-65- Start small

Under the blazing sun.

After regrouping with Rosell and the others, Gallen's team left the Rose Road and traveled southwest for about two hours.

Gallen pulled the reins and stopped his horse, saying, "Is that the village up ahead?"

A Crabb retainer replied, "Yes, my lord. The Sleepless Bandits have been camped in that village for the past few days."

The Sleepless Bandits are a group of bandits active near the borders of the Crownlands, Riverlands, and Reach. Because they usually only kill and plunder at night, they are also known as the Night Bandits.

Gallen looked at the distant village and asked Anguy, "Do you think it's better to attack now?"

Anguy replied, "Yes, Lord Gallen. They returned at dawn, and they are very tired now."

Bandit groups are always alert. Gallen estimated that if they moved any closer, the bandit sentries would spot them.

Even though these bandits wouldn't forget to post sentries during the day.

...

Gallen paused for a moment and said, "The view around the village is open. If we get any closer, we'll be easily spotted."

Mordin and Anguy exchanged a glance.

Mordin gestured with his eyes for Anguy to speak.

Anguy nodded imperceptibly and said to Gallen, "My lord, I can approach without being detected."

Gallen raised an eyebrow and patted Anguy's shoulder. "Then you take charge of this raid. Have Mordin assist you."

Anguy felt a surge of gratitude for Gallen's trust, and he nodded heavily.

...

Seeing Anguy and Mordin lead most of the retinue away, Martil, Gallen's new squire, couldn't sit still and looked at Gallen expectantly.

Gallen noticed Martil's intense gaze and frowned. "Martil, don't forget your duties as a squire."

But Mordin and Anguy are also Gallen's personal guards...

Martil had his grievances but didn't dare to voice them.

...

Martil was a descendant of a Crabb household knight. Due to family rules, he had been confined to the estate and had not participated in any battles.

Trained diligently from a young age, Gallen believed Martil's skills were not lacking.

As the descendant of a household knight, Gallen couldn't help but look out for him. He wouldn't send Martil into battle without full armor.

Currently, Martil was like a wild horse that had broken free, his heart too restless.

Gallen would use his own methods to calm Martil's heart.

...

After quickly formulating a plan, Anguy and Mordin didn't waste any time. Anguy silently made his way toward the village.

For most, avoiding sentries in broad daylight in an open area would be difficult, but for a natural archer like Anguy, it was manageable.

The bandit group, numbering forty to fifty, hadn't posted many sentries.

Having quietly entered the village, Anguy observed for a while and discovered that in this direction, there were only two sentries.

One in the open, one hidden—one under a tree, the other in the tree. It was a clever arrangement.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Anguy quickly loosed two arrows.

Anguy's shooting speed was incredibly fast, the arrows released almost simultaneously, with both arrows piercing the sentries' necks.

The sentries' bodies fell to the ground with a dull thud.

...

Mordin, ambushed in the distance, saw Anguy signaling with a flag.

Mordin pulled down his visor and made a hand gesture.

Through the slits of his visor, Mordin kept his eyes fixed ahead, leading his men forward swiftly. His broad frame didn't hinder his agility at all.

...

Gallen, with the remaining dozen men, arrived at the nearby river.

Gallen instructed his squire Martil to water the horses and found a shady spot to sit down.

Due to the Royal Hunt, the nearby bandit groups had chosen to keep their distance. No bandit group dared to provoke the Queen's entourage.

Most of Gallen's men had learned to ride horses, but they were still essentially mounted infantry rather than true cavalry.

Gallen was willing to expand the patrol area, partly to train his men in riding skills in the wild.

As the patrol area expanded, it was inevitable that they discovered traces of bandit groups.

Cautious as always, Gallen ordered Anguy to lead a team of men to investigate further.

By today, Gallen had gathered accurate intelligence on several bandit groups.

...

Gallen occasionally wondered if he had started this journey too early.

He always had a feeling that his trip to Highgarden would not go smoothly.

Especially after a messenger from Highgarden suddenly appeared in the Kingswood, this feeling grew stronger.

Ambitious as ever, Gallen suspected he might have been too eager, his impatience showing.

Since he had information on the bandit groups, Gallen decided to slow down a bit, spending a few days clearing out bandits, ridding the people of harm while acquiring some horses.

According to Anguy's scouting, these bandit groups possessed quite a few good horses.

...

In Highgarden, there is a rose who aims for the Queen's crown.

Gallen was heading to Highgarden as Queen Cersei's Chief Affairs Officer, and it would be unusual if everything went smoothly.

Thus far, things were proceeding normally.

Normalcy was good. Gallen felt his impatience dissipate when he shifted his perspective.

Gallen laughed freely.

The beginning of anything is always hard!

Well, the middle is hard too, and the end will be hard... but you'll get used to it.

...

With a crash, Mordin's broad frame smashed into the wooden door, which shattered instantly.

The absolute strength Mordin displayed left everyone momentarily stunned.

Anguy couldn't help but marvel, thinking there was a reason Mordin could consume so much meat!

The morale, already high, surged even further among the men.