Lord: I can see loyalty.

The night was as dark as ink, and the firelight in the mountain valley flickered in the wind, casting long and short shadows of the hurried people running around.

Zane led a few mercenaries swiftly along the shadows of the mountainside, their steps as light as a cat's.

His single eye was fixed on the figures rushing out of the camp in the darkness—messengers sent by Raymond to deliver a message to the main force.

There were three people in total, wearing light leather armor and with short swords hanging at their waists. They ran very fast, looking back as they ran, clearly having heard the commotion behind them.

"We can't let them get away," Zane whispered.

The mercenaries behind him nodded in unison and gripped their weapons tightly.

Zane accelerated, the fallen leaves beneath his feet rustling under his feet, but the sound of the wind and distant shouts of battle drowned it all out.

He approached silently in the darkness like a cheetah hunting its prey.

The first messenger was running in the lead and had already rounded the bend in the mountain pass.

Zain took a deep breath, suddenly accelerated, and rushed forward in three steps at a time.

The longsword was drawn, its silver light tracing an arc in the moonlight.

The messenger seemed to sense something and turned around abruptly, but it was too late. The sword sliced ​​across his throat, and blood gushed out. He didn't even have time to scream before collapsing to the ground.

"One..." Zane whispered, turning to chase after the second one.

The second messenger heard the strange noise behind him and quickened his pace.

But he panicked and stepped on a dry branch, staggering and almost falling. Zain seized the opportunity, pounced from the side, and pierced his heart with his sword.

The messenger's eyes widened, his mouth opened, but he couldn't make a sound. He simply knelt down slowly, then collapsed forward, motionless.

The third messenger had gone the furthest and was almost disappearing at the edge of the valley.

Zane gritted his teeth and hurled the longsword in his hand!

The longsword spun in the air, whistling through the wind, and pierced the man's thigh with pinpoint accuracy.

The messenger screamed and fell to the ground. He struggled to get up, but the mercenary who caught up with him stepped on his back and pressed him to the ground.

"Don't kill me...please don't kill me..." the messenger's voice trembled.

"I'll ask you a few questions." The mercenary crouched down, pressing a dagger against his throat. "Answer honestly, and you might still live."

The messenger nodded vigorously.

Zane walked up to him, his one eye fixed coldly on him. "How many people are left in your camp?"

"There are about forty or fifty people, but most of them are just grunts. There are less than twenty ordinary knights who can actually fight."

"Where is the commander?"

"In...in the middle of the camp, Lord Raymond...no, that bastard Raymond is in his tent! He's about to run away."

Zane's lips curled into a slight smile. He turned to the mercenaries behind him and said, "Block the road. Don't let anyone pass through here. You lot, come with me."

The group quickly dispersed; some moved stones to block the road, some climbed to higher ground to keep watch, and others continued to advance.

Zane, accompanied by two mercenaries, crept along the path toward the center of the camp.

Chaos reigned in front of Raymond's tent in the center of the camp.

The soldiers ran around in a panic, some packing their belongings, some leading their horses, and some simply throwing down their weapons and taking advantage of the chaos to slip into the darkness and escape.

Raymond was already standing at the tent entrance, his face pale, his lips trembling, frantically stuffing gold coins and jewelry into his arms.

After witnessing the enemy's actions, he realized that he was no match for them.

Even if the opponent's numbers are far fewer than ours, we will still definitely lose!

This is Raymond's "brilliance": although he knows nothing about tactics, he is well aware of his own foolishness.

He knew that if he stubbornly held on, he would only lose his life in vain.

"Quick! Quick! Take all the valuables!" he roared at his trusted aides. "Where are the horses? Are they ready?"

"My lord, the horses are ready." A trusted aide pointed to two warhorses behind the tent. "But..."

"But what?"

"But the people outside say that the mercenaries have blocked the road, and our men can't rejoin the main force..."

Raymond's face turned ashen instantly.

"Sealed off? How was it sealed off? Didn't you send a messenger to deliver the message?"

"They sent... but none of them came back. I guess..." The confidant didn't finish his sentence.

Raymond's eyes widened, and the gold coins slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.

He knew what this meant: the messenger had been intercepted, and the message could not be sent out.

They were surrounded and helpless.

"Everyone!" he suddenly roared, "Get out there and hold them off! Anyone who kills a mercenary will get ten gold coins!"

"Sir, we have fewer than fifty men, and..."

"And what? What are you afraid of? There are clearly fewer of them!"

