Is this cheat code from Bika? Just do it!

The other party sneered and spurred his horse to charge Blaze's horse, causing Blaze to lose his balance and fall to the ground.

Blaise's body crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

At that moment, a man with a more robust build than the other pursuers rode up on horseback.

He jumped off his horse, approached Blaise who had fallen from his horse, and thrust his sword into Blaise's neck.

Instantly, blood splattered, and Blaise died on the spot, turning the surrounding ground red.

The blood, like blooming flowers, stung Farahia's eyes.

"Hey, carefully bring Princess Safina out of the carriage."

The burly pursuer grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and ordered his accomplices.

His laughter was like a demon's roar, sending chills down one's spine. His face was square, his unkempt hair was tied back in a bun, and his beard, long unshaven, stretched to hide his neck. He held a massive single-edged curved sword, and his arms bore many old scars. He seemed to be the leader of the pursuers.

Farahia recognized the family crest engraved on his armor; it was the crest of the Jaglit family, which belonged to the Second Prince's faction.

The Jaegerit family were staunch supporters of the second prince, willing to go to any lengths to support his ambitions.

Upon hearing their leader's order, the pursuers immediately dismounted and rushed toward the carriage.

They roughly opened the car door and dragged Safina and Tamana, whose faces were ashen with fear, out of the car.

Safina's body trembled, her eyes filled with fear. Tamana held Safina tightly, trying to comfort her.

"Stop! Let go of me!!"

With her arms held by two men, Farahia struggled desperately, but all she could do was twist her body; she was completely unable to break free.

Her strength seemed so insignificant in the face of the pursuers.

Safina and Tamanna were also grabbed by the arms by two other men and dragged along the ground. Their feet scraped against the ground, leaving long tracks.

"This is a betrayal of the King, a betrayal of Galif III! Standing before you is the future Galif IV! Your Queen!"

Farahia shouted angrily, her voice echoing through the air.

"Queen?" Facing Farahia's desperate resistance, the leader of the pursuers laughed disdainfully: "In our eyes, His Highness the Second Prince is the future King Garif IV! And you? Hahaha! Get to the bottom of this! His Highness the Second Prince only allowed us to take people back alive. After I chop off your hands and feet, and then rape you thoroughly, let's see if you're still worthy of being the future queen! Hahahaha!"

The laughter of the pursuer leader was filled with evil and cruelty, instilling immense fear in everyone.

The three women were trembling with fear, surrounded by the ear-piercing laughter of their pursuers.

The laughter was like sharp needles, piercing their hearts. No one could save Safina and Falashia; they cried out in despair, tears streaming down their faces. Their hearts were filled with hopelessness, as if they saw their end was near.

However, at that moment, a huge figure appeared behind the pursuers.

The incident happened so suddenly that the pursuers didn't have time to react.

Behind the leader of the pursuers, a burly knight in black armor appeared.

He was completely shrouded in black armor, with only his sharp eyes visible. Those eyes gleamed like cold stars, revealing an aura of majesty and dominance.

The massive longsword he held in his right hand possessed an undeniable power, its blade reflecting an eerie black-red light. That light seemed to emanate from the flames of hell, inspiring immense fear in all who beheld it.

Safina was momentarily unable to comprehend what was happening before her eyes.

Her eyes were filled with confusion and surprise, as if she were in a dream. Without hesitation, the knight swung his greatsword at the pursuing leader and the soldier who had captured Faracia; a flash of light followed—

The light was so fast and bright it seemed to cleave the air in two.

The sword whistled past, carrying a powerful force. Then the knight took a large step forward, and slashed horizontally with the retracted sword.

The sword light extended into the air, flew between the two pursuers who were pinning down Faracia's hands, flashed, and then disappeared.

It really happened so suddenly—

The next instant, the upper body of the pursuer leader was sliced ​​off.

Blood gushed out like a fountain, splattering all over the ground. Meanwhile, the pursuer who had captured Farahia was gone from the neck up, his head rolling to the ground.

The head rolled on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The heads of the two pursuers who were pinning down Farahia's hands were cut in half, and a large amount of blood splattered into the surrounding grass, adding a touch of crimson to the scenery already dyed red by the setting sun.

