Chapter 267: Chapter 266: Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

THUD!

Warwick was slammed to the ground again. This time, it felt as if every bone in his body had come loose, and he couldn’t get back up.

“Babulin,” Ronin called out.

Babulin, who had been waiting on the hilltop, ran over. “My lord, you’ve returned. What can I do for you?”

As he spoke, he snuck a glance at the stranger lying on the ground, who was covered in bruises. He secretly wondered about the man’s identity.

“Go and inform Toru, Marvin, Philip, and Solstein. Tell them to come here. I have something urgent to discuss with them.”

“Oh, and if Baron Coren is in the camp, have him come as well.”

“As you wish, my lord!” Babulin immediately hurried off.

After Ronin had departed from Giant Stone Castle, Toru and the others had also left, all of them preparing to spend the night in the camp.

Babulin found them quickly.

“What could Ronin possibly want this late?” Toru asked, surprised.

Babulin shook his head. “My lord didn’t say specifically, but I think it must be something extremely important. I must ask you to make the trip, Sir Toru.”

Toru didn’t press further. “Very well, I’m on my way.”

Next, Babulin found Marvin and the others. They were equally puzzled, but none refused the summons.

A short while later, the group gathered in Ronin’s large tent.

Ronin glanced around the tent. “Coren isn’t here?”

“My lord, Baron Coren has already returned to his castle.”

Ronin nodded and waved a hand, dismissing Babulin.

Marvin could no longer hold back. “Ronin, why did you gather all of us here so late?”

“There is a very important matter I wish to discuss with you.”

He first turned his gaze to Toru. “Sir Toru, as the Leader of Wushan Castle’s First Knight Order, would you ever betray Wushan Castle? Betray Marquis Lurans?”

Toru’s brow furrowed, confused by Ronin’s meaning.

“Do not question my loyalty, Ronin.”

He stated solemnly, “From the day I swore to follow Lord Lurans, my longsword has been wielded for him and him alone!”

Ronin’s gaze then shifted to Philip and Solstein.

The two men, their faces turning grave, gave the same assurances as Toru.

Marvin had a response ready as well, but to his disappointment, Ronin didn’t ask him.

Of course, Ronin didn’t need to ask. He knew Marvin well enough—he had his passionate and even wise moments, but sometimes his blood ran too hot. To put it simply, he was impulsive.

“I know you are all loyal to the Marquis, but not everyone is.”

Ronin surveyed the four men and said slowly, “As far as I know, Baron Coren is a traitor to Wushan Ridge.”

BOOM!

His single sentence stunned the four men in the tent.

“Impossible!”

Toru was the first to object. “Ronin, while Coren’s performance in the battle at Chishan Town was abysmal, I’ve seen his wounds. They are clearly from a recent fight. I also inspected the wounded from his Knight Order. They all spoke of how brutal that night’s battle was. They can’t be traitors!”

“He’s right, Ronin. You can’t make such accusations lightly.”

Even Marvin had to be cautious about something like this.

Falsely accusing a noble could be a small matter, but it could also be a huge one. At the very least, it would negatively impact Ronin’s own reputation.

Although Philip and Solstein were only Vice Leaders, they were also skeptical of Ronin’s claim.

They could believe it if Coren were accused of secretly misappropriating Wushan Castle’s assets, but the word “traitor” was far too serious.

Unless Marquis Lurans was dead and the Wushan Clan was in complete ruin, the price for a failed betrayal would be too high.

Besides, even if he were to commit treason, it would be an extremely secret affair.

Ronin had arrived at Giant Stone Ridge at the same time they had. They hadn’t heard anything, so how could he possibly know?

“Did you hear something?” Toru asked, composing himself.

He had been a bit agitated, mainly because as a Knight Order Leader himself, he felt pained seeing the defeated and wounded soldiers of the Fifth Knight Order. He couldn’t stand to see men who had fought and bled be wrongly accused.

“I’ve done more than just hear something. I have a witness.”

Ronin clapped his hands. From outside, Joffrey dragged the injured Warwick in and threw him onto the ground.

“And this is?”

Toru and the others exchanged baffled glances.

“One of the core members of the Polante Thief Gang, the Silver Knight Warwick.”

“What?”

Everyone stared in shock at the immobile man on the ground. ’A member of the Polante Thief Gang?’

Marvin immediately squatted beside the man, pulling up his sleeve and pinching his skin and muscle.

“His skin and muscles show clear signs of enhancement. He’s definitely a Silver Knight!”

