I must draw my sword immediately!

Chapter 13 Prelude to Dusk

Suya, of course, did not go to the royal banner.

In front of the royal banner were not only Macedonian phalanx legions, but also a cavalry captain whose strength was completely unknown.
If you dare to go, you'll be dead!

However, he had observed this beforehand—

The location of the royal flag is the command center of this army. All Macedonian scouts, after completing their current reconnaissance missions, will converge in this direction, report their findings, and then receive their appointments to join the main army for attacks or to carry out the next reconnaissance mission.

In addition,

The cavalry and infantry formations of this army were like two distinct entities, and their coordination was infrequent, almost to the point of being independent.

Apart from the cavalry who initially accompanied Seleucus on his campaign and had some connection with him, the cavalry regiments surrounding the royal banner had absolutely no communication with the infantry units.

Even if it's just sending a messenger to deliver the order.

The two seem to belong to two completely different command systems, and are only barely integrated together because of the prestige of their commander, Seleucus.

Suya guessed,

Perhaps it is because, according to historical records, the Macedonian Companion Cavalry was mostly composed of nobles.
He didn't know, nor did he need to understand, but he immediately realized that this was a flaw that could be exploited.
He observed—

After returning to the central command, the scout squad was able to change their reconnaissance direction under the command of the cavalry system.

In other words, this can be used to approach first and then turn back, thus avoiding the risk of exposure caused by abnormal detection routes.

If they charged forward in the opposite direction, parallel to the army, as Meryl did, they would likely attract the attention of nearly 50 scout squads, and before they could even break through, they would certainly be intercepted and investigated by scout squads that had noticed something amiss along their route.

Suya was nearly skinned alive after taking down two of the scouts' henchmen; facing such a large number of complete scout squads...
Certain death!

Therefore,
Now, in this very place,

This place was some distance from the cavalry regiments surrounding the royal banner, yet it was also out of the sight of the garrison knights in the center of the army. What was even better was that it was surrounded by infantry squares, which naturally created a blind spot in the winding roads of the hilly area.

Suya decided to change course here, attempting to once again disguise himself as a scout who had completed his mission and was heading out to accept the next reconnaissance mission!
Although these light and heavy infantrymen might have sensed something was wrong, the communication barriers between the two command systems prevented them from doing so.
His exposure time will most likely be greatly delayed!

Suya had no other options; this was the most feasible method he could think of.
He had no choice but to take a gamble!
and,

Doing so is not without risk.

"Cancel the illusion? No, what exactly do you want to do!?"

Meili lowered her voice, her rose-red pupils trembling slightly as she stared at Suya with a chill running down her spine.

"Are you out of your mind? If you cancel the illusion now, your identity will be completely exposed."

"It's been exposed."

"What?"

"Stop talking nonsense, how do I undo it?"

"Throw away the leather armor, but... are you sure you want to do that?"

Mary shrank back in terror, her hands gripping the saddle tightly like a helpless white groundhog.

Suya gave a forced, trembling smile, reminding her:

"from now on,"

"We are free!"

Suya unbuckled her leather armor and flung it backward.
Golden tufts of hair danced in the wind, and emerald-green eyes, clear as gemstones, were fixed on the road ahead.
He spurred his horse, guided by the image of a blooming flower in his mind, and decisively chose the shortest and fastest route.
"drive!"

then,

Shed the pretense,

A handsome, blond-haired young knight, his face covered in blood and his clothes tattered, held a white rose, trembling and growling.

Let's charge toward freedom!

The blond figure quickly broke away from the royal banner and galloped towards the western rear of the army formation.
After thoroughly toying with the army of ten thousand men, he ruthlessly left them behind!
#
And at this moment,
Midpoint of the reconnaissance route of the 42nd Scout Squad.

"He's not hiding here?"

Shugus frowned slightly, looking at the forty-second squad leader who was staring at him with a puzzled expression. The thin knight with short brown hair shook his head.

"I already told you, this place can't hide anyone. What exactly are you looking for?"

"And, Xiugus, what are you doing here, leaving your territory?"

"Where are the two boys you brought along?"

“Dead.” Shugus took a deep breath.

"?"

Ignoring the bewildered brown-haired knight, Xiu Gusi narrowed his eyes and pondered for a moment.

He couldn't guess how Suya had evaded his pursuit, but if this ruthless murderer wasn't from the Kingdom of Macedonia, the only possible escape route was—

Xiugus looked towards the western hill pass at the end of his line of sight.

