Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 652 - 424: Nightmare

The west shore of Burullus Lake has now become an active zone for the Saracen riding cavalry.

These black-skinned light cavalry, coming and going like the wind, are skilled in archery and horseback riding. Many of them have mastered unique tribal magic, giving them a significant advantage in small-scale battles.

Many border villages and towns that submitted to the Crusaders have suffered attacks from these Black Gulum. Some lords who didn't have time to evacuate died on the spot. With hawks that serve as their eyes and ears, these Black Gulum have achieved absolute dominance in scout skirmishes.

The main Saracen army is continuously gathering as well, with the opposing camp growing more majestic and imposing day by day. In contrast, the Crusaders have not managed to mount an effective counterattack.

The Crusaders' Grand Marshal Losa seems to have vanished, having not appeared publicly for quite some time. In private, many people whisper that Duke Losa previously infiltrated deep into the Saracen rear, casting inhumane witchcraft to turn an entire city into a dead zone.

Fortunately, King Saladin's mage consultant team stood up and repelled him. It is said that Duke Losa is now heavily injured and not long for this world.

Rumors have no traceable origin, spreading throughout the city seemingly overnight.

Initially, the Crusaders naturally did not believe them.

Duke Losa's reputation for generosity and kindness was deep-rooted. Many Crusaders privately criticized the duke for not being decisive enough. Using evil witchcraft to turn an entire city into a dead zone simply wasn't the duke's style.

But as so much time has passed without Losa making an appearance, the rumors grew more intense.

Kurs took no special measures against this. He knew full well where the rumors came from: the secret collusion between Saman and Adil. But such rumors could only be ended with Losa waking and standing up personally.

If Losa couldn't wake up...

It wasn't necessary to worry about these things if he couldn't wake up.

Kurs glanced at Furinjira beside him, noticing how the blood magic within her, like a doomsday volcano, was becoming more and more frenzied.

Just as the Crusaders were shaken, Richard the Lionheart personally led dozens of personal guard cavalrymen to charge out of the city. When they returned at night, each cavalryman's saddle was adorned with a string of black left ears tied with ropes.

Those ears were painted with strange oils or tattoos.

A rough count showed at least not fewer than three hundred!

The King of Albion, in the simplest and most direct way, declared to the Crusaders of Semanud City that even without Losa, he, Richard, could lead them to achieve the final victory!

…

The dense forest towered, snowflakes fluttering.

Losa reached out his hand, catching the snowflakes and watching them quickly melt with the heat of his palm, wiping them off on himself.

The world seemed somewhat different.

But trying to pinpoint exactly how was impossible.

It had been a month since they left the Dragon's Nest, and both had become quite haggard, yet the land seemed endless, nowhere near the Grand Duchy of Tver or the Dnieper River.

The further south they went, the thicker the snow, the colder the weather.

This was somewhat counterintuitive, yet Losa did not make any rash conclusions.

His half-dragon transformation couldn't be maintained permanently, but the previous gliding had lasted a long time. Typically, unless they were on the wrong path, they should have reached their waypoint by now—yet, even if Miss Rognerda led them astray, he could tell by the sun's direction they were indeed heading south.

Losa removed his basket, grabbed a handful of luminous plants, and stuffed them in his mouth, chewing as he inquired, "Are we there yet?"

"I don't know either…"

Miss Rognerda seemed confused, as the world greatly differed from her understanding: "I thought I was lost, but here... I distinctly remember being here before. We called this Horseshoe Bay. Look, from afar, doesn't it resemble a horseshoe print?"

"But Horseshoe Bay is very close to where we were."

Losa sighed slightly; indeed, they couldn't escape, confirming his earlier suspicion.

This world wasn't real.

But how could he explain?

You're merely a remnant image in the Demon Dragon's dream, and the real you died long ago?

"Should we change direction…"

She had only spoken halfway when Losa covered her mouth and nose, then made a silence gesture with his raised finger.

In the sky, a massive black shadow slowly glided towards them silently.

It was a long, black human-shaped shadow, in the most literal sense. It had no facial features, pitch-black and seemingly void of substance, with a massive mountain-like body moving silently.

Whoosh—

"What in the world is that thing?"

Her heartbeat was frighteningly fast.

"I don't know, perhaps a nightmare."

Losa's voice was very grave.

"You were just suggesting changing direction, right?"

Rognerda nodded.

Losa then said, "No need, keep heading south. What we see as normal may not be real. Instead, that peculiar shadow might actually exist."

It's hard to find the prototype of such bizarre creatures in reality.

Perhaps it's only in the ghost dragon's dream's blurred memories that such monsters could be pieced together.

"Perhaps I should still send you back."

The Valkyrie girl shook her head; her current stamina exceeded that of many with innate divine power, seen as blessed by Odin.

"I want to see what's really happened in this world."

"It's not normal, is it?"

"Yes."

This certainly wasn't normal.

These grotesque creatures defied logic. They might not emit a pungent stench or have filthy bodies, yet merely seeing their bizarre shapes invoked an indescribable discomfort.

The two dared not provoke these oddities, cautiously detouring around them. When impossible to bypass, they would hide and wait for the oddities to pass.

Before,

many scenes flashed before his eyes.

Moments from his childhood before memories had awakened.

A very beautiful woman holding him, her face filled with kindness,

Werner's dad smiling beside him, 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Mom…"

Losa subconsciously reached out his hand. There was once a time he thought he had a soul transmigration, replacing Losa.

But actually,

However, as soon as he touched,

he was back.

There was no rebirth or transmigration.

Sorrow flitted across Losa's face as he slowly raised his needle-pricked arm, watching the middle-aged woman beside him carefully wiping his body. His lips trembled for a long time before he softly called out.

"Mom."

His voice was very weak.

But the woman at his bedside immediately looked over when she heard it.

Seeing Losa's face, tears streaming from his eyes, she was momentarily stunned, as if in disbelief, before she shouted loudly, "Doctor, doctor, my son is awake!"