Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Chapter 224 Saving Hans

Jessica and Muller's squad moved quickly along the shadow of the city wall and soon arrived at the city gate tower.

Two guards were dozing against the wall. Jessica made a gesture, and two warriors approached silently and swiftly dispatched the guards.

Meanwhile, Eric and Chris are climbing the spiral stone steps leading to the tower.

The sentry atop the tower was completely unsuspecting, intently gazing at the night outside the castle. Chris covered his mouth from behind, and Eric delivered a fatal blow to his throat.

Brienne, on the other hand, moved about in the courtyard like an elegant cat.

She led three soldiers, specializing in dealing with lone patrolmen. One guard had just come out of the toilet and hadn't even had time to fasten his belt when he was tackled to the ground.

In the kitchen area, Henry encountered an elderly cook who was still awake late at night. The old lady was busy preparing ingredients for tomorrow when she saw a stranger barge in, and she was so frightened that the cleaver in her hand clattered to the ground.

"Stand still, old lady!"

Henry lowered his voice and warned, "If you dare to make a sound, I'll drown you in your soup pot! Stay put and don't make me angry!"

Henry doesn't mind playing the villain to save Hans.

The old cook nodded tremblingly, then slumped onto the stool, too afraid to move.

Just as the other groups were making good progress, Eric encountered some trouble.

A pure white Kuvaz dog suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began biting Eric's calf repeatedly.

This sheepdog was huge and agile, and even a sword master like Eric was forced to scramble to keep up.

"Damn beast!" Eric raised his two-handed greatsword, about to strike, when Peter appeared just in time.

"Stop!" Peter said. The entire castle was now under control; there was no need to harm a loyal watchdog.

Strangely enough, the white dog immediately stopped attacking as soon as Peter appeared.

It tilted its head and looked at Peter, its tail wagging gently. Peter squatted down and held out his palm. The white dog obediently walked over and rubbed its head against his palm.

"What a strange dog," Eric muttered, sheathing his sword and examining his bitten calf.

"I think it's a good dog."

Peter stroked the dog's thick fur. "This is a Kuvasz, a breed common in Hungary and Bohemia, known for its loyalty and bravery."

He pondered for a moment, then said, "From now on, you'll come with me. You'll always have food to eat. As for your name..."

Peter remembered that Henry's dog was named Dumbbell and Theresa's dog was named Ding Ding, so he laughed and said, "You can be named..."

Brian, please.

"Woof woof!" The white dog barked excitedly twice, wagging its tail even more enthusiastically.

While Peter and his men effectively controlled the entire castle, Henry, as planned, quickly infiltrated the main castle building.

He found the bedroom of Count von Porgogh's wife, Madame Ophelia, on the third floor. Henry gently pried open the latch and slipped inside.

Lady Ophelia was startled awake from her bed. Just as she was about to cry out, Henry appeared at her bedside like a ghost, the cold tip of his sword gently pressed against her throat.

"Don't move, madam! Keep quiet and don't make a sound."

Henry's voice was low and dangerous. "Madam, you wouldn't want your beautiful appearance to be harmed in any way, would you?"

"Oh my God—"

Lady Ophelia recognized the intruder and the gleaming longsword before her, and her face paled with fright. Her voice trembled as she cried, "You—you wouldn't want to hurt a woman as frail as me, would you?"

She was indeed young and beautiful, but she was not of noble birth; she was merely the daughter of an unknown lord, and last year she married the older von Polgard as his second wife because of her looks.

Inside the castle, the servants and guards secretly looked down on her because of her background, which made her feel insecure all the time.

Henry maintained his imposing manner and said, "I personally don't want to, madam. But my sword sometimes has its own thoughts and is not entirely under my control! So please, please do not act rashly, understand?"

"Okay, okay—please don't hurt me." Lady Ophelia completely gave in; fear overwhelmed everything.

After Henry's interrogation, which was a mixture of coercion and enticement, Madame Ophelia finally revealed the location of the key to the room where Hans was imprisoned—it was in a small tortoiseshell box by her bedside.

Henry, having obtained the key, threatened again, "Madam, you probably don't want your husband, Count von Polgau, to know that you were the one who revealed the key's secret, do you?"

"Of course I don't want to, please—" Lady Ophelia was almost in tears.

"So please be a little smarter."

Henry put away the keys. "Don't try to shout after I leave. To tell you the truth, the entire Malesov Castle is now under the control of our Silver Dawn Knights. Your shouting will only bring you unnecessary trouble."

"Yes, yes—I will cooperate fully and I won't say anything."

Ophelia was not a woman of courage or insight to begin with. After being frightened and deceived by Henry, she had completely lost her composure and obediently huddled in the corner of the bed, wrapped herself tightly in the blanket, and dared not move at all.

Henry felt that his tone might have been a little too harsh on a lady, and he felt slightly guilty.

He was about to turn away to rescue Hans when he suddenly remembered Miss Rosa's other request: to retrieve her copy of "A Collection of Strange Tales." So he began searching the room and finally found the carefully bound book in parchment on a small side table near the window.

