Chapter 98: Act 34 – Farewell, Marden
Of course, the gaze of those cavalrymen only made him a bit cautious; he believed that the White-maned Legion soldiers were not so inconsiderate.
Just like his previous plans, Brendel had no intention of immersing himself in the decaying system of Erluin, but the issue of the refugees was undeniable; he had anticipated this situation long ago. Therefore, experienced mercenaries pursuing freedom and wealth became the best candidates to take center stage on his behalf.
The halo surrounding a group of people is always dimmer than that around an individual. When people think that it’s a group of seasoned, battle-hardened mercenaries leading the refugees through a bloody path amidst the thousands of enemies, it seems quite reasonable.
This is what most people would think.
The fall of Ridenburg was like a time bomb. In any case, the knight group made up of soldiers from the White-maned Legion would face blame after the war, so at this time, a small highlight would only serve to accentuate their incompetence. If he were to act as the focal character alone, although his vanity would be satisfied, the local nobles would be the ones truly enjoying themselves.
Brendel did not want to be marked by any faction. Thus, with his arrangements, the situation changed:
The more people involved in this story, the easier it would be to alter its narrative in the end—
Brendel knew that those shrewd nobles would certainly understand this point; what remained to be seen was whether this old cunning individual could manage it well enough; at least finding a scapegoat to take all the blame and then beautifying the entire story would be the key for them to save face.
But this had little to do with him; he really did not want to deal with these guys, but now he had no choice.
At the very least, there was another benefit: the name of the ‘Amber Sword’ had gained traction.
People’s interest in the commotion was limited, and except for a few boys close to Little Finnis, the citizens outside the Silverwing Cavalry headquarters quickly dispersed.
Brendel soon met the old Captain Marden. This aged Chief of Security had appeared increasingly worried over the past few days, so much so that several more wrinkles had appeared on his face. Brendel guessed what he was worried about: it was simply the unclear situation among the nobles.
Within Bruglas, the struggle between the local noble forces represented by Earl Nakin and the military nobility had reached a fever pitch. Under such circumstances, only a carefree young person like Little Finnis would earnestly pursue urban legends.
Thinking of this, he walked over to greet Marden, who remembered this fearless young man. Upon seeing him, the old veteran, who had experienced the November War, couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows—though after hearing the news about Brendel and Freya being safe, he also couldn’t help but sigh in relief, secretly thanking Lady Martha for her protection.
Then his gaze fell upon Freya, the girl with the long ponytail immediately placed her hand over her chest and bowed, replying, “Captain Marden, I have returned—”
Marden nodded and revealed a relieved smile: “Good, it’s great that you’re back.”
However, before he could finish his sentence, it was inevitable that memories of the villagers of Buche, who were still displaced, would surface, and while the nobles were fiercely battling for power, although he wasn’t from Buche, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Seeing Marden looking as if he had aged ten years, Freya was reminded of Aunt Syl who had died at Madara’s hands, and her eyes couldn’t help but turn red.
Brendel noticed Little Romaine stealing glances towards him and couldn’t help but sigh, thinking this girl was carelessly bold yet sometimes so astute. But when you focused on this business lady, she would start playing coy and throwing tantrums.
Thinking this, he walked up to pat Freya’s back to comfort the girl with the long ponytail. Then he said to Marden, “Captain Marden, I would like to say something that might be presumptuous. However, the matters amongst the nobles do not require you to ponder too much; after all, we common folk only need to obediently wait for their final decision—”
Marden was taken aback, not expecting Brendel to see through his distress. Although he was a veteran of the November War, he wasn’t good at these backroom dealings; for the past few days, he had been straining himself to the point where he found it hard to cope. Sometimes, he truly envied Little Finnis for being so carefree without a care in the world.
However, while Marden saw things as complicated, Brendel, as a later historical figure, found it simpler. Because for Marden’s group, in such a scenario, their decisions would have no effect, so it would be better not to decide and wait for others to arrange everything for them. Though this sounded somewhat helpless, it was the truth.
What he wanted to convey to Marden was just that—
But after Brendel made it clear to the old soldier, the aged Chief of Security couldn’t help but be astonished, looking at Brendel and asking, “Young man, who exactly are you? Such things are not visible so clearly to ordinary people; let alone the average person, even I can’t.”
His words confirmed Freya’s suspicions. She thought that since even Captain Marden had said so, then Brendel’s identity must be certain. She then stepped forward to reveal Brendel’s identity to the veteran of the November War—of course, regarding his status as a Highland Knight.
Marden then realized.
“So you are a noble, a Highland Knight.” After hearing this, the aged Chief of Security couldn’t help but glance at Brendel with astonishment and said, “I had the chance to fight alongside Highland Knights when I was young; although common folk always call them unruly, I must say they are indeed all heroes.”
He glanced at Brendel again: “It seems their descendants are not lacking either; Brendel, at least you proved that.”
“You flatter me, Captain Marden.”
“No, when you said you would go to deliver a message via the Zevire Mountain Path, I simply thought you were young and fearless. Besides, if it weren’t for Romaine’s insistence to go with you, I wouldn’t have actually supported you.” Marden replied, “Of course, later on, I sent Freya to catch up with you; that was a different matter.”
“Nevertheless, your later performance can be deemed as courageous. Young man, true bravery is not recklessness; it’s knowing what you are doing; your actions clearly qualify as such.”
The aged Chief of Security patted the shoulders of Brendel and Freya: “You both are exemplary youth from Erluin.”
Freya remained silent, glancing at Brendel. She thought that most of the credit actually belonged to Brendel, but no one knew it.
