Chapter 23

In the dark environment, Old Gerson lit a torch and cautiously escorted Sally toward the nearest Concedon fortress.

As a border fortress, Concedon was easy to defend and hard to attack due to its tall walls, and even if a thousand orcs came, there would be no concern about any unexpected incidents. Before heading to Phoenix Village, Old Gerson had already sent a soldier to report the news and bring a token to request the army to come out and meet them. This meant that the duke's daughter had already decided to return directly to Concedon Fortress via this route before they even reached Phoenix Village.

However, it was clear that Sally did not place all her hopes on the fortress.

"I know this carries some risks. If things really reach a point of no return, to the extent that Concedon Fortress cannot provide us with shelter, we will immediately turn south and return to Holier City."

Only when there were no outsiders around did the unadorned wisdom appear in her eyes.

Sally was far from a naive girl who took things one step at a time. In fact, she was one of the few women in this era who possessed independent thinking. She was quick-witted and well-versed, and though she was a woman, her knowledge and abilities were no less than those of her brilliant brother.

However, unlike Francis, she chose not to show her sharpness openly but to keep it hidden, being extremely reserved.

Old Gerson understood Sally's capabilities and nodded in agreement with her decision, but he still could not imagine that Concedon Fortress would be considered a threat by Sally. Could humans start killing each other for no reason without the orcs attacking?

Thinking of how Francis had always been respectful to everyone for over a decade, Old Gerson found it hard to believe this would become a reality.

The seven-person team advanced through the night, the torches casting their shadows. Perhaps they thought they had already left the village the orcs were planning to attack, so they all relaxed their guard, and the atmosphere in the group was not tense, even somewhat relaxed.

A relaxed ease, as if everything was under control.

However, on the vast and dark plain, an undetectable black shadow was silently following them from a distance.

Rody maintained a safe distance from the group, and they could not hear the sound of his horse's hooves, let alone detect that they were being followed. Rody, who had initially feared he would have to search hard, sighed helplessly as he looked at the bright torches.

"A bunch of fools, this is just waiting to be a target for the enemy."

At the same time, at Concedon Fortress.

"Sir! This is Miss Sally's request, you cannot ignore it!"

At the gate of Concedon Fortress, the drawbridge had just been raised, the first time in years that the fortress had been so proactive in raising the long-unused drawbridge. The wide moat and solid walls always gave the soldiers stationed here a strong sense of security, but now, it made the soldier seeking help feel a chill in his heart.

"Didn't you understand what I said? If you can't produce Miss Sally's personal letter and token, I have no authority to send soldiers out in the dark."

The captain at the gate had a low rank, but he was in charge here. Although a knight under Lord Kirk's command was in charge of the fortress, it was not easy for a common soldier by Sally's side to speak directly to him. What made this soldier extremely angry was that he indeed had Miss Sally's personal letter and token, but they were completely ignored!

"But—"

The soldier looked back at the raised drawbridge, which meant his path back to report was completely cut off.

"There is no 'but.' I believe you are lying and trying to mobilize the army. According to military regulations... this is a serious offense!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two men rushed forward and pinned the soldier to the ground. Before he could defend himself, he was knocked unconscious with the hilt of a sword.

This happened extremely suddenly. Seeing the soldier fall, the captain's lips tightened, as if he was struggling internally, but he finally waved his hand and said, "For these scoundrels who pretend to be soldiers and cause trouble, hang them all, understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The soldiers dragged the man away, and the atmosphere around was abnormally silent.

Concedon Fortress, which should have been a lighthouse of safety in the dark night, had transformed into a fierce beast lurking in the darkness.

...

At midnight, the villagers of Phoenix Village had already left, leaving behind empty buildings. At this moment, a black-clad group quietly appeared at the outskirts of the village.

Their mounts moved silently, far from the thundering hooves of warhorses—fifteen orc wolf riders arrived at the grassy slope outside Phoenix Village. Normally, orcs with poor night vision would not choose to conduct "reconnaissance" at this time, but today's mission was clearly extraordinary. These wolf riders, holding curved swords, had a determined look and exuded a strong fighting spirit, as they were the core combat force of the "Hammer of Rohar" tribe and also the subordinates of the shaman Zarota.

As a "powerful figure" in the Hammer of Rohar, Shaman Zarota had gradually gained a fearsome reputation and power in recent years. Although his subordinates were just low-ranking scouts and infantry, their loyalty to him was evident.

At this moment, these wolf riders did not hesitate, charging down the slope and entering the empty village.

"Shaman Zarota was indeed right."

Before they arrived, these orcs had received orders to "thoroughly investigate the village" rather than "destroy the village," and they were personally instructed by Shaman Zarota: if the village was empty, report immediately.

