Herman didn't inform Vega, one because the sheriff's now decadent appearance of getting drunk all day looked rather unreliable, and the second because he didn't want to startle the snake.

After the royal capital guards took charge of the security in the city, the security post was almost a forgotten existence, and if someone suddenly visited at this time, it would obviously be thought that they had discovered something.

In order not to startle the snakes, in addition to this move, Herman also ordered his subordinates to maintain daily patrols, which had grown to more than 200 people, and spread to the entire city-state, on the surface, there was no change in the elite Krant army, including Henry and Mira, and there were only twelve people who set off for the lead mine - in fact, in the eyes of these elite knights and elite veterans, the two of them were just blue-card mercenaries and should be excluded, but Herman, as the supreme commander, said that let them go together, and the others had nothing to say.

A small group of men and horses, lightly armed, without even horses, and wearing only the simplest leather cuirass, lined chain mail with a long hem.

The lead mine is deep in the dense forest, and it is a long way to go from Nancheng to the cemetery. The group did not know exactly when the convoy would arrive in the evening, so when the meeting was over, they disguised themselves and took advantage of the masons to go out to dig dirt and walked out of the weakly defended southern city district.

Even if he was lightly dressed, wearing leather armor and chain mail, with a long sword and dagger, and some dry food and water, all of which added up to more than ten or twenty kilograms. Running such a distance of twenty or thirty kilometers in one afternoon is really a considerable test of physical strength, not to mention that they will probably have to fight a big battle when they get there.

In order to hide people's eyes, the first eight kilometers could not be walked. Take a detour through the forest trail commonly used by the foot traders. Walk carefully and maintain enough speed on the rough and difficult road to run down this stretch of the road. Quite a few people are slightly gasping for air.

In the war-torn West Coast, there are few obese people who are poorly pampered and poorly fit, and most of the civilians at the bottom depend on farming and hunting for their livelihood. They get up early and work all day long, because of the perennial exercise, they have an excellent physique, even if the beggars with yellow faces and thin muscles are full of food and drink, they are also walking like flying. The high-level aristocrats also respected martial arts, and the idea of martial arts worship brought by the perennial war coupled with relatively favorable living conditions, their physique was naturally quite strong.

Most of the elite troops, who were in their thirties on average, only took a short breath before recovering, and the only one in the group who felt the pressure was the young Mira.

Women have an advantage over men in terms of physical strength, and they are still young and carrying weapons similar to others, and Luo An Girl has felt like she is about to fall down several times.

The elite of Krant in front had no intention of stopping and waiting for her, and even if the stubborn girl held her breath in her heart and didn't want to drag her feet, she gradually fell behind because of her lack of physical strength.

"......" Henry walked beside her and didn't say anything.

With the physical strength of a sage, it would be no problem for her to catch up with or even surpass those in front of her. Mira knows this deeply, but she is stubborn and will never ask for help.

Henry, who understood her temperament, just slowed down and moved forward side by side, even if the Krant elite in front of him turned his head to look at him with a hint of disdain in his eyes, he didn't care.

It took nearly an hour to walk briskly on the rugged forest road, and it took nearly an hour to walk from the dense forest to the blazing afternoon sun, and the little blushing forehead was close to the skin because of sweat, and the Luoan girl supported her knees, bent down and gasped for breath.

This was in stark contrast to the appearance of Henry next to him who did not take a breath - they were already a distance of one or two hundred meters, and the number was constantly increasing in the area where she was resting. The girl pursed her lips to regain her energy, and then took advantage of the smoother avenue to speed up and catch up.

The soles of the lightweight boots were stained with shards of wet, sticky dirt and grass, and thorny plant seeds hooked on the outside of the linen adventurer's trousers. It was much easier to walk on the straight road than on the path, and when they had reached a distance of about fifteen kilometers, they finally caught up with the troops in front.

“...... Call. Mira let out a small breath. She felt that the soles of her feet were numb, and with the soreness in her calves and knees, she had been holding on completely with perseverance since more than half an hour ago. Since the purchase of horses, it has been less and less necessary to travel on foot, although riding a horse also requires physical fitness. But it's more about "skill" than "endurance".

The long hike reminded her of a time when she was being chased by Sivalier soldiers, and that she was even more tired than she was now. The girl who found self-affirmation in her heart was tired but still thinking positively, and her feet were again strengthened. Neck and neck with many of the male soldiers who were older than her.

"......" silently gritted her teeth and worked hard The elite of Crane, who looked down on her more than two hours ago, have greatly improved, and most of them are from noble backgrounds. The traditional view of most of the top kingdoms on the West Coast is that women are just political tools.

