The sudden battle ended almost silently.

Thinking that the enemy was just a group of deserters passing by the caravan, the Byrne knights did not give them a queue at all, and when they assembled to form a shield wall, they launched the "Cavalry Charge" - a full fifteen hundred hoplites lined up in a narrow formation of three columns, sweeping across the open ground of the platform like a snowy sword.

In one round, more than half of the deserters who rushed out were killed and wounded, and the broken corpses were all over the place that had been knocked down by iron horses, trampled by horses' hooves, beheaded by swords, and pierced by spears.

A very small number of "former officers" shouted for the soldiers to line up on the spot, but the "legionnaires" who had degenerated from soldiers to bandits had no idea of obeying orders at all, and scattered like rabbits on both sides of the battlefield.

Seeing that the enemy began to flee, the Byrne knights blew their long whistles, threw away their rifles and replaced them with sabers, crossbows and swords, and began to hunt down the deserters who had lost their fighting spirit in groups.

The battle quickly turned from a confrontation between the two armies to a one-sided slaughter, a quest and a mending of swords, and the unarmed deserters fell to their knees before they could beg for mercy before the knights had a sword to cut off their heads.

The heavier knights formed a circle near the battlefield to hunt the lucky headless flies, while the lighter knights drew their sabers and crossbows, showing off their bows and arrows and riding and slashing skills in the "hunting grounds" designated by the knights.

More than 3,000 hoplites, against 1,500 cavalry, exhausted by horsepower and manpower after a long journey, the Byrne knights proved once again that no matter how many infantry could not form a phalanx in the open field, they could only be tortured and killed by one side.

In an hour, the Byrne knights completely annihilated this "deserter army" in only one hour, leaving only a very small number of survivors - this was still saved by the demon hunters, otherwise they would not have a second fate except for being completely annihilated.

And... Or zero killed.

After the battle, the excited Byrne knights gathered around the black-haired wizard and reported the outcome of the battle to their Duke on the blood-soaked battlefield.

Looking at the few captives who were kneeling on the ground, with a look of horror and a hint of indignation, Loren was almost certain that this group of men was the legionnaires who had been defeated from Ebolden, one of the most elite veterans of the Empire.

Because the commander of the banner regiment that held Ebolden with Loren at the beginning looked at him with a look that was very different from this - rustic, silent, and a little arrogant "emperor's own soldiers".

"Empty city?"

"Yes, Lord Duke, that Sakran deserter said that there is only one empty city left in the current Crucible Town!" Ranmaros, Earl of Lakeheart, looked a little excited:

"Their sentinels spotted our team, but they thought it was just a big caravan trying to slaughter a wave of fat sheep, so they set out to do so!"

"Not only that, but we also asked the alchemists in Crucible Town, and the results were very much more than we expected. Regrel, Earl of White Horse Peak, added:

"These scumbags... They only captured the outlying towns, and almost all the artisans and wizards withdrew into the town's academy, which was built exactly the size of a church and castle, and was so strong that it was difficult to take down. That is to say......"

"That means we're going to rush over right now, and we'll have time to save those wizards!" Lanmaros snapped Rigrel away.

Loren was slightly stunned, his expression slightly surprised.

After the Battle of Bloodborne Valley, the proud Knights of Byrne finally realized the value of wizards - without the Floating City and the Bright Light Sword, without the alchemy bombs and all kinds of projectile weapons, the isolated defenders of the Valley of Bloodbones probably couldn't wait for the final decisive charge, and were overwhelmed by the endless rotting demons.

Ignoring the eager expressions of the knights around him, the black-haired wizard turned his gaze to the deserter who was kneeling on the ground, still staring at him unruly.

"What's your name?"

The captive who was kneeling on the ground looked at the young man in front of him, known as "Lord Duke", with a little caution in his slightly frightened eyes, and just snorted softly.

Then it was exchanged for a kick from Luceen.

"Poof!"