Raymond's voice trembled, but his eyes betrayed him; he wasn't trying to boost morale, he was trying to embolden himself.

Or rather, it's about buying yourself time.

The soldiers looked at each other, reluctantly picked up their weapons, and rushed out of the camp.

Soon, the sounds of metal clashing, screams, and curses mingled together outside.

Raymond turned around and began frantically packing his things. He stuffed the map, letters, and a bag of gold coins from the table into his bundle, then grabbed the longsword from the table and headed toward the back of the tent.

"My lord." A voice sounded from behind.

Raymond turned his head and saw Des standing at the tent entrance, with Elena standing next to him.

His armor was stained with blood, and blood was still dripping from his arm, clearly indicating that he was wounded.

"Des, you've come at the right time! Quick, cover me as I get out!" Raymond said urgently.

Des looked at him without moving.

"My lord, the people outside say that the Gray Hyenas' elite are coming. They are few in number, but their fighting strength is very strong. Our brothers have suffered heavy casualties and won't be able to hold out for long. The road to the main force has also been blocked."

"Then let them hold on!" Raymond roared. "What are they good for? They take my money, eat my food, and are utterly useless when it matters!"

"Besides, I'm going to where Marcus is, the real Allied army! We'll just tell them we were ambushed!"

Des frowned slightly, but still did not speak.

Elena, who was behind him, also had her head down, so her expression was not visible.

Raymond ran to the tent entrance, then suddenly stopped, turned around, looked at Elena, and a complex hesitation flashed in his eyes.

It wasn't that he couldn't bear to, but rather that he considered another possibility—at this moment, if the knight and his militia were all wiped out, and he were still escaping with a maid, it would be too easy for others to criticize him…

At that time, how will those in the allied forces who already dislike him make fun of him?

To say he's cowardly and only cares about women? His military achievements, his title, and his future could all be ruined because of this.

"You stay here and figure it out yourself," he said coldly, then turned and ran out.

Elena looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes. "My lady..."

"Even if I take you with me, we won't be able to run fast." There was not a trace of guilt in Raymond's tone. "Besides, if you're here, they won't suspect that I ran away. They'll think that I retreated after fighting to the death."

Elena's lips trembled, but she couldn't utter a single word.

She looked at Raymond, her eyes filled with despair and anger.

"My lord," Des's voice suddenly rang out, "you cannot do this."

Raymond turned to look at him. "Des, what did you say?!"

I said,

You can't do that.

Des's hand gripping the sword hilt was bulging with veins. His voice was low, but each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "Elena has served you for three years, bringing you tea and water, taking care of your clothes, and doing everything for you. Now you're just going to leave her here to die?"

"Then what do you want?!" A flash of anger crossed Raymond's eyes. "To run away with her? And then get caught by the people of the South and die together?"

"She can ride my horse..."

"Your horse is for fighting." Raymond's voice was as cold as ice.

"Don't forget Des, you're just my personal guard. Don't think I don't know, you two..."

Before he could finish speaking, Des's face turned even more ashen.

That damned Raymond, he really knew about my relationship with Elena! Every time he molested Elena, he did it on purpose in front of me!

This is the twisted fetish of this cowardly noble fool!

He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

He also knew that Raymond was right—by rules and by duty, he was just a royal guard knight and could not disobey orders.

Although Elena was not a real maid, she was the daughter of a worker in Raymond's household, and because of her father, she could not explicitly refuse Raymond's molestation.

But he also knew that some things couldn't be measured by rules...

He looked at Elena.

Elena looked at him, her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't cry.

She shook her head, her lips moving silently as she uttered two words, "Let's go."

Des closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"I've never understood..."

"What did you say?" Raymond was taken aback and turned around.

"As a formal knight who graduated from a proper knightly academy and possesses intermediate-level knightly swordsmanship, why is my duty to protect you, this cowardly and stupid pig, instead of protecting many more people as stipulated in the code of chivalry...?"

"What did you say?!" Raymond took a moment to realize he'd been insulted!

But the next moment, the anger on Raymond's face vanished.

Des opened his eyes and actually drew the knight's sword from his waist.

"It's nothing, but," he paused, "sir, please forgive me."

Raymond's pupils contracted sharply.

The next moment, a flash of sword light appeared.

Des's longsword pierced Raymond's arm with precision, and blood gushed out, splattering all over Des's face.