The choice of clothing requires a long dress that is luxurious but inconvenient to move, and the ornaments are delicate and fragile, and the inner virtue requires a gentle and elegant husband and children. Able to go up to the hall and down to the kitchen. Even the most ordinary commoners mostly felt that women should stay at home as ornamental vases, and should not do the same things as men.

Looking at the people we have met along the way, there are only a few outstanding women like Adella, the deputy head of the original Fude Mercenary Regiment. Even with Minna, who is the same sister as Mira, and even the master and servant who met in Chester some time ago, if you think about it, the proportion of independent and distinctive women compared to men is really very small.

This is true in all major industries, and the vulnerability of women is taken for granted throughout the world - so when the young girl with the blue mercenary badge is noticed by these elite soldiers of Krant, no one expects much from her.

They only thought she was a vase, a little pet that Henry had a bad taste for him. Even if he heard that the two seemed to have a master-apprentice relationship, he didn't pay much attention to it.

But the girl is far superior to the perseverance of many nobles' own sons. They all had to be impressed.

No one released water, it was a real fight. In order to have time to recuperate, they all gave it their all. A noble boy of the same age as Mira is not a middle-aged soldier who can keep up with full speed ahead, and he can run at full speed on such a forest path full of crumbling shrubs, without crying his nose because of all kinds of setbacks, waiting for the elders to coax him, and the delicate aristocratic girls are even worse, they are only in their teens, let alone running, even if they slowly walk out of the distance of eight kilometers, most of them will sigh and sigh for a long time, and make a pitiful appearance for a long time, asking others to carry her and hug her.

-- Plastic talent.

The people present were the elite of the Krant warriors, and there was no reason why they couldn't spot the shining point in Mira - consciously or unconsciously, they all began to match the girl's pace.

Although the pace slowed down slightly, the crowd arrived near the lead mine at about five o'clock in the afternoon.

The lead mine is on the right side of the road deep into the dense forest, and the traces of years of walking on a path that winds through it are clearly visible, and the heavy ore must be pulled by ox carts, so the presence of the road is quite important. The group lay in ambush outside for a temporary rest. Many of them had pulled out their soft leather kettles and dry rations, they were not in a position to make a fire, and the battle would probably drag on for a long time, so they did not have to expect a hot dinner tonight.

"Just take the right time and lurk in the forest. Herman, as the Supreme Commander, was naturally among the raiding troops, and he took a bite of the dry and tasteless dry food, chewed it expressionlessly, swallowed it, and then issued the order.

"Whew...... Hu ...... "The group lay in ambush under the ridge of the road opposite the lead mine, breathing slowly, replenishing water and nutrition, and quickly recovering their strength.

Time passed slowly, it was close to March and the tropics again, and the sunshine was still abundant at 6 p.m. Most of the miners responsible for digging the lead are residents of nearby villages. Working in the unfenced mines during the day was a free feast of human flesh for all kinds of jungle beasts, so they drove the ox carts to their villages before it was completely dark.

The dirty miners walked away with their pickaxes, Herman turned around and waved his hand, and the twelve quickly slumped down the road into the dense forest on the other side.

The "rustling ......" trained warriors held their scabbards tightly in their hands to prevent them from bumping into things and making too loud noises as they marched. Six of them, including Herman, were armed with longbows and arrows, showing that they were well prepared.

The "shh......h The group soon came to the vicinity of the mine. The nearby glade, which had been cleared for mining purposes, was about the size of two or three houses, and the entrance to the pit was diagonally downward. And as soon as everyone arrived, they found that not all of them had left the place.

Six miners, dressed but clean, took their one-handed swords from the small wooden wheelbarrows they used to transport ore in the pits, put them on, and began to prepare their torches again. Herman turned around and made another silencing gesture to the others. Henry could see a slight smile on the count's face through the dimming light, and it was clear that he had found the right place.

Time passed slowly, and as night fell, the crickets and other songbugs began to make a "squeak-squeak" sound, and the bare skin of several people hiding behind the trees attracted blood-sucking mosquitoes, but they could only endure the bites of these things, and they did not say a word.

"Smack!" the torch-wielding warriors in the pit attracted more mosquitoes from the firelight, and one of them slapped himself on the back of the neck and shook the torch in his hand to burn the insects.