Heavy iron boots slammed into the back of the captive's head, and a face was "stuffed" into the dirt - without warning, startling the surrounding Byrne knights.

"Answer the Duke's question, or die. The gray-eyed boy said coldly with an expressionless face: "There are so many prisoners, and we don't mind killing a few chickens and monkeys." ”

"Then kill me, try it!" shouted the captive as he struggled, the sound of the wind breaking mixed with a few teeth popping out, and blood spilled from his mouth: "Come on, little bit of Ellemont, I'm not a Sacklanite when I frown!"

"I like this guy. ”

The grinning Earl of Lake City, Lan Malos, grinned, not caring about the darkened cheeks of the gray-eyed young man next to him, and pointed to the prisoner who was still struggling on the ground with his chin:

"Hang him, remember to poke his eyes and then gag his mouth, the more ugly this kind of tough guy dies, the more it can scare those who don't like to pretend to be tough guys so much. ”

The face of the captive who knelt on the ground changed—especially when he saw the gray-eyed boy nodding seriously and looking around as if he was looking for a rope...—but he still gritted his teeth and said nothing.

The thoughtful black-haired wizard remained silent, his eyes constantly watching his captive's every move.

He had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

Deserters scattered to the point of not being formed... Rebels... Alone, still holding on to the Crucible... A quagmire-like battlefield......

"Everyone, leave. ”

The black-haired wizard gave some abrupt orders, causing everyone around to look at each other.

"Lord Duke, this kind of scum-like deserter is not worth your effort......"

Lusen led the Wings of the Sky to the harbor, ready to meet the arriving sailboat. Without waiting for them to finish, Loren, who did not raise his head, ordered to himself:

"Ranmaros, Earl of Lakeheart, leads the Ranger Knights to clean up the battlefield as quickly as possible, and Rygrell, Earl of White Horse Peak, leads the Byrne Knights to follow the Wings of the Sky - if the harbor is occupied by rebels or elves, it will be raided and captured, and then immediately send a signal. ”

"Obey ——!!!!"

Even though they were full of doubts, everyone obeyed the order and led their teams to turn and leave.

In the blink of an eye, only Loren and the kneeling captives were left around, plus a few witchers who were guarding in the distance around and acting as guards.

The silent captive pursed his mouth, which was still bleeding, and his eyes flickered with suspicion.

"Well, that's just the question. Gazing at each other calmly, Loren said lightly: "Name?"

"Rowe, Ron......" The prisoner twitched his throat and said vigilantly, "I am under the command of Lord Sevelin de Salion, the Fifth Banner Regiment of the Third Legion... Centurion. ”

"Just a centurion, not a mid-rank officer?"

"My ancestors were tenant farmers, not nobles, and they are not eligible for promotion. The captive swallowed the blood and spit in his mouth: "Believe me, everything I can say has been told to your subordinates, and there is nothing left, duke... My lord. ”

"You are the centurion of the Legion under the command of the Minister of War, and you are supposed to serve in the camp where the Eboden Line and the elves are confronted. As if he hadn't heard him, Loren continued to ask, "How did you end up in Crucible?"

"Our camp collapsed, and we were taken down—there were as many rabbits as there were real rabbits, and we couldn't stop them, and we fought and retreated, and we ran while defending, and then we ......"

"Running to Crucible?"

"Yes!"

The wide-eyed captive nodded desperately.

The black-haired wizard smiled.

"You see, I'd love to believe you. Loren changed his words: "But in order to make me believe your words even more, I have to trouble you to answer me a few questions." ”

"The first one - you said that the wizards of Crucible have all taken refuge in the academy and have not been taken down yet, and my men have never been here, so they don't know that the warehouses in Crucible are not in the academy, but in the town - so even if they do, they are unarmed. ”

"And then there's the alchemists, I've dealt with them, they may be good at making weapons, but most of them haven't fought, and the wizarding academy in Crucible isn't a high-pitched fortress, how did they treat you as if you were outside?"

