Chapter 143: Act 76 – Night Raid (Part 2)
Leidi and the person beside him drew closer, two slender figures drifting like ghosts through the forest. Everyone halted and instinctively glanced in that direction. Antinna lowered her head to estimate the situation, her expression suddenly changing. She quickly raised her head to look at Brendel, her black gemstone-like eyes filled with anxiety—
Their camp was in a clearing among the trees, and at this moment, Lubis’s mercenaries had already packed up their tents. Even if the others merely passed by the forest’s edge, they would surely notice something unusual.
“Stay calm,” Brendel replied, fixing his gaze in that direction.
Although most people present might not understand what ‘stay calm’ meant, they involuntarily quieted down—Brendel raised his hand, and the calm and composed expression on his face gave a clear signal to others—not to act rashly.
Antinna slightly parted her lips.
As Lubis’s mercenaries, summoned to execute the traveling mage’s orders, they would rush forward without hesitation even if it meant facing a cliff. This small request seemed insignificant to them. Yet, in the eyes of the noble young lady, these battle-hardened veterans, who should have been immensely proud, fell silent under a mere gesture from Brendel, their obedience startling her.
No one spoke.
She instinctively held her breath, afraid even to exhale.
The wind howled above them in the valley, rushing in from the mountain pass to the south, like an invisible hand weaving through the branches, causing the leaves at the highest tree canopies to rustle. The swaying branches transformed the dim starlight, casting intersecting shadows across Leidi’s face, making the white-haired young man appear somewhat somber.
He and his companion passed through a patch of open bushes, and the two seemed not as cautious as Brendel had anticipated; they paid little mind to the ‘crack’ sounds of broken twigs. Brendel suddenly recalled that Macaro probably hadn’t informed too many people about their camp’s location, which meant Leidi likely did not yet know they were approaching Brendel’s group.
“Does Husher not want to cause trouble?” Brendel wondered.
Less than a hundred feet away.
Brendel believed that once the guy reached the forest’s edge, he would surely notice something amiss here. At that point, he would insist it was because he was worried about Brendel’s party, rendering them speechless. Although at this moment, the two individuals appeared quite suspicious, Macaro would probably prefer to trust his own team over anything else.
He felt the same tension inside but did not show it on his face. The young man glanced sideways; the mercenary called Husher was also looking at him with questioning eyes—he was the leader of this group of mercenaries, embodying the very essence of a mercenary chief—experienced and wise. The old mercenary’s intention was clear: should they take the initiative and ‘eliminate’ the intruders?
But eliminate? Easier said than done.
For mercenaries, this was a very common choice.
Brendel struggled with it. Although it wasn’t his first time killing, this time it felt different. At the Fortress of Song, it was life and death without room for hesitation; he was not so antiquated as to ignore the threats to others’ lives. Ultimately, he still bore the imprint of a civilized soul within him. To kill purely based on suspicion was instinctively repugnant to him. Yet he understood that for someone in his position, indecision was a grave sin.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Should he conform to the will of this world, completely severing his ties with the past? Or should he hold onto that final thread of principle? He was Brendel, yet his soul also bore Sophie’s mark. Denying this would mean denying everything that came before.
Perhaps that reality was merely a flickering illusion. Otherwise, how could he find himself in this world—was it Zhuangzi dreaming of a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuangzi? Who could say for certain? Yet memories of that past world were so vivid; every joy and sorrow seemed etched in his recollections of yesterday, how could he deny them?
If he severed the memories of the past, what would be the significance of all his efforts now? Without the essence of the soul, could a person still be called a person? Even then, it probably would not be the same.
Suddenly, chaotic thoughts filled his mind, but they transformed like a sword cutting through all knots at once. He opened his eyes like a Macedonian king, clarity shining within, having found his answer.
“Lord?”
Antinna perceptively noticed Brendel’s hesitation and could not help but pause. She had believed that such a decision would come naturally to a decisive young aristocrat like Brendel, not something needing contemplation.
This was the game rule among nobles—
Upon hearing the girl’s inquiry, Brendel turned to look at her. The noble young lady was once again taken aback; she had never expected Brendel would display such an expression—self-mockery, ease, yet tinged with a hint of regret? She had no idea where this pitiful gaze came from; when had Erluin’s coldhearted nobles become like this?