Toru realized the gravity of the situation. Even if Ronin were making things up, he wouldn’t go so far as to use a Silver Knight as his supposed proof.

He too quickly knelt, and after a brief inspection, he confirmed Marvin’s assessment. The wounded man was indeed a Silver Knight.

“Ronin, what in the world is going on?”

Ronin chuckled. “Warwick, why don’t you tell them who you are, and what Coren has done.”

Lying on the ground, Warwick trembled involuntarily when he heard Ronin say his name.

The fight in the woods just now was the most harrowing, and also the most helpless, battle he had ever experienced.

He had thought victory was in his grasp, but he was put at a disadvantage from the very first exchange and then utterly crushed.

To his horror, Warwick had discovered that Ronin was a Silver Knight!

A Silver Knight so young—it completely overturned his perception of the world.

He desperately wanted to tell Amicus, Coren, and the others that they had all been deceived by this young man—that he was the true master manipulator.

“I… I am indeed a member of the Polante Thief Gang…”

Haltingly and weakly, Warwick began to recount what had happened at Chishan Town.

Inside the tent, the only sound besides his voice was the increasingly heavy breathing of Toru and the others.

By the time Warwick finished explaining the true purpose of the war—the complete annihilation of the Noble Alliance Army—the hot-tempered Marvin couldn’t stop himself from cursing.

“That damn Coren, I’ll kill him!”

Toru also gritted his teeth. “Damned traitor!”

Philip and Solstein were even more direct, requesting, “My lord, let us lead a Knight Squad to surround his castle and capture him alive!”

“Yes, we’ll surround his castle tonight!” Marvin enthusiastically agreed.

Toru nodded as well. “Although Giant Stone Castle is well-defended and Coren has three Knight Squads, two of them are here in the camp right now. We can seize control of those two units, then lead our men to surround Giant Stone Castle and end this battle as quickly as possible.”

Of the two de facto deputies, Toru’s thinking was clearly more strategic. Marvin was more of a War General.

Just then, the tent flap was pulled aside, and Ridder entered.

He first nodded to the others, then reported to Ronin, “My lord, this evening, a large number of men from Coren’s two Knight Squads were transferred away, supposedly to maintain the defenses of Giant Stone Ridge.”

This new information made everyone even more certain of Coren’s betrayal.

Those two Knight Squads had been requisitioned for the campaign. Coren had no authority to command them at this point, and he certainly couldn’t transfer them without notifying the Commander and Deputy Commander.

Ronin’s brow furrowed slightly. ’I hadn’t caught Warwick by this evening, so Coren couldn’t have moved those men because he thought he was exposed.’

“Ridder, how many of his troops are left in the camp?”

“Six Professional Knights, and about half of his Cavalry and Infantry.”

Ronin nodded. “Joffrey.”

Joffrey, who had been waiting outside, entered the tent.

“Go and inform Macken and the Tarren Knight. Tonight, no one is to leave this camp. Especially not Coren’s men.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Toru watched Joffrey stride away. He suddenly realized that his assistance might not even be necessary for commanding this war. ’Perhaps Marquis Lurans still doesn’t understand his grandson well enough,’ he thought.

Perhaps this battle at Chishan Town against the Polante Thief Gang would be the one to make Ronin’s name.

“Ronin, what are your plans for Coren?”

Toru couldn’t help but ask. “We’ll follow your orders.”

Marvin and the other two men also turned to Ronin. The strongest knight in the Alliance Army had just deferred to him, which meant Ronin now had full command of the war.

Ronin thought for a moment, then said, “A nighttime attack is inherently rushed. Add to that poor visibility, unfamiliar terrain, and the formidable defenses of Giant Stone Castle—among other disadvantages—and it becomes clear that besieging Coren now would be unwise.”

“And don’t forget, we still have an enemy in Chishan Town. I am not willing to suffer heavy losses trying to capture Coren.”

“You’re right. We were blinded by anger.”

Marvin took a deep breath, calming himself. “I’ve observed Coren’s Giant Stone Castle. The walls are thick; it would be impossible to breach them easily, even with Combat Skills. Attacking it would be no simple matter.”

He looked at Ronin. “So what’s your plan?”

“We don’t need to go in.”

A calculating glint appeared in Ronin’s eyes. “We just need to act as if nothing has happened. Tomorrow morning, we summon him to the camp for a meeting. Then, we capture him.”

A sharp glint flashed in Toru’s eyes. “An excellent plan!”

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