At this moment, these orc scouts could not help but admire Shaman Zarota's wisdom, and they immediately turned their wolves and headed in another direction in the darkness.

...

Rody watched the team that had slowed down, gently pulling the reins to stop his horse.

The speed of travel at night was relatively slow, and it was not until midnight that the distant team finally reached the fortress. Rody, who was monitoring them alone, was a bit hungry and secretly searched for food on his horse, thinking of replenishing his energy.

Chewing on hard cheese, Rody rechecked his equipment—two quivers, a horn bow, two curved swords, leather armor, and arm guards, all fully loaded. His habit of traveling alone made him carry at least three days' worth of rations. Feeling in his pocket, the voodoo dice were still there, and after checking his character attributes, Rody confirmed his health was full.

Lifting his head, he saw that Sally's team had completely stopped.

What are they doing?

Concedon Fortress was within sight, but its outline was unclear in the darkness. Rody did not know that Sally's team had already decided to stop after the messenger soldier lost contact.

Two hundred meters away, Old Gerson's face was serious, and Sally's expression was more one of helplessness. She smoothed her white-gold hair and sighed, "It seems we won't be returning to Concedon today. Clearly, my dear brother has made his final decision, making the fortress silent, not even lighting a single lamp."

"Miss, I'll take some men to check—"

"Old Gerson, you know that won't work," Sally interrupted him, waving her hand decisively. "According to the original plan, we will immediately return to Holier City. At Father's place, he won't be able to continue to besiege me."

This might be the tragedy of the kingdom's nobility, where siblings vie, test, and even openly show murderous intent, learning to survive in this invisible battlefield before the age of twenty. At this moment, Sally still had confidence in herself.

Two days ago, she had learned through her secretly cultivated forces and channels everything her brother intended to do. The performance and testing in Wick Village, the quick return from Phoenix Village—almost everything was within Sally's control and prediction. The only unexpected and puzzling thing was the scout captain from Nolan Village...

Sally was curious, how did that guy get this information?

However, this doubt was suddenly interrupted by a question—

"What is that?!"

The soldier holding the torch, with the light source by his side, could not clearly see the shadow in the distant darkness. He only vaguely saw something moving on the horizon.

Old Gerson turned around, sensing the strange atmosphere, and looked at the lit torches around him, immediately realizing the problem. He ordered, "Extinguish the torches!"

Ten seconds later, the surroundings returned to darkness, and silence enveloped the group. The guards were fine, but the maid's expression was clearly frightened, trembling and looking around.

"Captain—"

"Silence!"

Old Gerson whispered a rebuke, then carefully listened to the subtle sounds in the wind, his face suddenly changing.

"Damn... damn! Wolf riders! Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

The atmosphere of the mounted team instantly tightened, and everyone tried to turn their horses, but due to the excessive force, the maid, who was not skilled in horseback riding, fell off her horse!

But none of the soldiers dared to dismount to help her—everyone understood what Old Gerson's warning meant. Wolf riders were the nightmare of humans living on the border, and the sound of wolves running in the distance was becoming increasingly obvious!

Sally wanted to dismount to help the maid but was grabbed by Gerson, who, without a word, whipped her horse and shouted, "Ignore everything! Protect Miss and break through to the south!"

The team immediately charged toward Concedon Fortress—Gerson could only hope that the enemy would retreat when they saw the human fortress, and he did not have much hope that the fortress gates would open.

But after riding a hundred meters, he turned around and saw an urgent problem: the wolf riders were too fast, charging down the hill and running much faster than the warhorses that had just started. Sally's riding skills were not good, and her speed was slower than the veterans. If they continued at this speed, they would be caught by the wolf riders in less than half a minute—he knew the orcs' net-throwing ability, and any rider within ten meters of them was basically dead!

Thus, the veteran made his decision after a few seconds of silence.

He suddenly turned his horse to the side and shouted, "Everyone, draw your swords! Prepare to engage the enemy!"

There were only four soldiers, and their thin figures were no match for the fifteen orc wolf riders charging from a short distance away. But at this moment, Old Gerson did not hesitate much.

"Miss Sally, keep moving forward, don't look back!"

After saying this, he led his young soldiers to turn left, raising their swords and charging toward the enemies who should not have been there.

Sally's eyes widened, wanting to speak, but she covered her mouth, even biting her finger to stop herself from shouting—though she was young and wise beyond her years, the words "blood" and "sacrifice" seemed to exist only in books. When everything happened suddenly, the young Sally could not accept that these soldiers were willing to die for her.

But the rationality in her mind told her that she must grip the reins and continue forward—only by surviving could she avenge these soldiers, and only by escaping her brother's trap would their blood not be in vain!

Only then did Sally faintly realize that war was never far away, and the fear that the veterans were unwilling to mention would always show its cruelty in the most sudden way.