And at this moment,
"Bang!" A reddish-brown magic light bullet rose into the air from the side where the royal flag was located.

Shogus turned his head in slight surprise and saw—

A troop of heavily armored cavalry galloped in, led by none other than the two fully armored knights who had allowed Suya to approach the central army.

"All knights, heed my command!"

"Commander Hector gives the order—"

"All scouts and all non-combatant cavalry, using the royal banner as the starting point, conduct a thorough search for a knight named Edoardo."

"The distinguishing features are leather armor with a lot of bloodstains on the front, a huge sword wound on the face, and a confused state of mind, only able to mechanically repeat a few sentences."

"You want to see people alive, you want to see corpses when you're dead!"

"This person possesses information about Arthur Pendragon, the son of King Uther and the future King of all Britain."

"also,"

"He was a true knight. His body must be found and reported to the king so that he may be given a knightly burial!"

The more Xiu Gus listened, the more uneasy he felt.
The brown-haired knight, however, was taken aback. He looked at Xiugus and asked with a surprised expression:
"Aido Ado?"

"Shugus, isn't that one of your underlings?"

Upon hearing the brown-haired knight's words...
Beside them, two knights in full armor paused, removed their helmets, revealing two young and noble faces.
Both men had blue hair and looked alike, resembling brothers. The young noble knight, Lars, looked at Xiugus with shock in his eyes.
"You are Xiu Gu Si? You're still alive?"

Xiugus's already sinister face darkened even further.
"Of course I'm alive. Do you think I'm a dead man standing here right now?"

"But..." Lars scratched his head in confusion.
He quickly regained his composure, his expression hardening, and without distinguishing right from wrong, he sternly questioned:

"Idoado is your subordinate? Why did he return alone?"

Where were you when he was fighting Arthur Pendragon?

Xiu Gus frowned, and replied coldly with slight dissatisfaction:
"How would I know? Besides, if you're looking for Arthur Pendragon, a blond, blue-eyed swordsman, then that guy is already dead!"

"As for Aido Ado... ha."

“I said—” Lars looked coldly at Xiu Gus.
“If you don’t want to die here now, you’d better speak to me with the same respect you would show when you met a nobleman in the kingdom.”

"Look me in the eyes, you thief!"

"answer me!"

Xiu Gus let out a deep breath and couldn't help but clench his fists tightly.
He completely lost his patience.

With the calm mindset he possessed when choosing to become a professional in this field,

At that moment, he finally understood everything.
The man who killed Edoardo, deceived himself, and impersonated Edoardo has deceived this group of tin cans once again.
How could he make these tin can-wearers see him as a 'true knight'?
Moreover, because of this utterly useless chivalry, he was even dragged into playing house with these idiots, delaying the time to find and execute the real murderer, imposter, and fraudster!
What an irony!
However, he clearly understood that he was no match for these two top-tier professional-level tin cans who possessed 'qi', not to mention that behind them stood the hero known as the Glory of the Companion Knights, the commander of the Companion Cavalry Regiment—Hector.

Even among those two tin cans, who are both professional-grade, the difference between people is even greater than the difference between people and dogs.

then,

Shugus could only take a deep breath and compose himself.
He gave a dry laugh that was hardly better than crying:

“Sir, I know the location of Edoardo’s body. When he was fighting, I was scouting the other side of the Y-shaped point. By the time I arrived, it was too late.”

"If you are looking for Aidoado's body, then I will take you there."

Upon hearing this, Lars' anger dissipated, and his face immediately lit up with joy.
"Is it true?"

"Do you know where the real knight is!?"

Compared to Arthur Pendragon, whose kingdom was on the verge of extinction, Lars had far greater respect for heroes who possessed true chivalry.
Even if he was so weak, any knight who believed in chivalry, no matter who he was, should be given the highest respect in his final moments!

He only regretted not having met this true knight sooner!

"Of course."

Xiugus turned his back, stepped into the stirrups, and mounted his horse.

He was so angry he almost laughed, and a cold, mocking smile immediately appeared on his face.

Of course!
Of course!
I not only know where that damned murderer is, I also know—

That petty thief who fooled thousands of people wasn't even a proper professional!

"Don't rush. Don't rush."

"I've memorized your scent, I'll be coming to find you soon!"

"Once I've finished dealing with this bunch of idiot canned food, I'll personally peel off your filthy, stinking skin!"

Xiugus gritted his teeth, staring menacingly at the curved dagger tucked into his waistband.
"Let you be my boys—"

"Blood debts must be repaid with blood!"

(End of this chapter)