Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 789 - 68 Eve_2

Chapter 789: Chapter 68 Eve_2 Chapter 789: Chapter 68 Eve_2 “`

“Captain of ten! Disaster!” A rider charged into the camp, “Barbarian light cavalry have seen the signal fires! They’re killing their way here!”

Anglu dropped the bellows, grabbed the newcomer’s collar, and asked angrily, “I sent you to check if the Barbarian Chief’s Khan flag had crossed the river! Has it or has it not?”

“It has! Horse-tail banners! At least a few dozen poles!”

Anglu let go, shouting to the others, “Retreat!”

Anglu mounted Redmane, the other men quickly saddled their horses and rode away swiftly, leaving the Terdun people with nothing but an empty camp.

…

Below Iron Peak County, in the town of Wolfton, the secret camp of the Ronald Division.

...

Major Ronald was conversing with the mysterious Father Saul.

The old Herde slave who called himself “Brother Saul,” known as “Baldytail,” was fluent in Herde Language, Universal Language, Old Language, and the Ancient Church Language, and he was familiar with the customs and cultures of the Paratu, The Federated Provinces, and even the Empire.

But other than his clergy rank and the name “Saul,” he never spoke of which monastic order he belonged to, where and when he was born, or who had ordained him.

Even with a knife held to his throat, he would only answer, “The Public Church can prove my identity.”

The officers didn’t believe that the old slave before them was the so-called “Father Saul.” They still managed him as closely as they would a slave or a captive, and the old slave never resisted, passively accepting their treatment.

Soon enough, the old slave proved his worth—no one in Newly Reclaimed Lands Province knew more about the insider affairs of Terdun than this “Paratu person.”

From interrogating captives to identifying enemies’ affiliations to the temperament of Kota, and the favorite tactics of the Terdon Tribe, old slave Baldytail knew everything.

The intelligence on the [Ambush on Bald Dog Tribe] was provided proactively by the old slave and turned out exactly as he described: although there were two other groups of Terdun people near Bald Dog Tribe’s camp, none came to the rescue.

Because “Bald Dog was formerly a guard to the Fire Lighter, and he abused the Fire Lighter’s trust to lord over others. The other lords of the Terdun were only too happy to see Bald Dog’s demise.”

Old slave’s status in the small force commanded by Ronald rose significantly, and people gradually started referring to him as “Father Saul,” even letting him officiate Masses.

“I still don’t quite understand,” Father Saul asked lightly, “Why you, Mr. Apel, and Mr. Adam are fighting to the death for a bunch of countrymen? If you hide in a strong fortress, the people of Terdun would naturally leave after they have looted enough. Many years ago, this is what the nobles of Paratu did.”

“Brother,” Ronald replied as he sharpened arrowheads, not looking up, “There are no longer any nobles in the Republic, my father was a common merchant.”

“When the Lord created the world, He did not create a separate class of people called nobles,” Father Saul said, holding his rosary beads and looking down as if gazing into a deep pool, “You were shaped to serve the regime in the form of violence. Not only to repel foreign enemies but to suppress the internal ones, this behavior is consistent with nobility.”

“Aren’t we citizens?”

“But there are still slaves beneath the citizens, in this sense, even the freemen who are citizens can be seen as nobles. Their status is lower than some people but higher than others.”

“What you’re saying… might have some sense,” Ronald put down one arrowhead and picked up another broken one, “But as you said, we were not shaped by emperors, kings, or grand dukes, it was the nation that shaped us. So we don’t pledge loyalty to the crown but to the nation. As for what the nation is… I haven’t figured that out either. I’m just doing all this following my heart’s guidance.”

Footsteps sounded, and Lieutenant Adam, gasping for breath, ran over.

“Signal fires, two of them,” Adam said, panting and swallowing saliva, “One white, one gray, they’re coming.”

“Yes, they’re coming,” Ronald ground down on the arrowhead.

…

In Iron Peak County, by the banks of Panto River.

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The refugee Bard also saw the two rising signal fires.

“Get everyone ready.” Bard said to Ish, “The people of Terdun are coming.”

…

The Great Wilderness.

A dozen Terdun Quiver Bearers were frantically urging their warhorses, relentlessly whipping them on without pause.

A Quiver Bearer looked back in terror, and then with a crying tone shouted, “[Herde Language] They’re still behind us, we can’t escape! Burn it! Burn it all!”

His words were muffled by the wind and hoofs, sounding like sobs.

The leading Quiver Bearer cursed, “[Herde Language] Burn? Who has time for that? Run!”

The Quiver Bearers had been fleeing for who knows how long, from the night straight into the day.

They were the guards of the Fire Lighter, originally seventy strong.

Their pursuers were only three people, but when they first appeared behind them, the Quiver Bearers sent half of their number to intercept, without success.

Another half was sent, and yet the pursuers kept biting at their heels.

The Quiver Bearers no longer dared to fight and buried their heads in a mad dash westward.

“[Herde Language] Split up!” another Quiver Bearer shouted, “[Herde Language] Into two wings!”

The leading Quiver Bearer clenched his teeth and nodded.

…

Newly Reclaimed Land, Maplestone City, New Reclamation Legion Headquarters.

The office door of Colonel Chloe, the Legion Administrative Officer, was kicked in fiercely as Colonel Bod stormed in, his imposing frame not even slightly impeded by the two burly guards.

Colonel Bod skipped any pleasantries, pressing with an unmistakable sense of urgency the moment he entered, “What happened? Have you achieved any results?!”

Colonel Chloe signaled for the two guards to stand down, gave a placating smile to Colonel Bod and replied, “We just finished a military intelligence meeting, and I was about to seek you out to discuss this.”