"Why! Why do you want to confiscate my horses?! "
At this moment, an argument suddenly broke out in the team. Catherine turned her head and saw three domineering viscounts and barons arguing with Sodelor.
"What are they doing?"
Kathlyn asked in confusion.
"Those fellows weren't attacked. I'm afraid they don't know the seriousness of the matter." Baron Coliman, who was covered in blood, shook his head. "This team is working hard to rescue the other noble teams in the forest, but some of them were taken in before they even saw the Orcs. They … probably think they can handle everything."
This answer made Catherine realize something. Because they were ignorant, they were fearless. Before facing the cold blade, the nobles had no fear of the Orcs. So, this group of fellows' 'reaction' was expected.
But the more it was like this, the more Catherine realized how childish she had been. She looked at the few fellows who kept arguing and scolded in a low voice, "A bunch of idiots …"
Roddy's team had already saved 22 nobles along the way. Some of them were survivors, while others, like Catherine, only had one or two people left in the entire team. Some of them hadn't been attacked, so they naturally met with resistance when they requisitioned horses in order to expand the scouting team.
Those who had been attacked by the Orcs, after witnessing Rody leading a team to kill the Orcs, obediently handed over all their resources. They knew that their private soldiers were a burden to the Orcs. On the other hand, the nobles with shiny armor and military prowess all agreed that Sally and Duke were making a mountain out of a molehill. None of them were willing to cooperate. Seeing this situation, Sodelor didn't say anything and directly waved his hand at the 'troublemakers' and said, "If you don't want to give it, don't. But those who ride horses must obey orders and carry out the mission. Do you understand?"
"Why?! I am also the lord of the kingdom. What right do you have to order me? "
Viscount Juan, who had a big belly and a full beard, questioned loudly. "Not only did you drag me into the team by force, but you also want my horses and troops. What are you trying to do?!"
"You are that Baron Paar, right? You made a lot of money last winter. It's fine if you did it in secret, but now you're brazenly robbing me? "
Sodelor's expression became gloomy. He didn't expect that the people he had saved out of kindness would be this kind of trash, but he was still soft-hearted and didn't want to see these nobles being slaughtered by the Beastmen. He suppressed his anger and said, "This is a very dangerous time, and the forest is very dangerous. That's all I have to say. Take your team and follow us."
"Who would believe your nonsense!"
Viscount Juan pointed at Sodelor without any trace of politeness. But just as he finished speaking, Roddy's voice suddenly came from the side.
"It's up to you to believe it. If you don't, scram."
Riding on the "Train King", he exuded a murderous aura, forcing the nobles to take a few steps back. However, Roddy ignored them. He first gestured to Sodelor to continue leading the search and rescue team. Then, his gaze turned cold as he looked at the protesting nobles. "I won't repeat myself. If you want to scram, scram immediately. I don't need useless teammates."
"You —"
The three nobles wanted to say something, but they saw that the soldiers beside Roddy had already opened up a path for them. Nobles cared about their reputation the most. Since things had already reached this point, there was nothing more to say. They coldly snorted and led more than 60 private soldiers away from this large army of more than 400 people. Soon, they disappeared into the forest.
Katherine witnessed everything with her own eyes. But compared to Roddy's merciless "banishment", she was more shocked by his current status …
She turned to the viscount beside her and asked, "This country bumpkin … Oh no, why is Baron Roddy here? He seems to have … a lot of power? "
"You just joined the team, so you might not know … Those soldiers who killed the Beastmen head-on were Baron Roddy's subordinates. He is the current commander-in-chief of this team. Even Sally and Duke are only assisting from the side."
"Speaking of which, it's all thanks to his protection that we can live until now. I heard people say that in the first battle, he single-handedly took out thirty Wolf Cavalry soldiers — "
"How is this possible?!"
Katherine's heart was in turmoil. She then looked at Roddy. The latter just happened to turn around and said to the nobles around him, "If anyone wants to leave, please leave immediately. I don't want to talk too much nonsense."
Roddy's eyes were filled with deep exhaustion. He did not even bother to say a few more words and directly turned around to leave.
That lonely back gradually overlapped with the inconspicuous "country bumpkin" at the banquet yesterday. It made it difficult for Katherine to accept the huge change in this for a moment.
"Everyone has to pay the price for their own choices."
Katherine suddenly remembered Roddy's words. She, who did not delve into it, finally realized a fact: she used to live in a beautiful dream. When she woke up from the dream, all the beauty created in the dream would dissipate.
And when she opened her eyes, all she could see was the bloody scene in front of her.
Katherine could not help but rejoice in her heart. Compared to those who had left the team, she "woke up" earlier. And the nobles who were still arrogant and conceited would eventually pay the price.
