Chapter 400 - 396: Turning the Spear
Just as Hardy drew his Longsword, ready to fight the Guards to the death, Brisson stood up.
"My Lord, although this man who offended you is a commoner, he now represents Duane and cannot be treated as such."
Brisson respectfully offered his suggestion. "I think it would be better to imprison him. This both demonstrates your stance toward the Royal Family and leaves you some room to maneuver."
He glanced at Beckett as he spoke. The latter froze for a moment before catching on, quickly rising to his feet to chime in.
"Yes, My Lord! We can imprison him and have Duane ransom him. I’m sure Duane won’t abandon his special envoy."
He hadn’t wanted to speak up for Hardy, but his own safety was at stake.
’After all, if Viscount Freddy kills Hardy, won’t Duane kill us captives when he hears the news?’
Beckett did not want to die.
Viscount Freddy frowned and said disdainfully, "How much could an ordinary Human Tier Warrior possibly be worth?"
However, he could tell what Brisson and Beckett were afraid of. He still needed the two of them to defend Lange Valley, so he had to consider their feelings.
"However, you do have a point. In that case... Guards! Take Hardy away and lock him up!"
He wasn’t even willing to take Hardy back to the Scorching Wind Territory, because just as he’d said, an ordinary Human Tier Warrior truly wasn’t worth much.
After the Guards had taken Hardy away, Viscount Freddy ordered, "Rico, go assemble the troops immediately. We’re returning to the Scorching Wind Territory at top speed."
"Yes, sir!"
He did not want to linger here. He just wanted to return to the towering Scorching Wind Castle and await the Kingdom’s reinforcements; only then could he be at ease.
That afternoon, most of the troops in Lange Valley withdrew, departing along with Viscount Freddy and his retinue.
Standing on the city wall, Beckett sighed. "Brisson, it’s all up to us now."
"Indeed."
An inscrutable smile appeared on Brisson’s face. "Knight Beckett, please feel free to give any orders you may have!"
"What orders could there be?" Beckett shook his head bitterly. "All we can do is wait for Duane to arrive and then have these clueless soldiers under our command fight a desperate defense."
He was deeply pessimistic about this battle of interception.
The soldiers under his command, however, didn’t have access to the same information. Many of them didn’t even know that the Duke’s Territory had fallen.
Despite his words, Beckett still summoned his second-in-command to make some arrangements.
These included preparing rolling stones, hot oil, bows and arrows, and spears for the defense, as well as reinforcing the wall’s fortifications.
Brisson followed behind him, learning a great deal in the process.
「The next night.」
In a pitch-black dungeon cell, Hardy sat on the damp ground, enduring the overwhelming stench with a worried look on his face.
Right now, he wasn’t worried about dying. He was simply furious at Viscount Freddy’s shortsightedness and utterly disgusted by his current surroundings.
’To be honest, sanitation on Black Forest Island has improved dramatically in recent years. Even the dungeons aren’t this filthy.’
’The Lord always treats his captives well, with good food and drink, yet these people have locked me in a place like this...’
The contrast made Duane’s character stand out even more.
Just then, a group of people carrying torches entered the dungeon. Hardy immediately shot to his feet, watching the arrivals nervously.
’Are they trying to get information out of me?’
’Even under torture, I’ll never say a word!’
Hardy thought to himself.
Brisson unlocked the cell door with a key and opened it, smiling as he said, "We meet again, Sir Hardy."
"What do you want?" Hardy demanded coldly. He did not know Brisson’s true identity.
At that moment, Lune stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Do you still recognize me, Hardy?"
"You are...?"
Hardy’s pupils contracted sharply. Lune Holmes. How could he not recognize this follower with such a prominent background?
’He had even asked him for advice on Archery back on Black Forest Island!’
"Lune?!"
Hardy quickly lowered his voice. "Weren’t you supposed to be guarding the Silver Jade Territory? What are you doing here?"
"It was all part of the Lord’s plan," Lune said without elaborating, simply pointing at Brisson. "Don’t worry. Knight Brisson is one of our Lord’s men as well."
Hardy sucked in a sharp breath, staring at Brisson in disbelief. ’Something like this was even possible?’
’He was also secretly relieved. Thank goodness his actions today hadn’t shamed the Lord. If his Lord had heard otherwise, he would surely have been disappointed.’
"Let’s go," Brisson said with a smile. "Viscount Freddy, Rico, and the others are long gone now. It’s time we prepared a gift for our Lord before he arrives!"
’A gift?’
Hardy was confused at first, but then a thought struck him. His heart began to pound with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
Lune unlocked Hardy’s shackles. Under the pretext of taking him for an interrogation, the group led him out of the dungeon and headed straight for Beckett’s quarters.
"Knight Brisson?" a guard at the door asked in surprise.
Brisson smiled and explained, "Go tell Knight Beckett that Hardy has top-secret information to confess. I wish to consult with him about it."
"Yes, sir. Please wait a moment!"
Soon, Brisson and his group were shown into the reception hall.
Beckett seemed to have been sleeping, as he wasn’t even wearing his Light Armor. "What is it, Brisson? What did Hardy say?"
As he spoke, he paused, his gaze shifting to Brisson, Hardy, and the others. His intuition screamed that something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on exactly what.
"Hardy said..."
Brisson began to speak slowly, then suddenly drew his Sword. "Now!"
Lune and Conrad sprang forward from his left and right like lightning. At such close range, and against masters at the Celestial Tier and the Peak of the Earth Tier, Beckett had no time to react before two swords were pressed against his neck.
A nearby servant started to scream, but a sharp flash of a sword pierced his throat. The sound died in his gullet, and he collapsed to the floor.
"Brisson, you...!"
His eyes were wide with terror. "What are you doing?!"
He looked at the two men flanking him. Their strength was far beyond that of any soldier from the Sharp Stone Territory.
Brisson took a pair of manacles and shackles and fastened them to Beckett’s wrists and ankles. Only then did he explain, "Knight Beckett, allow me to make some proper introductions."
He pointed to Lune and said, "This is Lord Lune of the Holmes Clan from the Pruck Kingdom. He has sworn fealty to Count Duane."
At these words, Beckett’s eyes widened.
But Brisson continued, "These two are Conrad and Ross, also followers of Count Duane."
Then, he pointed to himself. "As am I."
"You... you... all of you..."
Beckett’s pupils contracted violently. In a daze, everything seemed to click into place.
"The granary at Sentry Town... you were the ones who burned it?"
Brisson smiled. "Yes, Your Excellency. We did all of it."
"You despicable bastards!"
Fury surged through Beckett, and his eyes turned red with rage.
But the moment he moved, Lune’s large hand slammed down on him, holding him in place.
"I’d advise you to behave. Don’t struggle needlessly. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee my Longsword won’t slice open your neck."
Lune threatened, "I’m not afraid of offending your master."
Beckett trembled with rage, slumping helplessly to the floor. He never imagined that the Scorching Wind Territory had a traitor in its midst.
"So, Baron Torre’s death... was that your handiwork as well?"
Lune and Brisson exchanged a glance, but they only smiled and did not answer his question.
After all, that had been Duane’s own doing. It was not their place to speak of the Lord’s affairs.