Perhaps it was like the tears of a crocodile, but it didn’t seem necessary. Or did the Highland Knights of Karasu still abide by those ancient precepts to this day?
When Brendel raised his hand, it felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, yet when he lowered it, it felt incredibly light: “Prepare yourselves. But if possible, aim to just knock them out. I do not wish to completely turn against Macaro, the ‘Maned Wolf.’” He instructed in a barely audible voice. He didn’t know if others would think him foolish for this, but if he didn’t act this way, it would definitely be foolish.
Lubis’s mercenaries nodded in unison; as summoned beings, they had no right to evaluate or question their lord’s decisions. Husher’s eyes held a hint of regret; to achieve a definitive end, a more decisive approach was necessary. On the other hand, Antinna let out a soft sigh.
The young lady’s eyelashes fluttered, and she couldn’t help but regard Brendel with newfound eyes. For the first time, she realized that the young lord she followed, almost of the same age, seemed to possess qualities she did not know about. She could not define whether these qualities were good or bad, but they felt strangely out of place in this ancient world; for some reason—she felt no sense of unnaturalness. On the contrary, for the first time in a long while, this young lady from a noble family felt a sense of peace.
Seventy feet.
“Brendel.” At that moment, Romaine nervously called out from the side.
Brendel was taken aback for a moment but still whispered, “Keep quiet.”
Merchant Miss contemplated for a moment and then nodded.
Meanwhile, Lubis’s mercenaries took their positions, waiting for Leidi and the other person to approach the edge of the clearing before rushing in. Twelve seasoned soldiers of mid-tier black iron strength were fully confident they could subdue the other party before they had a chance to respond. Nonetheless, Brendel still felt a primal tension; there could be powerful enemies lurking outside the forest, and he absolutely could not waste a second here.
However, he was suddenly taken aback when Leidi and the person beside him almost stepped out of the bushes but then slowly stopped.
What did they discover?
Brendel’s eyelids twitched, and he nearly commanded his mercenaries to rush in, but he forcibly suppressed that impulsive thought. Attacking from this distance could jeopardize the entire plan, as they were too far away, with a small patch of bushes in between. He gradually calmed down; it appeared that the white-haired kid had not noticed the situation on this side.
He glanced back; the Lubis mercenaries remained composed, with only the carefree Romaine still casting furtive glances around. Antinna, however, looked pale as if her heart was about to stop conveying blood.
He turned back and froze once again—he was surprised to see that Leidi had not only stopped but had turned around to talk to his companion about something. However, they were still at least twenty meters from the forest’s edge, and the clearing was over fifty meters away, creating a gap of nearly one hundred meters. Even with Brendel’s perceptive abilities, he could only catch a few keywords now and then.
The white-haired young man’s voice was not loud; he occasionally looked up towards the camp, seemingly concerned about something.
Soon, however, their conversation intensified into an argument. While most people here could not clearly hear what they were discussing, they could see from their gestures that neither side seemed able to persuade the other. Realizing the pair was not approaching them, Brendel couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration, thinking to himself: in the middle of the night, were the two of them merely out here to argue?
Could they perhaps find a different place?
Unfortunately, Leidi clearly could not hear Brendel’s thoughts. Instead, their voices gradually rose. Next, Brendel could barely distinguish phrases like ‘Aike…’, ‘Shubli…’, and ‘necklace…’. He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The young man named Aike was still at Shubli? It seemed Leidi knew this. Surely Macaro had to be aware as well, but the troubles within this mercenary group were numerous, he thought helplessly.
Still, he didn’t understand why this white-haired young man would come out at midnight to discuss something entirely unrelated to their current ‘plot mission.’
He couldn’t help but lift his head, peering through the gaps in the leaves overhead; the Blood Star had appeared directly overhead—the most punctual timekeeper of Erluin’s summer nights, which meant it was nearly midnight.
(PS: I didn’t upload last night because of another disconnection; recent disconnections have become routine. If you want to complain, go ahead and blame Chengdu Telecom.
Also, I don’t need any petty thieves commenting on my integrity. Come on, if you’re going to steal something, at least get yourself prepared; do I owe you anything?) (To be continued, to find out what happens next, please log in for more chapters and support the author and original reading!)
