Chapter 1458: Chapter 1456: I Don’t Want to See You
Afternoon.
"Woo~ woo~"
The deep sound of the horn echoed, spreading inside and outside Reef Rock Castle.
Somewhere in the military camp outside the castle, in the stable.
"Screech, screech..."
The former Senior Centurion, Red Maple Cavalry Group’s Small Team Leader, now Lower Centurion, Red Maple Cavalry Group Battalion Leader—Mario, showed no resemblance of a battalion leader, as he stood on a three-legged round stool, vigorously brushing his red horse’s coat with a water-dipped brush.
"Screech, screech..."
Halfway through, Mario seemed to hear something, paused, and turned his head to look outside the stable.
"Assemble, the entire group assemble!"
In the air, the commander’s shout came through.
Without any hesitation, he dropped the brush, jumped off the stool, and scrambled out of the stable, just in time to see the soldiers assembling in the open space of the camp, with the armor-clad commander standing not far away.
The commander noticed him, glanced at him, and waved, "All battalion leaders, come to my tent for a meeting." After speaking, he turned and walked to the side.
"Yes." Mario saluted smartly and quickly followed.
Soon, he and nine other battalion leaders entered the commander’s tent.
The commander wasted no time, succinctly explaining the departure time, marching route, and what needed to be prepared, then squinted and said, "Each battalion, prepare on your own. Set out in two hours, and if anyone falls behind, get ready for my whip."
There was quite a lot to prepare this time. Besides weapons and equipment, they also had to take military gear, food, and clothing because it might be a long-distance, extended operation, which posed some difficulty.
Mario blinked, tentatively asking, "Commander, with such comprehensive preparations and marching northwest, are we heading to North Wilderness or Sika?"
The commander glanced at Mario, unabashedly replied, "We’re going to Shalin."
"Uh..."
"Go prepare, no more chatter."
"Yes."
...
In the blink of an eye, two days later.
The Red Maple Cavalry Group trekked along the road, moving northwest, getting farther from Reef Rock Castle.
Mario’s battalion, as the vanguard, cleared the path five miles ahead of the main force of the Red Maple Cavalry Group, staying alert to potential dangers.
The commander had told Mario that their Red Maple Cavalry Group was among the first to set off, so on the way to Shalin, they might encounter various issues, including, but not limited to, retreating soldiers, traps, and ambushes, so he needed to stay vigilant.
Mario’s eyes were wide open, continuously scanning the front, feeling somewhat complex inside.
When the commander arranged the marching plan, he had vaguely guessed they were heading to Shalin. After all, the major event that happened in Shaya couldn’t be concealed and had already spread far and wide.
However, the closer they got to Shalin, the more worried he became—worried about the result of engaging Shalin.
In the previous national war, he was involved almost throughout, so he knew Richard’s terror. To attack such a man, to attack a Shalin where such a man resided, would be no easy feat.
There was a high possibility of severe losses.
He wasn’t particularly afraid of dying; otherwise, he wouldn’t have become a battalion leader. But he feared that Reef Rock Castle’s forces might suffer heavy casualties while attacking Shalin, allowing the Sika people to take advantage.
But those matters... General Soron should have considered them, and they shouldn’t be the worries of a battalion leader...
"Hoo—"
Taking a deep breath, he pulled back his slightly scattered thoughts, focusing his gaze on the horizon’s end. Unsure if it was a delusion, he saw a few black dots flicker there.
The next moment, he was sure it wasn’t an illusion; countless black dots were truly surging from the horizon.
A bit closer, it became clear that these were numerous alliance soldiers fleeing in panic, clearly defeated from the front. It was unclear what exactly they experienced; like a group of beggars, hardly any held weapons, and some even lost their shoes.
At this moment, the retreating soldiers noticed them, speeding up like they had seen a savior.
Mario maintained basic vigilance, instructing his subordinates to block the retreating soldiers dozens of meters away, choosing one person to question: "Where did you come from?"
"Sir, we fled from Grey Rock Territory, have been running for two days to get here."
"Grey Rock Territory? Which regiment stationed at Grey Rock Territory are you from?"
"Silver Cross Mixed Battalion." The counterpart answered truthfully.
Mario deeply frowned, looking at the person. The next moment, his eyebrows twitched in a shocked manner, blurting out, "It’s you! I’ve seen you before!"
"Uh?" The questioned person was stupefied, looking earnestly at Mario, later exclaimed in delight, "Are you Lord Mario? Lord Mario, I can’t believe I’m seeing you again, what a fate. You even remember me, I’m so honored."
The speaker was Frank Dais.
"Of course, I remember you." Mario told Frank, instinctively gripping his sword and glancing toward the direction Frank fled from.
Three years ago during the national war, he had briefly fought alongside Frank and had an exceptionally deep impression of Frank’s unlucky nature—after all, to be extraordinarily unlucky to the extent of casually bumping into an entire Sika Magic Knight Battalion?
Although later, the Magic Knights were lured into the Alliance’s encirclement and wiped out, that too was nearly a nine-death endeavor. Since then, he’d resolved to remain cautious of someone like Frank.
Gazing at Frank, Mario had no intention of reminiscing, only solemnly asked, "You’re fleeing so frantically, is there a pursuing force behind you?"
"Indeed, there are pursuers, the Black Knights of Shalin. We are no match for them, were routed immediately upon encounter, then kept fleeing, reaching here." Frank replied with lingering fear, "Along the way, we also met several allied troops, attempted to unite and counterattack, but ultimately all ended up as fleeing groups themselves—the Black Knights are simply too formidable..."
Mario’s sense of crisis heightened, his breathing quickened, he forcibly interrupted Frank’s words, inquiring, "Tell me, how far are the Black Knights from you? Are they just right on your heels?"
"Not exactly." Frank shook his head, "If they were closely following, we’d be dead by now. Their speed isn’t too fast, they should still be over ten miles out, maybe we’ve already shaken them off. You needn’t worry too much, sir."
Just as Frank finished speaking, he saw in front of him Mario’s lips tremble, eyes narrow, with a "swish" he drew his longsword, appearing as if he was about to hack him down.
"I... thank you!" Mario shouted.
"Thank me for what..." Frank puzzledly replied, halfway through something hit him, he quickly turned back to look, and saw a squad rapidly approaching, indeed their pursuers, the Black Knights.
In his impression, the Black Knights supposed to be over ten miles away had somehow suddenly accelerated, pursuing closely, now less than two miles away.