Raymond let out a heart-wrenching scream, fell off his horse, rolled to the ground, clutching his wounds and trembling all over.

"Are you insane?!" Raymond's voice was shrill and high-pitched, like a rooster being choked. "Des! How dare you lay a hand on me!"

Des did not answer.

He turned around, walked up to Elena, and with a single stroke severed the rope binding her wrists—the rope Raymond had just tied there as a precaution.

"Come with me." His voice was soft, but firm.

Elena looked at him, and tears finally fell. She reached out and took his hand.

Des turned around, his longsword held horizontally in front of him, his gaze sweeping over his confidants who were still searching for their master.

"Listen, Raymond is not worthy to be your lord, he is not worthy to be a knight, he is not worthy to be a human being. I am no longer loyal to him. You should all flee for your lives."

Several trusted confidants exchanged glances, understanding what was happening. Some threw down their weapons and turned to run, while others hesitated for a moment before choosing to follow Des.

Just then, a series of rapid footsteps came from outside the camp.

Zane stormed in with several mercenaries, covered in blood, his longsword still dripping with blood.

"Um?"

"Internal strife?"

The mercenaries' faces lit up with joy, which meant they could save some trouble. Moreover, as mercenaries, they were happy to see this happen—it would be a good topic of conversation at the campfire party.

"Don't move!" Zane's expression became much more serious, pointing the tip of his sword directly at Des. "Put down your weapon, and I'll spare your life."

Des looked at him, without moving. "I am not your enemy."

"Not an enemy?"

"I am..." Des looked down at Raymond on the ground, then at Elena beside him, "I am a knight, but no longer his knight. I choose to surrender."

After saying this, he threw the longsword on the ground, raised his hands, and the maid beside him and his former confidants behind him quickly followed suit.

A hint of surprise flashed in Zane's single eye.

He looked at Des, then at Elena behind him, and finally at Raymond.

Raymond collapsed to the ground, clutching his wound, trembling all over, and still cursing under his breath.

"Tell me, what's going on?" Zane asked.

"Damn it! You're worse than an animal! You betrayed me for a maid!" Raymond roared, already somewhat delirious. "Kill him! Kill him now!"

Zane ignored him and just looked at Des. "I'm asking you, why did you surrender?"

"Because I don't want to work for this kind of person anymore." Des's voice was calm. "He can abandon his subordinates who protect him, abandon the maids who have followed him for many years. He doesn't deserve anyone's loyalty."

Zane was silent for a moment, then simply waved his hand. "Tie them all up."

Several mercenaries stepped forward and escorted Des and Elena aside.

Des did not resist, nor did the maid Elena and the others.

Zane walked up to Raymond and looked down at the once arrogant nobleman, who was now curled up on the ground like a stray dog, covered in blood and with a face full of terror.

"Tell me, what's your name?"

"Ray... Raymond Gray... Yes, I am the heir of the Gray family of the North! You cannot kill me! My father will pay the ransom!"

"Ransom?" Zane sneered. "Go talk to our torturers and the Earl. This is not our mission."

He waved his hand. "Take him away."

Raymond was lifted up by two men and dragged into a tent.

Zane followed him inside and closed the tent door.

Moments later, Raymond's screams echoed from inside the tent, one after another, lasting for a long time.

Clearly, this playful nobleman knew nothing.

His family put him in the Allied forces just to make his resume look good.

He never participated in war meetings, never cared about strategy or tactics; he only cared about how to get by, how to gain merit, and how to receive rewards after the war.

Zane took a towel from a mercenary, wiped the blood off his hands, and stepped out of the tent.

"As expected, I won't get any information out of him." He shook his head. "He's just a good-for-nothing."

"What should we do then?" a mercenary asked.

"Keep them." Zane's gaze swept over Des and Elena. "They might come in handy later."

He turned around and looked at the mercenaries who had just been withdrawn from the battlefield.

"You lot, head to Blackwater immediately! Tell the Earl that Blackwood Fortress is under siege. The Northerners are trying to cut off our supply lines. Tell the Earl to send troops to reinforce us as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir!" the mercenaries replied in unison, mounted their horses, and galloped southwards along the road.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance, disappearing into the night wind.

Zain stood there, watching the departing figures, and let out a long breath.

The news from Black Forest has finally spread.

Behind us, the campfire was still burning, and thick smoke billowed, obscuring the starlight.

But Zain knew that once the news got out, the Earl would come, and they wouldn't be trapped here to die.

They will not die.