The blood was like a blooming flower, beautiful yet cruel.

The leader's upper body slid down and landed on top of Farahia, who screamed and hurriedly kicked him aside.

The lower half of the body, which remained in place, gushed out deep red blood like a fountain, pooling on the ground to form a bloodstain.

The pool of blood resembled a red lake, inspiring immense fear.

The remaining pursuers are only now realizing that things are really going badly.

"Waaaaaah!!! Monster! A monster!!!"

The two remaining pursuers were now scrambling to escape. Their eyes were filled with fear and despair, as if they had witnessed the arrival of death.

However, by the time they realized what was happening and turned to run away, it was too late.

One of them had already been pierced by the greatsword swung down by the knight, and lay on the ground like a flattened frog, pinned to the spot by the greatsword.

His body convulsed violently, blood gushing from his wounds. Pulling the longsword from the man's body, the black-armored knight turned to another man who was fleeing with his back to him.

He didn't give chase, but simply said, "Ashaji."

The voice was deep and powerful, as if carrying an invisible majesty.

"Yes!"

The next instant, a graceful figure in a purple bodysuit suddenly appeared.

The figure moved as fast as a ghost, leaving no time to react.

The next moment, the pursuer was cut in half at the waist, his upper and lower body separated, and he fell to the ground. Blood gushed from the broken parts of his body, a gruesome sight.

The whole process probably only took the blink of an eye, and the pursuers were all turned into speechless chunks of flesh.

The bloody scene was incredibly shocking, as if one were in a nightmare.

The black-armored knight turned towards Tamanna, Safina, and Farahia.

That deep, familiar voice almost made Farahia cry.

"It's been a while, Miss Faracia, don't you recognize me?"

The voice carried a hint of gentleness and concern, making one feel incredibly at ease.

The setting sun shone on Link's black armor, making him look as if he were on fire.

The light shone on him, as if draping him in a golden glow.

Farahia and Safina forgot what they looked like and stood motionless, gazing up at his imposing figure.

Their eyes were filled with gratitude and admiration, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope.

117. The pay isn't enough.

After successfully dealing with the relentless pursuers, Link's soldiers hurriedly arrived at the scene.

They glanced at the chaotic battlefield, then quickly sprang into action, methodically cleaning up the mess.

Some soldiers were busy collecting the weapons on the ground, while others carefully checked for any pursuers who were not quite dead, and still others were responsible for cleaning up the bloodstains and debris on the ground.

Farahia stood to the side, her gaze falling on the elite cavalry, fully armed and with upright postures, and a feeling of relief welled up in her heart.

At least for now, she no longer had to live in fear of being captured by her brothers and becoming a political bargaining chip for them to use to win over those disgusting nobles.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief, and her tense nerves relaxed a little.

"Thank... thank you, Link. If you hadn't arrived in time..."

Farahia said in a slightly trembling voice, wanting to express her deepest gratitude to Link.

However, Link simply waved his hand, interrupting her, and said, "Go change your clothes in the carriage first, Miss Faracia. We will escort you to Winterfell along the way, so don't worry."

Farahia then came to her senses and noticed her disheveled appearance.

She was covered in the blood splattered from the pursuer's leader, her once beautiful white princess dress now stained crimson. Her hair was a mess, like a bird's nest ravaged by a storm, and her face was covered in blood, completely devoid of her usual elegance and poise.

"I...I'm sorry!" Farahia lowered her head in shame, her voice barely audible.

“We were being rude, Lord Link.” Seeing this, Safina quickly took her sister’s hand, bowed politely to Link, and then led her sister and foster mother Tamana back into the carriage.

Seeing this, Link turned slightly to Asagi beside him and said, "Asagi, go drive the carriage. Let's go back to Winterfell as soon as possible."

“Yes, Lord Link.” Asagi replied respectfully, then took the reins of the carriage and carefully began to drive.

The carriage creaked and groaned as it moved along the rough road.

A rustling sound came from inside the car; it was Farahia and the others changing clothes.

After some time, Farahia, who had changed her clothes inside the carriage, slowly stepped out.