Was it cruel to throw these people into the forest to face the orcs?
From the perspective of the nobles, Roddy was actually pushing them into the fire pit. But Katherine understood that this was actually the wisest choice. The kingdom was not good at "cooperation," but it was definitely an expert at "holding back." Leaving this group of scourges in the team would definitely cause trouble for everyone at a critical moment!
Sodelor could not do this. The "justice" in his heart was an absolutely idealized "justice": benevolent to everyone, loving everyone, tolerant of everything …
But Roddy was tired of this moral restraint after being repeatedly framed by the kingdom's nobles. He only looked at the "goal" and "result" and was not interested in pursuing anything else at all. Since they had to do their best to ensure everyone's survival, then these people who could possibly threaten the team … must be driven out.
In times of prosperity, there are many saints, and in times of chaos, there are ambitious people.
Roddy was not interested in being a sucker, so he had to take this path.
At this time, the scouts were continuously reporting back. Through preliminary surveys of the corpses in the forest, it was confirmed that more than 20 noble teams had been killed. And at this time, Roddy's team had also reached the limit of the number of people they could rescue. In war, numbers were not enough. Most private soldiers did not have the strength to fight against the orcs.
To be on the safe side, he had to move the entire team to Pacaro City and withdraw into the city as soon as possible to be safe.
As for the other nobles in the forest, Roddy no longer had the intention of saving them. He was not the Virgin Mary. He did not want to do something like "losing sight of the bigger picture".
And just as the team was about to change direction, the Needle Tail Sand Cone hovering in the sky suddenly swooped down towards the ground. Before the Kelda Duck could land, Natha leaped down from the sky, reached out to grab a tree trunk, and jumped a few times before landing on the ground.
"Three kilometers to the north, an orc troop is gathering and approaching. There are nearly 300 of them!"
The news she brought made everyone pause in their footsteps.
Although 300 wolf riders could not compare to the current team of more than 400 people, in terms of combat power, Roddy's battle-ready troops would not be able to stop them at all.
After nearly 10 charges and small-scale battles, the stamina of all the cavalry and infantry had greatly decreased. Although they did not lose many people, they no longer had the sharpness and drive they had at the beginning. Moreover, the team was complicated and could not be coordinated. If someone suddenly fled during the battle, the consequences would be unimaginable!
Now that things had come to this, Roddy only had one choice left: bring everyone and rush at full speed to Pacaro City.
Roddy's decision was decisive, and no one in the team had any room to object. Because everyone knew the consequences of being a step slower, even the nobles who usually did not take the same route gritted their teeth and followed the team. Those who could walk walked, and those who were too old were given horses to follow. Catherine was the only female noble who was rescued in the team. She was originally given a horse, but she waved her hand and chose to refuse. She gritted her teeth and followed the team.
Perhaps because of her actions, some of the viscounts and barons who were originally riding on horses also felt that it was a waste of resources to ride horses. They all dismounted and walked, returning the horses to the cavalry who were guarding the perimeter.
In the end, there were not many truly stupid nobles. As elites, they were all very clear about one thing: The most life-saving thing at the moment was not the war horses, but the soldiers with combat power.
Roddy personally led the team to bring up the rear, while Knight Wellington led the way in front. Everyone in the team of more than 400 people was tense, and they almost trotted all the way out of the forest.
In the middle of the team, Naifei bit her lips, and her always lively little face was full of depression.
Akasha had been beside her, of course, she noticed this. When the team moved forward in silence, she finally asked, "Naifei, do you think you did something wrong?"
"Ah? I … "
Naifei raised her head, but did not know what to say. She just insisted on staying, why did it make Roddy angry?
Ever since she knew Roddy, she had never seen Roddy have such a reaction. Naifei was very nervous, she did not like the feeling of hurting others.
"In fact, you did not do anything wrong."
Akasha looked forward, reached out her hand and pushed the branches in front of her away, and said calmly, "It was his thinking that went wrong."
Naifei slightly opened her mouth. She was actually not close to Akasha, because her mother Camilla did not like this priest, so Naifei rarely communicated with her. But Naifei was very clear that the priest in front of her with a calm face was Roddy's partner.
She and Roddy had a very good relationship, and Naifei often saw them together intimately, but why did she say so?
"Do you think that if you like a person, you must say good things about him?"
The doubt in Naifei's eyes could not be hidden from Akasha. She smiled and said, "Everyone has shortcomings and has a past that they are not willing to talk about. His attitude towards you … is actually a bit extreme. He wants you to live a stable and happy life, so he tried his best to do it, but he did not consider your feelings. "
*****
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