The Hunt
"Just a mere Wild Wolf Bandit Group, can it cause my death?"
"And...how dare he kill a lord? This is a provocation against all nobles, every noble will hunt them down until death!"
"It seems... there is indeed a massive conspiracy at play."
Alan recalled the premonition he had when he last tried to summon the Spirit of Darkness, and suddenly felt that there were traces to be followed.
"Killing me brings little benefit... I have few enemies, either the remnants of the Davis Family, or..."
He looked toward the direction of Sothos Castle, with a sense of melancholy in his gaze.
...
Moments later, at the threshing floor.
Alan, fully armored, pressed down on his sword, his expression solemn.
"Baron?"
Eight Fingers, dressed in leather armor, looked at the scene, momentarily dazed.
He had not seen Alan this way ever since the last war.
"The sheriff's team, plus the guards, totals only about thirty men. This is far from enough!"
Alan's face was grave as he shouted, "Issue a conscription order, one adult man from each household, make up one hundred men!"
It was difficult for a small feudal lord in ancient times to maintain many full-time soldiers.
For example, Sothos Castle usually had a standing force of around a hundred people. After occupying the entire Green Forest, it expanded to hundreds.
The guards in Alan's territory were mostly old soldiers willing to relocate from his own squad, coupled with some local recruits, making up about thirty people.
But now, knowing there was a massive conspiracy, he naturally had to give it his all! Summoning over a hundred militiamen, there would be no runaway bandit group capable of overpowering them. If there were, it wouldn't be bandits; it would be a local lord!
The reason conspiracies remain conspiracies is that they cannot see the light!
"Yes, my lord."
Although Eight Fingers was somewhat puzzled, he still went to deliver the orders.
Not long after, a large group of people began to gather.
As he walked out of the manor, Alan, who was still slightly attuned to the spiritual realm, felt a gaze upon him.
He looked in a direction but saw no one. However, there was a civilian house, and without a second thought, he pointed his whip: "Surround that place, arrest everyone inside and throw them into jail, wait for me to return!"
"Eight Fingers, lead the way!"
"Yes!"
Eight Fingers' expression was stern, as if he had returned to the army, and a group of people marched grandly towards a certain direction.
...
In a valley.
The tall Wild Wolf was lovingly stroking a crossbow.
This crossbow was exquisitely made, usually only seen in the military, and he had three of them!
Not only that, one could see his men all wearing leather armor and wielding high-quality weapons, reaching the level of elite regular troops.
With such firepower, even with fewer men, they were more than capable of fighting the baron's guard!
Not to mention, it was an ambush!
Last night's attack was a bait, leaving bloodstains on the road to lure that lord into the trap!
"Pay close attention, once the target enters the ambush zone, all three crossbows are to aim at that nobleman!"
Wild Wolf grinned fiercely: "After we kill him, we'll all be rewarded with enough to buy large farmlands in the south and retire comfortably!"
"Don't worry, boss!"
A one-eyed man also holding a crossbow said excitedly, "With this, we can rob those caravans whenever we want!"
"Robbing? After this job, we're leaving this godforsaken place."
Wild Wolf remained sober, knowing well that he was not a wolf but a vicious dog… biting anyone his master commanded!
"But... it's not bad to kill a nobleman."
He licked his lips, a bloodthirsty expression appearing on his face.
"Boss, something's wrong!"
A person ran over from afar, it was their scout—Quicklegs Rosen. While running, he shouted: "That noble has arrived, but he brought over a hundred people!"
"Damn it!"
Wild Wolf cursed: "That little bastard is really afraid of dying!"
After thinking it over, he unwillingly said: "Abandon the trap, let's retreat! There will be another chance!"
"Boss…" One-Eyed Dragon said reluctantly.
"We are hunters, we set one trap but ten prey have come. Even with a trap, it won't be useful, the remaining beasts will tear you apart…" Wild Wolf said somewhat wistfully.
He still had his wits about him, knowing that his few men were not enough to kill the opposition.
Even at two for one or three for one, the other side could still bury them with numbers.
Moreover, the other side was so vigilant, they might have discovered something.
…
Alan led the main force, following the scout to a small valley.
"My Lord, the enemy is in the valley!"
Eight Fingers bowed and said: "There is a camp there."
"Send someone in to check, and have others search the surroundings."
Alan stood at the mouth of the valley but did not go deeper, speaking indifferently.
A moment later, the returning Eight Fingers looked extremely grim: "There is no one in the valley, but we found some arrangements outside. They might be traps…"
Talking about this, cold sweat involuntarily covered his forehead.
If it wasn't for the baron's call to gather so many people, he might have led a team inside and died there today!
"Where did Wild Wolf escape to?"
Alan asked.
"Probably near Knight Iman's Emerald Territory." Eight Fingers observed the footprints and traces, and said confidently.
"Perfect, Knight Iman still owes me a favor. Release the messenger raven, and have him mobilize the militia to cooperate in the encirclement!"
Not using a favor is a waste. Alan did not care much about a Knight Iman, and immediately ordered.
He prepared to wipe out the opposition in one fell swoop. If Knight Iman was not effective, he would use divination and catch them again!
…
Three days later.
Knight Iman, worthy of being an old hand in this territory, gathered many hunters to help. Eventually, Alan managed to corner Wild Wolf's bandits outside a hill.
"Baron, should we launch an assault?"
A hunter-like man asked, looking at the small hill tightly surrounded by hundreds of militiamen.
They were sent by Knight Iman, previously instructed to follow Alan's orders.
"Thanks to Knight Iman's help, but attacking would cause some losses due to the vicious nature of the Wild Wolf bandits…"
Alan looked at the direction of the wind and the terrain of the small hill, then coldly laughed: "Give the order, set it on fire, burn this place down for me!"
Hundreds of people acted together, quickly creating a firebreak. Then they lit torches and started setting the hill ablaze.
On the hill.
"Even if I die, I will take a bite out of them!"
Driven to the end of his rope, Wild Wolf roared unwillingly, suddenly changed his expression: "This is…"
"Fire… The enemy is setting fire!"
One-Eyed Dragon screamed, suddenly dropping his weapon and running down the hill.
He didn't want to be burned alive or choked to death, that was too painful.
Watching this scene, Wild Wolf felt his last hope completely shattered, and he howled in despair…