She straightened her clothes, then sat down next to Asagi and quietly told Link, who was riding a horse beside the carriage, about the journey.

She told Link that the pursuers belonged to the Jagrit family, staunch supporters of the second prince. This powerful family had been plotting to install the second prince on the throne. Furthermore, she revealed that her sister, Safina, had been appointed by the will of the late King Galif III as the rightful successor, the future Queen Galif IV.

Link pretended not to know anything about these things, and listened quietly to Farahia's story with great interest.

His gaze would occasionally sweep across Farahia's face, while he plotted his own plan in his mind.

Did he really not know any of this?

The answer is naturally no.

The Black Knife assassins had given him a detailed report of all the intelligence the day before, including the fact that their convoy would be ambushed today. Link knew everything in detail.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to rescue Farahia and the others so accurately at a specific location and time.

Moreover, Link cleverly employed the strategy of using someone else to do his dirty work.

He had actually arrived long ago, but he deliberately waited until the pursuers had killed all of Farahia and the others' guards before appearing to rescue them.

He did this for two reasons. First, he wanted to use the pursuers to kill the guards who were in his way, so that the three women, Farahia and her companions, would have no one to rely on and would be at his mercy. Second, he believed that "it's better to offer help in times of need than to add to someone's success." By waiting until the crucial moment to help, he could better highlight the kindness of "offering help in times of need" and amplify the sentiment of saving their lives in a critical moment. It was a win-win situation.

"So, Miss Falashia hopes that I will raise the banner of rebellion and rely on the long mountain ranges of the North, which are easy to defend and difficult to attack, to seize the throne for your sister?"

After listening to Farahia's story, Link laughed and asked deliberately.

“Miss Farahia, don’t you know that the North is barren and sparsely populated? Your two brothers and those dukes and lords are all fierce and ruthless. How can my small northern territory possibly compete with them?”

Link's words carried a hint of mockery, the subtext being: you want me to work for you for free? No way!

Farahia's words made no mention of what benefits she could offer him, which was naturally impossible.

With the troops Link currently has, while he can't say how much chance he has of winning an offensive southward, he can at least hold the northern border without any problem.

Once a ring of fortifications is built along the Shipplet River, no one will be able to cross that line.

Without any real benefit, you want him to lead his brothers to the battlefield and sacrifice their lives based solely on so-called righteousness?

That's wishful thinking.

Upon hearing this, Farahia frowned, not giving a second thought to the deeper meaning of Link's words.

Having only grasped the surface meaning, she was momentarily at a loss for how to refute it.

Because what Link said seemed to make sense; the North was indeed barren, and compared to those Grand Dukes, Link's forces did seem to be at a disadvantage.

Just as she was wondering what to say, Safina, who was inside the carriage, lifted the curtain and gracefully sat down next to her sister, Farahia.

“Lord Link, as Garif IV, the rightful successor to the throne, I promise you the title of Grand Duke of the North. All the territories north of the Shippult River will henceforth belong to you, and you will not be required to pay me any taxes during my reign.”

Safina's voice was clear and firm, and her eyes revealed an undeniable authority.

"What! Safina! This won't do!"

Farahia's eyes widened in disbelief.

What a joke!

If we take the Hipplet River as the boundary and go a little further south, we will reach the most fertile central heartland of the human kingdom. If we divide everything north of the Hipplet River, how big would that be?

There are also taxes. During his term of office, he did not need to pay taxes. How much money must that be?

“Miss Safina’s promises are indeed tempting. If the old king were still on the throne, perhaps I would have agreed. But now, Miss Safina, your promises are nothing but empty promises. If I lose to the two princes, I’ll lose my life. What use are the title of Grand Duke of the North and these barren lands then? As for taxes, even if you ascend the throne, how long can you be queen? If you only have a few years before stepping down, what difference will it make whether you pay the taxes or not?” Link’s lips curled up slightly, revealing a mocking smile.

These things are not enough as bargaining chips!

"Link! This is utterly disrespectful!" Farahia frowned, her face full of anger as she rebuked him.

Link's words were indeed utterly treasonous.