend down to offer words of comfort filled the guardsman with an immediate sense of being overwhelmed by such favor; his pale countenance flushed with excitement. "My Lord, the master mage has already treated me. In just one month, I shall be able to raise my sword and fight for you once more!"

Roning patted the man's shoulder. "Recover well."

He then turned to instruct Chahar, "See to it that the wounded from this battle are well cared for. We must not allow our guards to bleed and then suffer neglect."

"Yes, Master!"

"Furthermore, Elrond, once you have refined your mana, treat the severely wounded guards a few more times as circumstances allow, so that they may recover more quickly."

"Very well, My Lord!"

Roning proceeded to inspect and comfort the other injured men, while simultaneously praising the guards' valiant performance in the clash.

Though it was merely a brief appearance to express his solicitude, the effect it produced was remarkably profound; the guards' acceptance of and reverence for Roning deepened significantly.

Returning to his original spot, Roning inquired, "What of the casualties among those from Mountainwood Town?"

"I have tallied those as well."

Elrond shook his head, "When I checked, all three archers were dead, and of the twenty infantrymen, only five survived, all of them grievously wounded. My mana is limited, so I did not bestow healing upon them."

Compared to Roning’s faction, the infantry who had followed Prinst had suffered devastating losses.

One could only say that Roning’s guards had fought with excessive ferocity.

"My Lord, how shall we dispose of Prinst and those other two?" Elrond inquired casually.

Roning rubbed the space between his brows, "Dyson and that fellow named Kate belong to the Thayne Fief; naturally, I cannot keep them. As for Prinst, I actually wish to spare him, as he may still be of some use."

He rose to his feet and strode toward the captives.

Roning waved his hand, signaling McKen to withdraw his longsword, which no longer needed to be pressed against Prinst’s neck.

Prinst gazed up at Roning, a strange luster gleaming within his eyes, "From the very beginning until now, you have remained exceedingly composed. Moreover, your style of handling matters is entirely different from that of Earl Wiggins."

Roning gave a low chuckle, "Do tell, what exactly is Earl Wiggins's style of doing things?"

"Whimsical, willful

"What did you say? Firidon is rushing toward Mountainwood Town?"

Dissen seemed to have grasped a lifeline. "Pulinst sent a carrier pigeon with your information as soon as you passed the previous two mountains. Lord Firidon has long been on his way!"

Ronin's expression drastically changed. His team had rested here for at least three hours, plus the time it took to cross two mountains, amounting to at least five hours.

It must be known that carrier pigeons fly swiftly and directly; from Mountainwood Town to Sien Ridge, it probably takes no more than twenty to thirty minutes.

That means Firidon has already been on the move for roughly four and a half hours!

Ronin looked toward Malt. "Why wasn't I informed of this matter?"

Malt immediately panicked, dropping the sword in his hand and kneeling on the ground, frantically defending himself.

"My lord, I didn’t know about this news! Pulinst despises nobles, and he despises me for being born a noble as well. I can’t access many matters!"

Ronin turned his gaze to Pulinst.

The man who had just chosen to submit was now staring coldly at Dissen. "Waste!"

In that moment, Ronin understood: this man had not truly surrendered but was merely delaying for time.

If Firidon could arrive, he would have a chance to survive.

The only thing he might not have anticipated was Ronin’s insistence on killing Dissen, and Dissen revealing crucial intelligence.

For a moment, Ronin’s heart also grew unsettled.

Firidon—that was a high-ranking knight of Sien Territory, and he certainly wouldn’t be coming alone!

"What should we do?"

I’ve drawn a version of the map; anyone interested can check it out in the comment section (just to distinguish the approximate locations of the main cities in the early stages—my ability is limited, so it’s not well drawn).

Also, lords who haven’ invested might consider making an investment. I’ve noticed there aren’ many investors at the moment; you can still earn a bit of Starting Point currency.

(End of Chapter)