Imperial Crown.

Chapter 125: Enemy Traces (4 words update )

Viscount John looked calm, and it was obvious that he had thought of the same thing as Raven a long time ago. "Baron Raven, you have a keen judgment of the situation. We have discussed what you said before, but now is not the best time to leave."

Raven frowned. "Why? Even if there might be the Death Hand Cult's army ahead, we can retreat a distance and wait until the battle here is over before making a choice."

Viscount John slowly shook his head: "Because... we can't retreat, at least not now."

After a little thought, Raven understood the logic.

He had previously told Eberron that he had no morals, but that could only be kept in secret and would never be made public.

Fighting against the hand of death is itself a moral and righteous act.

By the same token, now that Morgan is leading a group of nobles to stay here, they are certainly living a life of debauchery, but it can also be said that they are entering a dangerous area.

At this time, anyone who retreats will be branded as a "coward" or "deserter". Even though he sent troops, he would suffer the same fate as those nobles who lost their land.

Raven felt a little regretful in his heart. If he had known that this was the situation here, he might as well have acted alone so that the target would be smaller!
However, the problem was not too big. He had a lot of war horses anyway, so the worst that could happen was that he would just run away as a sign of respect. There were dozens of nobles present, and not everyone would necessarily pay attention to him.

Viscount John smiled slightly, saying meaningfully: "Little guy, you have a sharp mind, but you should pay more attention to the level of 'morality'. It may not help you, but sometimes it can destroy you."

"Okay, an old guy like me can't stand the cold, so I won't walk with you." After saying that, he turned and walked into the big tent.

The cold wind blew, lifting a corner of Viscount John's formal dress, revealing a piece of shiny enchanted plate armor.

Looking at his back, Raven shook his head slightly: "This old fox!"

The fourth-level Ice Knight is afraid of the cold? What a joke!
The atmosphere in the big tent was really unbearable, but Raven didn't want to be known as a "loner", so he took a few breaths of fresh air and returned to the tent.

The social interactions among the nobles were always so boring, and their conversations were always meaningless. In comparison, even Judra began to look more pleasing to Raven.

But Raven didn't want to talk to him. He took a glass of wine and sat in a corner in a daze.

Unexpectedly, Judra took the wine glass and sat next to Raven, and asked in a deep voice:
"…Ms. Denise, how are you doing lately?"

Raven's mouth twitched, he laughed and turned his head away. He really didn't want to answer such meaningless questions.

Judela's face darkened, but she didn't argue too much and changed the subject directly: "What did you say to Viscount John before?"

"It's what you discussed before." Lei Wen said concisely.

"...I don't agree with his opinion." Judela stared at the wine glass: "Waiting here is too passive, and we also need military merits. Why don't we set out directly tonight and explore inside?"

"I think Romney and Kate look at you in a strange way." Raven frowned and asked, "You didn't encourage them in the same way, did you?"

Judra's face was a little gloomy, but she nodded silently.

"If you were so anxious, why didn't you go with Fisher?" Raven asked.

"Viscount John is more lenient." Judea told the truth: "I have too few soldiers. If I follow Fisher, I will only be used as cannon fodder."

"Then you shouldn't have made such a suggestion." Raven said, "I know what you are thinking. You see it's difficult for you to inherit Anger's title, so you want to make a contribution in this war and win a fiefdom for yourself."

"But Kate and Romney are not like you. They are not that eager for credit, so they follow Viscount John. Your idea will only make people feel dangerous and difficult to get along with."

At this point, Raven sneered: "Come to think of it, you don't really think that making some contributions in this war can change your situation, right?"

Judra agreed with Raven's statement.

"Give up your fantasy." Raven took a sip of wine. "If this were really possible, why would Angel hold all the elite troops in his hands and only give you more than 200 serfs?"

"He just uses you as cannon fodder and wants you to die here!"

"He sat on the fence and watched from behind to see which of the Slater and Fox families would gain the upper hand."

"If Slater survives, then you will give the best explanation to the Slater family. If the Fox family is strong, then he can say that you sent troops privately!"

Listening to Raven's words, Judela's face became more and more gloomy, and it seemed that water could drip out of it. He clenched his teeth and suppressed his voice, but he could not suppress his anger: "Stop talking! Baron Raven, you are trying to sow discord between us father and son!"

"I just want you to wake up." Raven said coldly: "This war is too dangerous. If we want to survive, the nobles of Xuefeng County must stick together. Your previous mentality will only kill everyone!"

Judra felt so depressed. She had to be scolded by Angel every day at home, and now she was being taught a lesson by Raven.

But he couldn't refute it, because what Raven said was the truth, and he himself had a vague feeling about it for a long time, but he just didn't want to, or didn't dare to face it.