He turned the pages with slight curiosity and saw many seemingly absurd yet witty short stories recorded in elegant Latin:

Wedding wishes

"I don't know the bride, so I can't congratulate the groom. I know the groom very well, so I can't congratulate the bride either."

【Innocence】

A young man gently embraced his lover and asked, "Am I your first love?" The woman replied, "Perhaps, I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

Imagination is not true knowledge.

"Once upon a time, in Kutenberg, a man visited an elderly fortune teller, hoping to understand his destiny. After carefully examining his palms, the fortune teller said, 'I see you have two children.' 'That's just your imagination,' the man shook his head and said, 'I have three children!' 'But that's also just your imagination—' the fortune teller replied with a smile."

The Gravedigger

Q: What kind of woman knows where her husband is every night? A: A widow!

Henry casually flipped through a few pages, a few black lines appearing on his forehead. He really hadn't expected that Miss Rosa Rushard, who seemed so quiet and elegant, even somewhat melancholic, would secretly enjoy reading collections of jokes filled with satire and dark humor.

He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh, "You really can't judge a book by its cover!"

He shook off these jumbled thoughts and carefully tucked the parchment book into his robes. Then, taking the key, he strode up to a higher floor of the castle and found the "luxury cell" where Hans was imprisoned.

Henry unlocked the heavy oak door with his key and stepped inside. The sight inside made him pause for a moment.

It was indeed a fairly spacious and comfortable room, with carpets on the floor, tapestries hanging on the walls, and even a comfortable bed.

In the center of the room was a table with several bright candles lit on it, as well as wine, fresh fruit, white bread, and bacon.

But what's most eye-catching is the set of dice on the table?

"Henry?"

A shout of surprise and disbelief came from behind a huge, carved wardrobe on the inside of the room.

Immediately afterwards, a figure suddenly emerged; it was none other than Hans, the young master, who had hidden himself after hearing the unusual commotion outside.

When he saw his best friend, his eyes instantly welled up with tears. As if seeing a long-lost relative, he rushed over and the two embraced tightly.

"Damn Henry! You incompetent servant!" Hans pounded Henry's back, his voice choked with emotion, laughing, crying, and complaining. "Do you know how I've endured all these days being locked up here?"

Henry relaxed his arms, pointed to the lavish "prisoner treatment" on the table, especially the dice, and tentatively asked, "Drinking wine and playing dice? You seem to be living a pretty comfortable life?"

"Get lost, Henry!" Hans burst into laughter through his tears, shoving Henry aside. His expression then turned incredibly serious and earnest. Looking Henry in the eyes, he said, word by word, "But I believe, I've always believed! I believe you will come to save me! You promised!"

His tone was full of unwavering trust.

"Yes, Hans, I'm here now."

Henry also dropped his joking expression and said solemnly, "Not only me, Lord Peter has come in person! He is leading others to clear out this castle. Now, you are safe."

"Lord Peter has come too?!" Hans's voice was filled with surprise and emotion.

During this time, although he was treated with courtesy by Count von Polgar and was not mistreated, he knew that he had become the Achilles' heel and a burden to Lord Hannes and the entire royalist cause, and the regret and self-blame tormented him day and night.

But he always held a firm belief in his heart: the promise Henry made before he left, and the deep friendship between them.

Now, Henry has indeed come, and even Lord Peter, who is far away in Trostsky, has come all the way to rescue him. This kindness warms his heart and almost brings him to tears again.

"Lord Peter? Who is that? Are we—completely safe now?"

A strange voice with a distinct foreign accent and a slightly slick tone came from behind the wardrobe again. Then, a man cautiously peeked out halfway.

He had a neatly trimmed mustache and his hair was slicked back. Despite being in a prison cell, he still tried to maintain a respectable appearance, giving off a slightly greasy vibe.

Henry was startled and immediately realized that in his excitement at the reunion, he had carelessly overlooked the possibility of another person in the room.

He reacted with lightning speed, almost instinctively drawing his longsword from his waist in an instant. He lunged forward, pressing the sword tip against the stranger's chest, pinning him firmly against the wall, and demanding sharply, "Who are you?!"

"Henry, don't do it! We're on the same side!"

Hans quickly stepped forward to stop him, pressing down on Henry's sword-wielding arm. "This is Sir Waquerin Brabant, a valiant knight from France who organized a highly effective defense of Courtenberg. He's a good man!"

"Is he a good man?" Henry did not immediately sheath his sword, but cautiously sized up the Frenchman who called himself a knight.

Just then, Peter, flanked by Chris and Brienne, calmly entered the room. His self-illumination swept quickly across the room, lingering for a moment on Sir Waquerin's tense face, without uttering a word. His self-illumination finally landed on Hans, and he stepped forward, extending his hand to shake Hans's firmly.

"We came as promised, Hans." Peter's voice was calm yet powerful, carrying a reassuring strength. "Now, you are free."

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