Of course, Brendel wouldn’t be foolish enough to say so—
Then they each met with the other members of the Buche militia. Friends like Eck, Aissen, and Markmey naturally congratulated him first, with Markmey even bringing a small barrel of ale, claiming it was to toast their survival post-abduction. The taciturn Nibeto and Vlad only gave him light shoulder pats; they weren’t good with words, but the feeling was naturally conveyed in their every gesture.
The only unexpected situation was that this group met Brensen on the way, who was together with his father and surprisingly did not confront Brendel but merely nodded slightly before they passed by each other.
Then Markmey informed him that Brensen had been in low spirits for this past month and had only slightly improved recently. After hearing this news, Brendel couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment. A person who could feel guilt for a fallen comrade was at least not too bad; this confirmed one of his thoughts.
As the celebration drew to a close, some young Silverwing Cavalry members joined in, and Brendel couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Balthom.
This suggested that his arrangement to disperse ‘hatred’ had been relatively successful—after all, jealousy is an innate human trait and unavoidable, but as long as one remains somewhat low-key, it can also win friendship.
After the celebration ended, the old Chief of Security Marden once again came to consult him about matters concerning the nobles. This time, Brendel specifically had Freya stay and then replied, “Uncle Marden, in fact, it seems that the situation has become clear. The knight force represented by the White-maned Legion will soon come to approach us, which indicates that they have made some decisions. However, you can rest assured that this decision does not really relate to us; we only need to accept our rewards with clear conscience.”
“How so?” Marden asked.
“Roughly speaking, they need people to become heroes, like you and Freya, characters of remarkable performance, who come from the militia and security systems, to ensure the local legion’s influence immediately springs to mind,” Brendel replied. “And Uncle Marden, you led the Buche villagers to break through and timely transmitted information to Vanmir Fortress. This is quite fortunate because all you need is to come from the security team, and your merit becomes their merit.”
“But a group of mercenaries leading one or two thousand refugees from Ridenburg through a bloody path amidst tens of thousands of undead is somewhat tricky to explain. If not handled well, it could turn the White-maned Legion into a laughingstock. However, on the other hand, these two deeds have already spread throughout Bruglas, Anzek, and even Dragas regions; they really can’t deny them. Therefore, how to handle this becomes a very clever matter.”
“I see; we’re merely a decoy?” Balthom suddenly reacted.
Brendel nodded: “So the key falls on Freya.”
“Me?” Freya was just lost in thought, but at this moment she was jolted awake, saying, “Brendel, I—”
But Captain Marden fell silent at this moment. Brendel spoke very plainly, but it made it somewhat hard for the old man to accept. Although he knew some of the matters among the nobles, he never expected that a war could be so simple in the eyes of those nobles.
So what were they, who struggled here, fighting for?
“Freya, don’t rush to answer; let me finish,” Brendel glanced at the ponytailed girl and said.
Freya was taken aback and nodded.
Brendel continued, “However, the knight group has its own reservations; they look down on dealings with mercenaries because they perceive mercenaries as greedy, fighting for money, and not true soldiers. Engaging with such people is seen as a disgrace to their identity.”
Balthom spat, clearly disdainful.
Brendel looked at him and smiled, “Of course, if absolutely necessary, they will still send someone to make private contact—”
“Hypocritical.” Balthom wiped his red beard and replied.
“That’s one way to put it; consistently hypocritical, or perhaps vanity has run amok,” Brendel replied lightly.
“Don’t you think the nobles’ outlook is a bit short-sighted?” Marden still expressed disbelief. He had been deeply influenced by the military. He found it hard to believe that those high and mighty nobles could be so shallow and hypocritical.
“Short-sighted?” Brendel shook his head; in fact, he could say he understood them even better than these decrepit soldiers. These nobles were not short-sighted or foolish; in fact, they could be considered overly shrewd and, of course, epitomes of selfish greed—
As long as they held power and command over an army, these nobles could entirely take pride in their independence; they did not need to worry for the royal family or these lower-tiered people even when their territories were invaded—no problem; Madara would retreat anyway. Even if they misjudged the situation, relying on their accumulated wealth, they could live a life of prominence in any nation of Vaunte.
In the end, it was still the common people who suffered.
Given this, the nobles would naturally indulge in their power struggles; why wouldn’t they?
Brendel glanced at the people present and continued, “In this manner, Freya among us will become the most ideal embellishment for the knights of the White-maned Legion. After all, her militia background will immediately lead common folk to think of military connections.”
“But, Julian could work too. He is the captain of the city’s security cavalry; wouldn’t he be more suitable than I am?” Freya held back from mentioning the affairs of the Dragon’s Tower since Brendel had strictly forbidden them from revealing the identity of the Dragon’s Tower outside.
That could bring them trouble.
Brendel shook his head: “On the contrary, at least the local security cavalry in Ridenburg belongs to the faction of local nobles, essentially just private soldiers in name only. The cavalry was established to counter the swordsmen of the White-maned Legion. Do you think the White-maned Legion would be noble enough to generate prestige for their enemies?”
Once Brendel pointed that out, those present immediately realized that Freya indeed appeared to be the only possible candidate.
Even Freya herself was momentarily caught off guard and fell silent again.
(PS: This is the first chapter. Sometimes misfortunes occur; even drinking cold water can get stuck in your teeth. I tolerated a broken internet connection, but yesterday went to an internet café and ended up losing my key at home. I was forced to stay at the internet café overnight, and it was so cold to sleep there TAT.) (To be continued; for more chapters and to support the author, please log in and support official reading!)
