Chapter 122
“What’s going on?”
“Signal fires have been lit in the east.”
Raylenne bit her lip. In case of a bandit attack, the villagers would light signal fires from high places to convey the information.
The lit signal fires meant that the bandits had invaded.
The timing was earlier than expected. Since Aiden attacked the village a few days ago, it was assumed the bandits would need time to regroup.
Cashwood’s eyes were intense.
“The signal fires indicate that the knights stationed in the eastern village are at a disadvantage.”
That made sense… They were asking for help.
“The knights in the castle are ready to sortie immediately.”
“But Aiden… I mean, the Duke, hasn’t returned yet. And we don’t have many knights here right now.”
Confronting the bandits unprepared could result in unnecessary casualties.
“I agree. But if we leave it as it is, the bandits will steal all the supplies we provided to the villagers.”
He was right. If left unchecked, the bandits would take the supplies, and people could get hurt.
“I need to meet with the knights first. I can’t hastily give a sortie order in place of the Duke.”
One wrong command could lead to many injuries. She had to be very careful.
To be cautious, she needed to understand the situation accurately.
Raylenne hurried to the training ground where the knights were gathered.
The knights were already armed and ready for deployment.
The knight captain stepped forward upon seeing Raylenne.
“My Lady, please give the order to sortie. We must seize this chance to prevent the bandits from causing further trouble.”
“How many knights and soldiers are ready to sortie right now?”
Most of their forces were stationed at the edge of the territory. The number of knights and soldiers in the castle wasn’t large.
“About 100.”
Raylenne’s brow furrowed. That was too few.
“But it should be fine. According to the villagers, there are only about 50 bandits.”
Even though they had twice the number of the bandits, Raylenne was still uneasy.
“What is making you hesitate?”
The knight captain’s previously polite tone turned sharp. When Raylenne looked up at him, his expression was stern.
“I heard the bandit leader is an Awakener.”
“That’s true. But it’s not something for you to worry about. Our knights are all seasoned warriors who have survived the battlefield.”
The knight captain’s tone carried a hint of irritation, feeling disrespected.
“I know. I know the Bedeusian knights are exceptional. But… I’m worried because we don’t know the extent of the enemy’s abilities.”
In truth, Raylenne was well aware of the enemy’s capabilities, and they were significant enough to worry even the exceptional Bedeusian knights. Specifically, she was concerned about the bandit leader’s abilities.
However, she couldn’t reveal that knowledge here.
At that moment, a knight arrived at a gallop.
“Captain!”
All eyes turned to the sudden arrival.
“You are…”
“I was patrolling the territory and met a villager who fled from the eastern village. I came to relay an urgent message.”
Raylenne frowned.
It would take about three hours to get from the eastern border village to here. Meeting the knight at the perfect timing seemed a bit strange.
“What did they say?”
“They said this time the bandits’ goal isn’t plunder.”
“Then what is it?”
“They seem to want to occupy the village. They might be planning to take the villagers hostage.”
The captain clenched his fist in anger.
“Those insolent scum!”
“This is because of the former Duke Bedeusian’s policies. We’ve never properly dealt with them, so the bandits look down on us.”
The knight continued to speak to the agitated captain.
“But we got some useful information.”
The captain glared at the knight.
“What is it?”
“The location of their base.”
“Their base?”
“The ones who attacked the village are just a part of the bandits. Most of them are waiting in the hills, planning to fully occupy the village by tomorrow evening.”
If the villager’s information was accurate, it was invaluable.
However, the more Raylenne listened, the stranger it seemed. How did the villager know so much before the signal fires were lit?
Eventually, Raylenne questioned the knight.
“That villager… what condition were they in?”
“Their condition?”
“Yes. Did they seem unfocused or anything?”
The knight seemed to recall the villager.
“Now that you mention it, they seemed to be looking somewhere else while speaking, as if they were unfocused.”
Raylenne let out a short sigh.
If her guess was correct, the villager was someone the bandit leader Elan had intentionally sent here.
