The 50 riders galloped like lightning. A faint layer of light appeared on the Knight's armor. It didn't just lighten the armor, it also bestowed magical powers to the horses.
It allowed the galloping horses to swiftly recover their stamina while they galloped.
It was a secret spell unique to the War Shrine!
For the believers of the War Shrine, the warhorse was the best companion.
Some of the believers would even choose a single warhorse and spend countless magical materials on it, granting the warhorse an unimaginable lifespan and power.
Carl was one of those people.
The warhorse he rode on was meticulously trained since he was 15 years old.
From 15 to 20 years old, he never slept on a bed, always sleeping on a haystack. During the day, when he practiced his swordsmanship, he would be near the warhorse, even during meals.
It was safe to say that Carl and his warhorse were connected through five years of training.
Plus the magical materials used to feed the warhorse, the value of the warhorse was enough to bankrupt a dozen common middle class families.
The reason why Carl could afford to feed the warhorse was because he came from a traditional noble family of Sicar and was related to the viscount of Sicar by blood. His mother was the viscount's younger sister.
Of course, it wasn't because of his uncle that Carl could become the commander of the riders.
It was because of his true strength!
He relied on the sword in his hand to challenge the Knight who refused to submit to him.
After a hundred victories, he became the commander of the riders.
His family was wealthy, he was well-educated and had his own inheritance.
This was the traditional noble family of the Northern Lands.
As for his morals?
He wasn't exactly noble, but he wasn't despicable either.
After all, as a believer of the God of War, Carl had his bottom line. Therefore, he distributed the Silver Sol that he got from Pol to his men.
It made his men respect Carl even more.
No subordinate would hate a powerful superior who was willing to give benefits to his subordinates.
Therefore, when Carl ordered the riders to move forward at full speed, none of the Knight complained.
Even though they had been moving forward for almost two hours.
Suddenly, Carl, who was leaning on the horse, raised his hand and straightened his body.
Without a word, all the Knight knights stopped. They drew their swords and lit their muskets, scanning their surroundings cautiously.
The pine forest on the frozen ground was silent in the afternoon.
The sunlight dimmed slightly, and a thin layer of fog once again shrouded the road to the border of Mozaar.
Carl's eyes were glued to the front.
He could sense that something was approaching.
It was very hidden, yet it exuded an aura that disgusted him.
"Is it those bastards hiding in the gutter?"
Karl gripped his longsword tightly. The ruby on one side of the hilt shone faintly.
Immediately, a burning sensation appeared on the cold, frozen ground. It was a burning sensation that came from the bottom of his heart, like a warrior who was about to fight on the battlefield.
All the cavalrymen felt their blood boiling at this moment.
They seemed to have gained endless courage.
With the support of such courage, their strength and speed increased to varying degrees. Not only that, but their field of vision also became extremely outstanding. At least, that was the case for the few cavalrymen with muskets.
Bang!
Bang!
Without hesitation, the cavalrymen opened fire.
There was no need to report.
It was Carl's special permission.
It was also the best choice for the veterans who had been through real battles and understood how the battlefield could change in an instant.
The bullets were propelled forward by the gunpowder, flying out rapidly.
Although the muskets in the cavalrymen's hands weren't heavy duty ones, when the gunpowder reached 2 ounces, the firepower was not inferior to the 2.5-ounce ones.
Plus the War Shrine's refinement, the muskets were even more reliable.
Not only the firepower, but the accuracy was also a notch higher, especially when it came to self-protection, it was a favorite among the soldiers.
This time, the muskets didn't disappoint their owners either.
Pak!
Everyone heard the bullets hit their target and knocked down their opponent. They also saw the blurry figure fall to the ground.
Carl smiled and gave a thumbs up to the cavalrymen behind him. He then waved his hand.
Right away, Carl's second-in-command led five other cavalrymen forward.
Carl and the others were on high alert while they watched their own men explore the area.
It wasn't a temporary assignment, it was a rotation.
Each time, Carl or his second-in-command would be the leader, and the other five would take turns to lead their own group.
There was nothing special about the situation, even if Carl was a noble.
The God of War didn't like cowards.
