Chapter 153: Thorn Fortress 2
TL: Etude
A guard rushed in with a report. The scout who returned last night has woken up and says theres important information to report.
The atmosphere in the hall suddenly turned serious.
Important information? What could be so crucial? Could it be that the rebels were planning to attack?
Duke Dodge immediately stood up and instructed the reporting guard, Take me to him!
He strode briskly out of the hall.
Klein and Lester also rose and followed behind the elder Duke, no longer in the mood to wait for breakfast.
Bowman and the other attendants naturally followed.
The group quickly arrived at a tent specifically for wounded soldiers and entered.
The Duke asked urgently, Is he awake?
On a wooden bed in the corner, a soldier wrapped in bandages was propped up against the bedding, being fed rice soup by another person.
Seeing the three highest-ranking individuals of the fortress arrive, the person feeding the wounded soldier immediately stood up to salute, and the injured soldier also struggled to get out of bed.
The Duke quickly stepped forward to gently press him down, You shouldnt move around with your injuries, just lie down.
Thank you, Your Grace, the severely injured scout said softly, his voice revealing his extreme weakness.
The guard brought some stools for the Duke and the others to sit on.
You said you had important information to report to me?
The scout nodded and said, Yes, I believe the information I gathered is very important.
After saying this, his face showed a pained expression. He was the only one who returned from this mission; the fate of the other two brothers who had been with him day and night was unknown.
Then tell us about it.
Yes!
The scout paused, recalling the details of the previous night, and began to narrate slowly.
Last evening, we were at our designated route on lookout to prevent a night attack by the rebels.
Around 8 P.M., when it was completely dark, we suddenly heard some noise in the distance. With the faint moonlight, we could barely make out a few figures slowly approaching along the roadside.
The team leader guessed they were rebel scouts or a small detachment, coming to scout the fortress under cover of darkness. Originally, we planned to immediately return to the fortress to report, but one of our sharp-eyed brothers noticed there were only five of them, and we had seven. The team leader then thought of capturing a few for interrogation, and the rest of us agreed.
So, we quickly adjusted our positions and continued to wait for the enemy to come closer.
Fortunately, we were well hidden, and the advancing enemy did not discover us, gradually entering our ambush.
Then, on the team leaders command, we suddenly jumped out, each pouncing on the person closest to them.
I gripped my short sword tightly, stabbing fiercely at one of them. Clearly, he was startled by our ambush, standing there confused, and even had his back to me. Under normal circumstances, I was confident I could have stabbed him through.
Duke Dodge, Klein, and Lester held their breath, understanding the scouts implication. What happened next was out of the ordinary.
Indeed, the scout spoke with an incredulous tone:
But something abnormal happened. Just as my short sword struck his body, I felt as if I had stabbed into a piece of iron.
Klein asked, Was the enemy wearing armor?
No, sir! The scout shook his head vehemently, inadvertently aggravating his wounds and wincing in pain.
Once they got close, we could see clearly. They werent wearing any armor. They were definitely scouts, dressed in ordinary clothes to minimize noise while moving at night.
The Duke and the others exchanged glances.
Klein speculated, Perhaps they were wearing some thin, finely crafted inner armor?
But as soon as he said it, he felt his face flush with heat.
Such a lightweight, finely crafted inner armor that could be hidden under ordinary clothes, not hinder movement, and even withstand a full-force stab from a well-trained adult man Such armor could be a family heirloom for a noble house. It was unlikely for a common scout to wear such a thing to the front lines casually.
This was indeed an unusual occurrence. The Duke, with a grave expression, asked, Then what happened?
Then The scouts face showed confusion and fear.
Then, after my strike, the enemy stumbled forward. I took the opportunity to glance around and found that none of our ambush had inflicted fatal injuries on the enemy. Oh perhaps because of the darkness, I didnt see clearly, but their movements afterward didnt seem like those of injured men.
We are very confident in our skills. Although we dare not compare with your lordships, knowing where to strike and how to incapacitate without killing is a skill all scouts must master.
The Duke asked, So, youre saying all five of them might have been wearing some sort of inner armor?
Unable to think of how else the enemy could have achieved such resilience without armor, the Duke reluctantly followed up on Viscount Kleins suggestion.
Uh If such inner armor exists, then it must have been that.
The scout, with his limited experience, was unaware of the high-tech gadgets nobles could afford. He continued:
They reacted quickly, forming a defensive formation back-to-back after our ambush. We didnt have time to be astonished by their defense and attacked again.
Quickly, we realized that our swords and daggers seemed to cause them no harm, whether we slashed or stabbed.
Their skills were comparable to ours, but just being impervious to swords and spears completely restrained us.
After nearly twenty minutes of intense fighting, almost all of us were wounded, but those five were still at ease, gradually overpowering us.
Finally, three of my brothers fell, and the team leader, seeing no hope of victory, signaled us to retreat and he he stayed behind
I
The scouts face reddened as he spoke.
I turned and ran
His voice began to choke up, unable to continue.
Duke Dodge placed a hand on his shoulder, Your team leader was a hero, and you did nothing wrong. Bringing back the information is the responsibility of a scout. Dont bear any psychological burden.
Tears welled up in the scouts eyes, Was I the only one who came back last night? I remember two brothers retreating with me I was just running
A painful silence ensued, and no one answered his question.
The scout hung his head, silently enduring the harsh reality.
Duke Dodge sighed, Rest and heal. Only by living can you honor the sacrifice of your brothers.
He gestured to the others and turned to leave.
Klein and Lester followed closely behind.
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