CHAPTER 552: SAFETY CONFIRMED

TL: Rui88

The moment Fergus fell from his horse, those who followed him tried to flee, but the soldiers’ muskets also fired one after another, striking them down to the ground.

“Tie them up, tie them all up! Keep them alive for now.”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly gave this order regarding the enemies who were still alive.

By this time, the battle by the river was nearing its end. The Alda troops ambushing in the forest, after firing several rounds, charged out with the sound of a bugle call, thrusting their gleaming bayonets at the rebels who were already terrified out of their wits.

The surviving rebels who had not been hit by bullets had their morale and organization fall to zero. The soldiers captured them all with little effort.

They were tied up in strings by the Alda soldiers, a full ten groups of them.

“Commander! Commander!”

A loud shout came from the distance, filled with surprise, catching Lieutenant Colonel Holly’s attention.

He saw two people running towards him and called out from afar, “What is it?”

The person running towards him shouted, “It’s the Lord’s Guard! We’ve found the Lord’s Guard!”

“What?” Lieutenant Colonel Holly and the instructor Cobb beside him were stunned upon hearing this and immediately spurred their horses to gallop over.

It was Captain Mesa of the first company, who had just been commanding his company in the woods.

Beside Mesa was another person. Lieutenant Colonel Holly looked closely; the man’s uniform was that of the Lord’s Guard. This guard was soaked to the bone, his shoes and trousers caked with mud, and his upper garment was covered in leaves and grass seeds, as if he had just crawled out of a bush. His hair was dishevelled, and his face was sooty, probably from smoke, making the whites of his eyes particularly prominent.

“How is Lord Grayman?”

He asked hurriedly, not caring that the man was panting heavily.

“Lord Grayman is unharmed,” the guard answered between breaths.

Hearing this news, the lieutenant colonel and those around him were all filled with surprise and joy.

“What is your name?”

“Stefano! Sir, my name is Stefano.”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly ordered his subordinate, “Quick, give him some water and food.”

Knowing the lord was safe, a great weight was finally lifted from his heart, and he was in no hurry to question the exhausted guard before him.

Stefano only took the water flask and gulped down several large mouthfuls. He had already eaten some food before setting out on his reconnaissance from the lord’s camp, so he was not hungry. He had also drunk water then, but he had become thirsty again while hiding nearby watching the battle.

He and another companion had been ordered to scout in the direction of Babor Village. Along the way, they had encountered a small team of ten rebels left behind, who were approaching the camp. After a brief discussion, his companion returned to the camp to report, while Stefano bypassed them and continued towards Babor Village.

After continuing along the river, he soon came upon the 8th Infantry Battalion’s ambush on the rebels. Unsure of the situation at first, he hid nearby to observe quietly. After seeing the rebels being soundly beaten, he confirmed that it was an army loyal to the lord. He remained where he was, continuing to observe and intending to find an opportunity to make contact with this force.

Only after the battle was over did Stefano run out from his hiding spot, calling out to the soldiers who were clearing the battlefield.

At first, he was almost mistaken for a straggler from the rebel forces. Several muskets were aimed squarely at him. He had no choice but to raise his hands and walk carefully towards them, only then managing to explain his identity.

Stefano was then brought to Lieutenant Colonel Holly by the overjoyed Captain Mesa.

Stefano knew what others wanted to ask him. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said, “Lieutenant Colonel, sir! Ah, you must be Lieutenant Colonel Holly?”

“Yes, I am Carter Holly, commander of the 8th Infantry Battalion.”

“Excellent! I was ordered by Captain Victor to scout the situation in Babor Village and did not expect to meet you here. Further in that direction…” Stefano pointed in the direction he had come from, “…about two miles on, is Weaselcat Valley. Lord Grayman’s camp is inside. Many of the brothers are injured, but Lord Grayman himself is safe and sound.”

“May the Lord of Light forever watch over him. But with such a large fire just now, how did you all escape?”

Stefano laughed and replied, “Just as the fire spread to the edge of our camp, a heavy rain began to fall from the sky.”

“Such good fortune?”

Everyone who heard Stefano’s words, whether it was Lieutenant Colonel Holly, Major Cobb, or their subordinates, marvelled at this. Some even began to think that it must have been a deity helping Count Grayman.

Holly happily patted the guard’s shoulder. “Stefano, you’ll have to trouble yourself once more to lead us to Lord Grayman. I’m sure Lord Grayman will grant you a long holiday afterwards so you can get a good rest.”

Stefano said without hesitation, “It is my duty, Lieutenant Colonel. Please, follow me. Ah, right, a small rebel team of ten men was heading towards the lord’s camp just now, but my companion has already gone back to give warning.”

“Ah? Then we should set off quickly.”

Less than an hour later, Lieutenant Colonel Holly and Major Cobb met their lord in Weaselcat Valley.

“We are late, Lord Grayman. Please punish us.”

The two men knelt on one knee and asked for punishment the moment they saw Paul.

“No, no, no!” Paul immediately stepped forward to help them up.

He too was overjoyed. With the 8th Infantry Battalion here, his safety was finally guaranteed.

“In fact, I never expected you to arrive so quickly. I thought I wouldn’t see you until tomorrow… ah no, this afternoon. Haha, and let me be clear, that’s not sarcasm, it’s true.”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly explained, “My lord, we asked the mayor of our garrison city to help us requisition enough horses, and we galloped here all the way.”

“So that’s how it is!” Paul understood.

It suddenly occurred to him that he should probably have a unit capable of rapid “animal-powered” movement, like… a real cavalry?

But that sort of thing seemed very expensive. Paul shook his head, pushing the thought to the back of his mind for now.

Holly asked, “My lord, your guard mentioned a small team of rebels…”

Paul waved his hand. “We’ve already taken care of them! I expect they were left behind by Fergus to confirm whether I was still alive.”

Lieutenant Colonel Holly nodded. “That’s good. Alas, I never thought Knight Fergus would stoop so low.”

“Knight? Hmph!” A look of hatred appeared on Paul’s face. “Forget it, let’s not talk about him for now.”

Holly’s expression suddenly changed. “Lord Grayman, there is an extremely urgent matter to report to you. Lakeheart Town… there may be rebel activity there as well!”

“Ah?”