"If you're not mistaken, you should have a bunch of projectile weapons in your hands - trebuchets, heavy ballistas, and small torsional trebuchets that can be moved, which should be easy for you to take down a wizarding academy that is not too strong, right?"

"We ......"

A flash of panic flashed across the captive's face—though it was only a fleeting moment, but it was still captured by Loren.

"But... Let's assume that what you say is true, that the wizards of Crucible have been hiding in the academy and you have not been able to capture it - and this is when you spotted a caravan passing by and prepared to loot it, which sounds reasonable, but ......"

"Unfortunately, you're occupying the Crucible, which is small but well stocked, and it's not easy to feed and arm a few thousand men. Loren continued, looking directly into the increasingly frightened eyes:

"In that case, what is the need for a rebel army like you, who occupies an important workshop and military supply distribution center of the Empire, to attack an unknown number of caravanserais?"

"It's strange, shouldn't you defend the Crucible at this time to make sure that these supplies don't end up in the hands of other deserter rebels around you, or the wandering Azorean elves?"

Sighing, Loren looked at the "former centurion" who was speechless, and smiled slightly: "So based on my understanding of the surrounding situation and the answer you gave, I made the following judgments. ”

"My men told me that there are many villages around the Crucible, but now they have all been burned and looted by you and the Azorean elves - the only difference is that some villages have been slaughtered, but the belongings and the like have not been touched, and there is no sign of resistance. ”

"So... I guess the reason why those villages show no signs of resistance is because they have taken refuge in you, and you have taken over the Crucible and rallied to extend your forces to become the 'lords' of the neighborhood. ”

"It's not that there is no resistance, but those who can resist have already joined you, and the only ones left are the old and weak women and children left in the village... In the face of the butcher's knife of the Azorean elves, there is certainly no room for resistance. ”

The smile on Loren's face faded, and his expression became more and more cold: "As for why you are going out of the nest - it must be that the Azorean elves who have wandered to East Sacland have also begun to attack the Crucible after sweeping the surrounding villages. ”

"You know who I am, so don't be surprised by this, I know exactly what the Azorean elves' tactics are. ”

"You are all in a state of collapse on the Ebolden Line, and you don't dare to engage the elves head-on even if you have the weapons and supplies of Crucible, and you are ready to run away at the slightest rumor. ”

"You weren't coming at us, you just ran into us on your way - I guess your original plan was to head north to join Brandon de Salion, right?" Loren's eyes narrowed:

"And we who have been 'deceived' by you will go to take over the empty Crucible Town and collide with the Azorean elves who are rushing towards this side. ”

"Regardless of whether the battle is won or lost, it has nothing to do with you - because even if I die at the hands of the Azorean elves, I will not be able to take revenge on you. ”

"And Brandon is unlikely to rebuke you for being a deserter... He is recruiting the army, and the most important thing he lacks is that you are an experienced junior officer, and you have returned from Ebolden, and you have very important information against the Azorean elves. ”

"So in any case, you can save your life and even be a blessing in disguise, and become a minor nobleman in East Sackland by tying Brandon to Blandon, and own a small piece of land in some remote place. ”

"I said... Right?"

The speechless captive lowered his head, his bleeding lips trembled incessantly, as if he didn't know how to answer, and suddenly he was full of excitement, and the tremor that had only been his cheeks suddenly began to "spread", and his whole body was shaking violently, as if he was spasmodic and convulsive, and his bloody mouth kept spurting white foam with blood bubbles,

Loren frowned lightly - this kind of trick of pretending to be crazy and stupid if he has nothing to say, he has seen a lot in his previous life and in this life.

But the next second, the situation changed suddenly.

"Your insight... He's as sharp as ever, Loren Torino. ”

The captive, with his head hanging down, looked up sharply, his eyes wide open and stared at Loren.

Instead of whitening pupils, his eye sockets were overflowing, a viscous gray-blue liquid like plasma, which was constantly overflowing from his eye sockets.

The icy, chilling, power of the void... Rushing to the face.