Four Split Personalities

[The small town we passed at noon?]

Veronia and Varez were both taken aback; naturally, such a matter wouldn’t have escaped their memories completely. Although they didn’t pay heed to what the town was called or how many people it had, as this place was a necessary route for their hurried march, they had analyzed it from various angles beforehand. Therefore, the two former commanders of the small five hundred-men corps were merely puzzled as to why Sin Knight suddenly brought up that place, rather than forgetting the road they just crossed.

Wait!

With a slightly stronger sense of the big picture, Veronia suddenly opened her eyes wide, as if she caught onto something.

The town they passed... loyalty to His Majesty... might not be as simple as it seems...

"No way!"

Veronia abruptly raised her head to look at Sin Knight seated before her, her expression somewhat incredulous.

"What do you mean, no way?"

It took Varez a moment to catch up; seeing Veronia appear to have a clue, he hurriedly asked, "Lora, what are you thinking?"

"It’s just as you said... The rebels have gotten hold of our movements."

Veronia, supporting her chin, said with a frown: "Excluding the possibility that either they sent powerful scouts to such a remote area or we have a traitor among us, that town we stopped in at noon is very suspicious... Is that what you mean?"

The young Sin Knight shrugged noncommittally, his tone as gentle and modest as ever: "I merely thought of this possibility. Although it might not be the correct answer, at least it could offer you both a direction, given that you’re experts in military strategy."

"You jest. Perhaps we indeed held a similar thought before, but after the last two battles..."

Veronia lowered her head, her ear tips slightly reddening, she whispered, "No matter how arrogant we are, we wouldn’t think we are versed in ’military strategy’ anymore, whether it is the ambush just now or the astounding pincer attack half an hour ago, your command was nothing short of artistic."

"Hehe, I only researched some past battle examples from Marshal for a while."

Sin Knight chuckled, shaking his head: "Those two battles just now, all I did was restore the situation to those I’ve studied, then follow the book under similar circumstances. Of course, being a good student might also be considered a talent, so Miss Veronia, I’ll unhesitatingly accept your compliment."

Without being overly modest or showing any pride, each word was just right, compelling trust and confidence involuntarily. Despite his noble restraint, he didn’t show the slightest arrogance; his gaze was sincere and gentle. Was there really anything about this man to be wary of?

Veronia pursed her lips lightly, lowering her gaze and nodded, without continuing the flattery. She felt that the Sin Knight before her would never lack praises and commendations, so there was no need for her own superfluous affirmations.

While Varez didn’t immediately catch on, once Veronia speculated Sin Knight’s thoughts, he quickly got into the swing of things and frowned, "But pardon my bluntness, Sin Knight, I do not believe that the people of that town have the courage to defy us."

The well-cultured young noble did not disapprove of Varez’s frankness, and immediately nodded: "Explain your understanding."

"I already mentioned just now, they don’t have the courage."

Varez smiled, shrugging: "After all, this is just the Boundary of Konda territory, bordering the direct control area of the Royal Family. The people who live nearby are not core citizens of Konda, for them, the most important thing is to have enough food, a good sleep, and perhaps a little extra money to enjoy themselves. The Royal Family, or even their own lord, are untouchable entities to them; it’s true they aren’t sufficiently loyal to His Majesty, but these people wouldn’t be too loyal to their own lord either. Perhaps they’d remain silent under our threat, or leak information under the rebels’ pressure, but in the end, it’s only to keep themselves out of harm, the idea of risking their lives to provide information for the rebels seems unrealistic to me."

It’s clearly apparent that though Varez may appear blunt, his thoughts are anything but; otherwise, he couldn’t have expressed such a reasoned argument or become a trusted man of Duke Fossai.

"I understand what you’re saying."

Mo nodded lightly with a smile: "You make a good point, Mr. Varez. Indeed, I don’t think those simple folks would actively sacrifice everything for a lord they may never meet in their lifetime, but the problem is... what if their actions weren’t ’voluntary’?"

Varez’s eyes sharpened: "What do you mean?"

"Just as you mentioned, what they care most about is keeping themselves out of bloody disasters."

Mo sighed softly, standing up with a bitter smile: "They dare not take a stand, dare not defy anyone, so even though they might not actively leak information, if the rebels had made arrangements beforehand... things might get much more complicated. Just think, we, in this remote area, have already encountered two batches of rebel troops, and from here to the core region of Konda territory, it’s at least a two-day journey, so..."

He didn’t continue, but Veronia and Varez both tensed up, their expressions becoming uncertain.