The soldiers wouldn't obey a coward either.
After Carl's second-in-command led the five cavalrymen into the mist, the mist rumbled all of a sudden and became thicker. The originally blurry pine forest and path vanished completely.
The mist seemed to have come alive, throwing itself at the cavalrymen.
Carl's heart skipped a beat, he quickly warned his men.
"Attention!"
A loud shout later, Carl gripped his sword tightly and the ruby on the hilt shone brightly.
The rumbling mist stopped in front of the cavalrymen, but a vine dodged everyone's sight and quietly arrived under Carl's horse's feet. Then, like a venomous snake, the vine went straight for Carl's back.
Carl didn't sense it at all.
However, his horse sensed it. Its four hooves stomped and nimbly dodged the ambush.
Karl, on the other hand, swung the sword in his hand seamlessly.
Kacha!
The vine was cut in half.
A wisp of flame ignited from the cut where the green juice flowed out, spreading out at an unimaginable speed. The severed section was quickly burned to ashes, while the section with the roots was completely surrounded by flames.
Aaaargh!
Everyone was glad to hear the agonizing scream.
After a round of reloading, the second line of musketeers aimed their guns at the spot.
Carl touched his horse's neck in gratitude.
It wasn't the first time his horse saved him.
Each time, it was a dangerous moment.
Because of that, he was more than willing to sleep with his horse.
Because of that, he was still alone despite being 30 years old.
Feeling Carl's touch, the horse stomped its hooves, telling Carl the anxiety in its heart.
'Something is coming!
Leave now! '
"What?
What's wrong with Phernesa? "
Carl, who was supposed to communicate smoothly, couldn't hear what his horse, Phernesa, was saying. It was like someone was talking to him when his ears were ringing.
'Something is coming!
Leave now! '
Phernesa was getting more and more anxious. It could feel something terrifying approaching with malicious intent. Carl, who had telepathic connection with it, was affected before the thing even got close.
Yet, it couldn't do anything about it.
Phernesa started to neigh.
It wanted to inform Carl in this way.
"Phernesa, what are you talking about?"
Carl still couldn't hear it clearly, but it didn't stop him from noticing something was wrong.
But for some reason, he couldn't do anything about it.
He couldn't even give any orders.
He felt like he was doing the right thing.
The strange feeling from before?
Yes, it was an illusion.
Yes, it was an illusion.
"Huh? Hada, why are you pointing your guns at me?"
Carl looked at his men in confusion.
His men were staring at him like a tiger watching its prey.
Swords were pointed at him.
Guns were pointed at him too.
None of them spoke. Their faces hidden under their masks showed ferocious smiles.
Carl wanted to say something, but Phernesa didn't wait any longer.
The warhorse, Phernesa, did not wait any longer. Its four hooves stomped on the ground, and it galloped with its owner. It did not move forward, nor did it move backward. Instead, it charged towards the side of the mountain slope, slanting upwards.
The soldiers with ferocious smiles didn't give chase.
They changed their target.
They looked at their comrades around them.
Then …
Swords were raised up high.
The gun was cocked.
Blood soaked the frozen ground, a thick mist gushed up. When the mist dissipated, an elite group of riders vanished just like that. No one knew what happened.
No!
No!
Someone … hmm, an Evil Spirit knows.
Bloody Mary, who was hiding underground, witnessed the whole process. It furrowed its brows tightly.
'There's something else?'
Bloody Mary muttered in its heart.
The move just now wasn't the sight from before. As a matter of fact, when the sight realized it would run into the elite riders, it vanished right away.
However, the sight vanished.
But there were other things that appeared.
A bloodthirsty bastard.
It wasn't satisfied yet, it was still searching for it.
Unfortunately, it couldn't lock onto it.
"Blind," Bloody Mary commented.
Bloody Mary commented. Without a second thought, it told its boss everything it saw.
As for what happened after that?
It would listen to its boss's orders.
Before that, it could lie down quietly on the ground for a while longer.
Although it wouldn't be long, it would lie down for as long as it could.
Unfortunately …
It couldn't bask in the sun.
It would be better if it could have a glass of juice.
