Chapter 264: Chapter 263: Suspicion

The Noble Alliance Army was large and diverse, so it was impossible for Baron Coren to house them all in his castle.

To prepare for the confrontation with the enemy, he found a relatively flat area to the south, near the border of Giant Stone Territory, for the Alliance Army to make camp.

After the meeting, Ronin mounted his Cloud Stepper and left Giant Stone Castle with Ridder and the others, arriving at the camp.

“Lord, as you requested, the Commander’s tent has been set up at the very rear. I’ve also assigned men to guard the hillside behind it.”

Joffrey led Ronin to the Central Army Tent and described the surrounding layout.

The former leader of the Wilderness Tribe was very satisfied with his current situation and duties.

He knew that among all of Ronin’s followers, Ridder, Macken, and Elron were absolutely in the first tier, their positions unshakable.

And he was also aware that as long as he did his job to the best of his ability, he could enter the second tier among the other followers.

Now that Wubei Territory was flourishing and the Lord’s status was growing more noble by the day, Joffrey felt even more motivated.

Ever since his time as the leader of the Wilderness Tribe, he had dreamed of achieving great things, and now was the perfect opportunity.

Ronin glanced at the tent. The supplies Galier had arranged were indeed excellent. This tent was much larger than his own, almost like a small room.

The large tent was backed by a hillside, which was guarded by infantry. No one else would come near.

To outsiders, Ronin might have seemed overly cautious, but his main reason for doing this was to make it easier for Carlos to land.

“Everyone, come in.”

Ronin called all twelve Transcendents, including Ridder, inside for a small meeting exclusive to Wubei Territory.

The meeting clarified the objective of this operation: to take Chishan Town and secure the first iron ore resource for Wubei Territory.

In addition, Ronin stressed that this war was an excellent learning opportunity.

The twelve Knights accompanying him on this campaign might one day become squad captains, Leaders, or even Governors. Ronin needed them to observe and learn as much as possible.

Reconnaissance, defense, logistics, even how to manage camp sanitation and what problems might arise—they needed to pay close attention to everything, no matter how big or small.

Ronin delegated the specific tasks and personnel arrangements to Ridder. He then announced that there would be a debriefing after the war where everyone would be required to share what they had learned. With that, he left the main tent.

“Good thing the Lord isn’t making us write a report.”

David breathed a sigh of relief. He had learned some writing from Erin, but it wasn’t nearly enough to write a full report. Besides, his handwriting was exceptionally ugly.

It wasn’t just David; Tom, Babulin, Tomasz, and even Joffrey would have struggled.

Ridder chuckled. “Usually, getting you all to write a few words in your spare time is harder than making you swing your swords a thousand times. Don’t wait until the Lord actually asks you to write something and you can’t produce a thing.”

After leaving the main tent, Ronin went up the rear hillside alone and summoned Carlos.

Chishan Town had already been sealed off by the Polante Thief Gang. During wartime, no one could hope to enter from the direction of Giant Stone Territory.

Ronin had originally intended to ask Coren for a map of Chishan Town, but Coren told him he didn’t have one, though he promised to have one drawn up within a day.

’That’s fast, but I can’t expect much in terms of the map’s detail or accuracy.’

’I can’t tell if this Coren really doesn’t have a map, or if he has one and is deliberately withholding it from me.’

It was hard to imagine that someone responsible for guarding the border hadn’t even prepared a map. This could absolutely be considered a dereliction of duty.

Furthermore, Ronin hadn’t seen the slightest hint of remorse or self-blame on Coren’s face that one would expect over the deaths of the Fifth Knight Order and Sir Hahn.

’I also don’t understand why the position of Leader of the Fifth Knight Order was given to a man like Coren in the first place.’

Ronin couldn’t quite figure it out.

’But fortunately, a map isn’t the only way to survey the terrain. With Carlos around, this won’t be a problem.’

At his call, Carlos, who had already been in the nearby wilderness, quickly landed on the summit.

Ronin climbed onto the Giant Dragon’s back and soared into the sky.

“Be sure to maintain the Curved Light and Shadow effect, and don’t go too fast.”

Ronin instructed, “Try to avoid populated areas. There are Knights in Chishan Town at the same level as you.”

“Don’t worry, Master. As long as I stay at a height of thirty to fifty meters, they won’t be able to spot me!”

Carlos was extremely skilled with his Curved Light Refraction Magic, coordinating it with his speed effortlessly. He was indeed difficult to detect.

Ronin glanced at Carlos’s level progression. He was currently at (16/12500). It had increased a little, but not by much.

’Forget waiting for a Dragon to reach adulthood; just waiting for it to level up once on its own is hard enough.’

Sitting on the Dragon’s back, Ronin soon arrived above Chishan Town. Without much effort, he spotted the Chishan Iron Mine, which looked like a stone grotto.

At that moment, hundreds, if not thousands, of miners were toiling away.

To call them miners was a bit of an embellishment. In reality, they were just a group of enslaved people. The Supervisors brandished their leather whips, striking anyone who displeased them.

At the edge of the mining site, Ronin saw a pile of miners’ corpses. If there weren’t a hundred bodies, there were at least more than fifty.

’To get enough iron ore, these people have probably dragged the entire town’s population over here.’

Carlos continued flying south. Ronin saw carts traveling along the road, hauling the excavated iron ore toward Casier Town to the south.

’From this, it’s clear that one of the Polante Thief Gang’s objectives in capturing Chishan Town must have been this mine.’

But when he saw the terrain connecting Chishan Town to Casier Town, he froze.

It was a road a hundred meters long and no more than a dozen or so meters wide, wedged between two valleys. From high above, it looked as if a sword had split a mountain in two, making it an incredibly perilous pass.

’A narrow passage, steep peaks… It would be impossible for an enemy to pass through here easily.’

Moreover, Ronin noticed that numerous stones were piled up on the peaks flanking the pass—obviously boulders intended for defense.

’With such a geographical advantage, how did Hahn’s five Knight Squads lose?’

Ronin was completely baffled.

’Coren said Hahn was drinking that night and neglected his defenses, giving the enemy an opening. But that’s just too convenient.’

’Besides, even if he was drinking, it’s impossible that everyone was. A single Knight Squad guarding this pass could have held out for a long time.’

He suddenly seized upon a certain connection, and his brow furrowed.

’This Coren… is he the problem?’

’All this time, I haven’t suspected Coren. I just subconsciously assumed his eagerness to attack stemmed from a desire to atone for his failure.’

’As for putting Giant Stone Territory in charge of logistics, it wasn’t out of suspicion, as Coren might have assumed. I genuinely believed they were the most suitable for the job.’

’And besides, facing the possibility of war breaking out at any moment, would Hahn really have been that stupid?’

Once the seed of doubt was planted, it quickly took root and sprouted.

Once this idea emerged, it grew uncontrollably.

’If there really is something wrong with Coren…’

At this thought, a chill ran down Ronin’s spine.

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