"If you want to be a noble, you must first be a living person." Raven stood up:
"Don't kill yourself."

After saying this, he slowly walked away, leaving only his back to Judra.

Night fell quickly, and there was constant singing in the big tent. Under the guidance of Volaf, Raven returned to his own camp.

Raven was very satisfied with the location Eric chose.

The location was on a high slope, not too far from the camp. Although the wind was a little strong, after cutting down the surrounding trees and erecting a simple wall, the view was very wide. Danger could be seen in advance, and the roadblocks could be removed and the horse could be ridden away at any time.

At this time, it was possible to see which nobles had actually fought in battles, or had sufficient experience and awareness, because Viscount John's camp was not far away, and Judra, Kate, and Romney were also nearby.

Back in the tent, Lux was still praying softly. Raven did not disturb her, but took out two unfinished maps.

One was recorded on the way, and the other was sorted out later. What Raven had to do was to adjust the content of the first to the second. Maps played an important tactical and strategic role in this era. Since this was a business trip, it was of course necessary to use both public and private resources.

Lux returned to her tent and went to sleep, and before leaving she added some more lamp oil to Raven.

When the map was copied and proofread, Raven rubbed his stiff shoulders, slowly stood up and walked out of the tent, looked up at the gloomy sky, and took a deep breath.

"Baron, please." Volav handed over a warm water bag.

Raven took the water bag and took a sip: "What time is it now?"

"It was around one in the morning," said Volav.

"One in the morning..." Raven stopped and frowned: "Where's Simon? Has he come back?"

Volav shook his head: "Not yet."

A sense of foreboding came over Raven. Simon had been gone for more than ten hours, but he hadn't reported back yet...

"Pass the order down, double the sentry duty tonight!"

"Yes!" The camp was not big and the order was passed down quickly.

Volaf turned back to Raven and asked softly, "Baron, would you like to rest for a while?"

Raven shook his head slightly. "Let's wait until Simon comes back."

About four or five hours later, Simon came back.

He rode a half-demonized warhorse and stopped at the entrance of the camp. Then, without caring about his image, he staggered into Raven's tent.

The half-monster leather armor on his body was tattered, with bone arrows hanging in some places.

"Lord Baron, in the east, northeast, and northwest, there are large numbers of undead creatures gathering here!"

"At most, there's still an hour!"

Raven was not surprised, but relieved.

The other shoe finally dropped.

"You take a break first." Raven threw his water bag to Simon and turned to order: "Volaf, wake up all the soldiers, light a fire and cook, and be ready for battle at any time."

"Then send someone to inform Viscount John and tell him exactly what Simon has discovered."

"Yes, Lord Baron!" Volaf saluted and accepted the order, then asked, "Aren't you going to inform Viscount Morgan in the main camp?"

"No." Raven shook his head. "If Viscount John asks about my decision, you should tell him to make the decision. Be polite."

Volav stepped back, and Raven began to check his armor and move his hands and feet.

Soon, Volaf arrived at Viscount John's tent in person. Like Raven, this nobleman did not rest.

After listening to Volav's report, he nodded slowly: "What about Viscount Morgan?"

"The Baron said that he would not dare to act on his own without your order." Volaf replied respectfully.

"This little guy..." Viscount John smiled slightly and shook his head slowly.

He knew what Raven was thinking. On the surface, Raven felt that he was powerless and his words carried little weight, so even if he revealed the information, it might not be taken seriously.

But in fact, I'm afraid he had some evil intentions.

Regardless of Viscount Morgan's own abilities, he at least brought with him half a legion of private soldiers. Together with other nobles in the camp, the total force was more than 20,000, the size of four legions.

Considering how drunken and dreamy they were before, if they really heard the news, they would probably be frightened and lose their composure immediately, and it is not impossible that they would escape from the battlefield.

Only when the army of the Death Hand Cult arrives and completes the encirclement, will they be able to gather together and be forced to fight!

Only in this way can we attract the main force of the Hand of Death and share the pressure of the people in Xuefeng County.

John seemed to see Raven's face, which was full of a hint of teasing: "Didn't you say that morality is important? Now is the time to test your morality."

John slowly stood up from the camp chair and said, "I understand. You can go back."

After that, no one left Viscount John's camp.

Raven's camp was located at a high altitude and the wind was strong, so even if he made a fire to cook, it did not attract the attention of the main camp.

When the first rays of morning light appeared, a wave appeared on the horizon!
Waves made of bones!
“Enemy attack——!!!!”

The sentinels of the main camp finally discovered the enemy's tracks, and their heart-wrenching shouts pierced the sky.

The next moment, heavy drum beats and horn sounds rang out at the same time!
……

(End of this chapter)