It wanted to hear the sound of waves.
…
The galloping wagon arrived at Sicar in the afternoon.
It was called a city, but from Kieran's point of view, it was more like a town.
The only difference was that the walls were tall and thick, and there were plenty of patrols.
"As the transit station between Castle Aïtantin and Mozaar, Sicar is very safe and prosperous. Of course, it's nothing compared to Castle Aïtantin."
Pol took the initiative to introduce the city after he returned to the carriage.
With Carl's name, the soldiers at the city gate didn't stop them. Even when they saw the spoils of war and captives on the roof of the carriage, they turned a blind eye.
"That Sir Carl's name is much more useful than I thought.
He really is a decent person, all the best to him. "
Pol then knocked on the window behind him.
"Ash Kano, let's go to Anan Hotel, I've booked a room there."
"Yes, Mr. Pol."
It wasn't the first time the bodyguard came to Sicar, he turned the wagon around with ease and headed to his destination.
"The owner of Anan Hotel is very friendly. I've been here once and it's still fresh in my memory.
That's why I've booked an independent courtyard in the hotel. We'll be staying here for a day, selling the spoils of war and replenishing our supplies before we depart.
If you're free, you can take a stroll around the place. As the transit station between Castle Aïtantin and Mozaar, the market of Sicar is worth a visit.
A lot of good stuff will be sold here, not everyone is willing to go to Mozaar. "
As Pol explained, he took out a bulging money pouch from the secret compartment of the wagon and passed it to Kieran.
Gold.
A hundred.
The moment Kieran touched the money pouch, he got the precise information.
"You have 70 to 80 spoils of war, consider it an advance. After I deal with the captive, we'll calculate the total."
Pol explained.
"Mm."
Kieran nodded.
He wasn't worried that Pol would scam him.
Pol wasn't an idiot.
After putting away the money pouch, Kieran looked outside the wagon.
The street was rather tidy and there wasn't anything unsightly on the street, but the corners were filled with stalls. Kieran naturally shifted his gaze.
A lot of peddlers shuttled back and forth in the street.
As the biggest transit station between Castle Aïtantin and Mozaar, Sicar lacked everything but merchants and goods. Camel carts, merchant caravans, and a sea of merchants formed the crowded street. Soldiers in leather armor walked past the carts, scolding the merchants who piled up their goods randomly. At the same time, their eyes scanned the surroundings, as if they were ready to strike at any moment.
Their main target wasn't the merchants.
They were some bastards who followed the merchants and mixed in with the crowd.
Wanted criminals, robbers, and bandits were their targets.
As for the local bastards?
The soldiers obviously turned a blind eye to their actions. Kieran saw a couple of golden fingers squeezing into the crowd like fish in water. While they were working, they didn't forget to greet the soldiers.
Kieran didn't mind their own business though.
Every place had its own rules.
He was willing to follow them.
Given that they didn't violate his own rules.
"The wicked aura in the city has lessened a lot.
"Although it still exists, it won't be as frightening as the fog in the wilderness."
But … "
"There are changes in other aspects!"
Kieran looked up at the sky. The wicked aura in the city seemed to have been washed away by the crowd. There was only a little left, but the lingering wicked aura attracted Kieran's attention.
In Kieran's eyes, the lingering wicked aura was much more lively.
In simple words, the wicked aura in the wilderness was stiff and lifeless.
To put it simply, the evil aura in the wilderness was dull and lifeless.
It was alive!
It was alive!
It was very lively.
"Cult worshippers?"
Kieran wondered.
Bloody Mary transmitted what it saw into Kieran's mind.
Kieran frowned.
It wasn't that Bloody Mary didn't do a good job.
His Transcendence [Tracking] allowed him to see the lingering wicked aura that he had just seen grow at an exponential speed visible to the naked eye.
Then, more of the wicked aura in the wilderness was attracted to Sicar and quietly spread throughout the city.
The process was fast.
It wasn't quiet though.
Other than Kieran, no one else noticed.
Including …
The War Shrine in Sicar.
In Kieran's sight, the place was still very bright and dazzling.
But it was quiet.
Kieran squinted his eyes as he watched the changes.
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