"Why haven't you come yet!" the impatient warrior said loudly, and the words could be heard clearly by the crowd only a dozen meters away, and the fact that they were waiting for them became more and more obvious. Everyone, including Mira, struggled to maintain their patience as the night grew darker. As time passed, among the soldiers standing at the entrance of the lead mine, all but two were standing, and the other four had already sat down and started chatting. They yawned listlessly, and judging by the moonlight, it was at least eight o'clock in the evening. The group that had been waiting for more than two hours had begun to relax their spirits that had been maintained because of their nervousness.

"Whew......" Mira took small breaths to control her breathing, while trying to keep her eyes open to keep herself from sleepy.

"Shhhhhh Herman reminded in a whisper. Then he waved his hand in the dim moonlight, signaling the whole team to move forward.

"Lower your weapon and be careful with reflections. One of the knights next to her whispered a reminder to Mira, and everyone slowly drew their weapons.

"Yo, why is it so slow today. The gurgling carriage grew louder and louder, and the pit guards grinned and began to talk to each other.

"It seems that the guards are just this kind of person, ready to go, and the miscellaneous soldiers are all killed, just keep the person in charge. Herman whispered again. The carriage with the oil lamp stopped, and the men above began to talk to the guards. Six longbows were mounted with arrows, one finger on top and two fingers down to pull the bowstring slowly to the ear.

"Smack-" "Haha, that's it, it's really unfortunate that the horse is sick after drinking dirty water--snatching it----

"Who-" "Huh-" The other man behind him immediately reacted and was about to draw his sword, but then he received an arrow in the chest, and the whole person fell backwards, and the person in charge of transporting the goods in the carriage stood still and did not react, and the fierce arrow struck at the guards who stood conspicuously in the firelight.

"Boom-" "Boom-" "Ahhh The other was shot in the leg at the entrance of the pit and began to scream in panic.

"Ahh

"Up!" Only one man managed to run into the interior of the pit, Herman discarding his longbow and drawing his armed sword, as did several other archers. But faster than him, Henry, the others who had already drawn their weapons, jumped into the clearing first.

"You two, search the pit. Don't leave your mouth alive. Herman shouted, and the two knights nodded at him, grabbing a torch stuck in the ground, and immediately ran towards the inside of the lead mine.

"No, don't kill me!" was the only driver in the carriage. Herman frowned, dressed rather luxuriously and looked like a businessman. When he saw a group of heavily armed warriors, he immediately raised his hands.

"It depends on what you can tell us. The Earl said this, and Henry on the other side and the rest of the people began to inspect the battlefield, lapis lazuli is a high-priced commodity, and it doesn't make sense that only the connector has no accompanying guards. Even if it weren't for the thieves, the jungle at night was full of all kinds of beasts.

"Knock knock—" The sage happened to think this, and when he suddenly felt the ground shake, he immediately furrowed his eyebrows.

"The cavalry is coming, get out of the way!" Henry replied loudly, and then picked up Mira and threw himself into the jungle beside him, his reminder came at a very good time, and a flash of light in the darkness slashed through the horse's hoofs, and the cavalry with long knives struck straight out.

"Bang-" Everyone who was warned at the first time rushed directly into the jungle, and only one elite soldier who couldn't dodge only had time to raise his long sword.

"Ding-" The momentum of the horse, coupled with the condescending advantage, the long sword used to block in his hand flew out of his hand directly, and more than one of these cavalrymen followed closely behind him, and the other person directly cut off the head of the elite with the long sword flat.

"Puff-" Blood rushed to the sky, and the merchant who was sitting in the carriage begging for mercy turned his head with joy on his face, Herman fell decisively and rolled under the carriage, a spear piercing the place where he had just been, followed by a "puff-" sound.

"Poof-" The merchant's detached body fell in front of Herman, rolling down his skull with a smile that hadn't completely dissipated, blood flowing slowly from the flat incision.

"Whoa—"

"Knock knock" The horse's hooves fell heavily and the earth splashed everywhere, and the cavalry just spun around and ran away without a trace.

Rustling ......, covered in green grass juice and scratches from sharp branches, slowly poked their heads out of the woods again. Herman walked out holding on to the edge of the carriage, frowning at the corpse of the merchant on the ground.

“...... Failed. The Crantian nobleman who had spoken to warn Mira sighed, and there was nothing left on the ground except deep horseshoe prints—it was them, miscalculated.

"No, this at least proves that our investigation is in the right direction. A night breeze blew through the torches and began to swing wildly, and Herman raised his head and looked at the crowd with piercing eyes.

"I want to know more and more about the secrets of Grand Duke Monroe's family, who must be kept even if I kill my own people." )