‘Using the Awakener’s ability to cast illusions.’
Elan, a significant villain, had a unique ability as an Awakener to cast illusions on people.
He used the same method to lure Aiden into a trap, making an ordinary person see illusions and lead Aiden to the bandit base.
In hindsight, it was similar to Harbian’s abilities.
‘Well… that’s not the important part.’
The important part was that she realized it was a trap.
Raylenne looked at the knight captain.
“We can’t go to the base. It’s a trap.”
The captain’s eyebrows furrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“The bandits fed us this information on purpose. Isn’t it strange that a villager who fled in a hurry knew so much?”
Raylenne couldn’t casually reveal her knowledge about Elan’s abilities. No one else knew anything about Elan beyond the fact that he was an Awakener.
“It’s possible he heard something by chance and fled in a hurry,” the knight captain insisted.
Raylenne understood that her argument lacked persuasion and decided to change her approach.
“Then let’s wait until the Duke returns tomorrow before we take action. The bandits plan to occupy the village tomorrow evening, right?”
The knight captain remained silent, seemingly considering Raylenne’s suggestion.
However, at that moment, Langrin, a knight who had previously clashed with Raylenne, stepped forward with a scowl.
“There’s no reason to hesitate, Captain.”
Raylenne’s gaze shifted to Langrin.
“The bandits are only 50 in number, and we know their base. If we delay, the bandits might catch wind of our plans and escape like rats.”
Langrin’s eyes glared at Raylenne, his gaze almost threatening, as if warning her to stay out of it, implying she knew nothing about warfare.
But Raylenne couldn’t stand by and watch the Duke’s knights march into a trap.
Staring firmly at Langrin’s furious eyes, Raylenne declared, “That won’t do.”
Her voice was resolute.
“As the mistress of this castle, I forbid the sortie.”
Langrin’s face twisted in frustration. The knight captain also furrowed his brow, and the other knights looked incredulous. The only one who seemed to accept her authority was Cashwood.
Raylenne didn’t waver. She had no reason to compromise. With Aiden absent, she was the one who held decision-making power over the knights.
“We will wait for the Duke to return tomorrow before taking action. For now, stand by.”
Without further explanation, Raylenne turned her back on them.
It might have seemed forceful, but the only way to stop them was through authority, not persuasion.
Besides, if the bandits’ goal wasn’t plunder but occupation, there was no need to rush. They wouldn’t harm the hostages they needed to use for occupation.
Everything would be resolved once Aiden returned the next day.
Raylenne believed this as she walked away, unaware that a knight would secretly leave the castle that very night.
* * *
After Raylenne left, the knights remained restless for a while.
It was unacceptable that a woman who had only been part of the castle for a month had made such a crucial decision on her own.
Langrin, unable to contain his anger, finally burst out.
“This is outrageous, Captain! Are we just going to stand by?”
“I’m as displeased as you are, but we have no choice. We can’t act without orders.”
“Are we supposed to accept the ridiculous notion that it’s a trap? She doesn’t trust us, that’s all.”
The knight captain’s expression hardened as he stared at the ground. Eventually, he sighed and relaxed his expression.
“Even so, we have no choice. Stop getting worked up and stand guard.”
The knight captain gave Langrin a firm pat on the chest and walked away.
Even while standing guard with other knights, Langrin’s anger didn’t subside.
‘If I resolved everything before the Duke’s return, I would surely be rewarded. But now, we’re doing nothing because of one word from her.’
No…
Instead of doing nothing, if he could confirm that the bandits’ base was indeed in the hills, he could prove Raylenne wrong and mobilize the knights at dawn.
Despite the cold night air, Langrin’s mind grew increasingly heated.
It didn’t take long for him to reach the conclusion that he couldn’t just sit around.
Langrin sprang to his feet. The knights standing guard with him looked up in surprise.
“What’s gotten into you?”
Without a word, Langrin dashed off.
His large silhouette quickly disappeared into the darkness.
