Ch. 28
Chapter 28. A Difficult Choice
The chosen constables had already officially begun their duties.
At last, the soldiers were able to free themselves from trivial patrol work and mediation, and devote themselves fully to training.
From early morning, the camp drill ground was already filled with orderly shouts, the clash of weapons, and the sounds of men sweating through hard practice.
Eli stood before the window of the Council Hall, which was only just beginning to take shape, and looked out at the soldiers training in the field below. The taut string in his heart loosened slightly for a brief moment.
Order was strength. On the wasteland, that truth was especially real.
The familiar pale-blue screen unfolded before his eyes, and Eli skillfully began his daily routine.
【Ding! Purple-Tier Intelligence Acquired!】
【At dawn two days from now, Baron Grum will dispatch an elite twenty-man scout team, led by “Night Owl” Barr, a Lower Silver Tier knight, to the abandoned mine pit to investigate the reason for the loss of contact. Estimated duration of stay: half a day.】
Purple-tier intelligence! It was Grum!
Eli’s heart sank sharply, and the slackened string tightened once more.
The Vulture Gang! That little nest of sand bandits he and Captain Buck had wiped out with thunderous force.
At the time, he had only been focused on seizing supplies and intelligence. As for the follow-up “cleanup,” there really had been loose ends left behind.
He had not staged the scene to look as if the gang had been attacked by a powerful magical beast or a larger band of wandering outlaws.
That old dog Grum really did have a keen nose. The tribute date for the Vulture Gang had already passed by several days with no sign of movement, so he had sent men to investigate.
What should he do?
Eli’s brows drew together into a hard knot, his fingers unconsciously tapping the tabletop.
Two completely opposite choices kept replaying in his mind.
If he did not kill them and allowed the scout team to safely enter the mine pit and investigate, then the result was obvious.
The battle traces scattered across the ground, the corpses that had not yet been entirely dealt with...
When those clues were pieced together, they would be enough for Barr, that seasoned old campaigner known as “Night Owl,” to deduce that the Vulture Gang had not died in an accident, but had been eradicated by an organized armed force with real strength.
And that force was entrenched near Lucerne City, right beneath their noses.
What would happen after that?
Grum would never sit back and tolerate an unknown threat with unclear strength, a threat capable of silently devouring one of his outer claws, sleeping beside his own bed.
There would be violent reconnaissance, large-scale probing attacks, perhaps even...
A direct strike with his main force, crashing down like thunder to crush the threat before it could truly grow.
Obsidian Territory would be dragged into the light and forced into passive defense and a war of attrition. Worse still, Obsidian Territory did not yet have solid walls.
Its construction had only just begun. Its economy was fragile. Its soldiers were still insufficiently trained...
Too passive. Far too passive.
If he killed them instead?
A fifteen-man elite scout team, plus “Night Owl” Barr, a Lower Silver Tier knight...
Given Black Territory’s current strength, wiping them out was not impossible.
Kill them all. Destroy the bodies and erase the traces. In the short term, it seemed possible that this could be covered up, buying Black Territory precious time to breathe and develop.
But that too was a gamble.
An elite scout team led by a Lower Silver Tier knight, fifteen men in total, vanishing silently on the road during an investigation mission without even a ripple.
Unless Grum was a fool, once the scouts failed to return for too long, he would immediately realize that there was absolutely a hostile force nearby, and one with considerable offensive power.
He would certainly commit greater forces, and might even come personally.
Would the time they gained be enough for them to grow strong enough to resist Grum’s main force?
“I really shouldn’t have let Buck go back...” Eli muttered under his breath without thinking.
At this moment, the image of that Gold Tier knight’s overwhelming strength felt especially dear.
For the first time, he truly understood why the old saying declared that a commander’s single thought determined life or death.
A light, casual choice between “kill” and “do not kill”...
Now weighed more than a thousand pounds, directly determining the fate of the thousand people of Obsidian Territory.
Second by second, time passed like an icy serpent coiling around his heart.
He forced himself to calm down and, just as he would sort intelligence, repeatedly dismantled, compared, and ran through the advantages and dangers of both choices in his mind.
The key lay in time. What Black Territory lacked most was time!
Buy time... He had to buy time.
Waiting passively to be exposed was a slow death. Taking the initiative carried enormous risks, but at least there was a sliver of hope.
He had to gamble that, in the early stage, after realizing he had lost a scout team, Grum would choose cautious investigation out of fear of an “unknown powerful enemy,” and would not dare move recklessly at once.
He was gambling on that gap in time.
“Kill them.” Eli drew in a deep breath.
Only by placing himself in deadly ground could he find a path to life.
“Ella, go notify Bol and Aika. Tell them to gather every man capable of fighting at once.”
“Estor, go notify Wolfgang and tell them to assemble at the drill ground.”
Then Eli left the meeting room and strode next door, kicking open the door to the room where Clark was staying.
“Stop lying there. We’ve got work.”
The order was like a boulder crashing into a still lake, instantly shattering the camp’s calm.
Sharp whistle blasts rang out. Soldiers came sprinting from the training ground to assemble, and the clatter of armor rose all at once.
Low wolf howls came from the wolf-kin camp as Wolfgang rapidly gathered thirteen warriors.
Clark appeared with a head of messy golden hair, rubbing the sleep from his drowsy eyes.
“Hey! Why are you kicking my door again? I just had the old man fix it.”
But the instant he saw the grave expression on Eli’s face, he woke completely.
Not only was he unafraid, his golden eyes lit up at once with startling brilliance.
“Assemble at the drill ground.”
...
All of Obsidian Territory’s fighting strength gathered on the drill ground, surrounding Eli.
“Wow. This early in the morning, and such a huge formation? Who are we hitting?”
Clark, already fully dressed and equipped, rubbed his hands together excitedly.
“Reliable scout intelligence. The abandoned mine pit. Grum is sending an elite twenty-man scout team.
“The one leading them is a Lower Silver Tier fighter nicknamed ‘Night Owl’ Barr. They arrive in two days.”
Eli kept it brief, then said in a heavy voice, “My decision is this: not one of them leaves alive. We’ll turn the mine pit into their grave.”
“Wow, Eli, you’ve changed.” Clark whistled, the grin on his face widening. “But I like it! Leave that Barr to me! A Lower Silver Tier? Perfect. He’ll make a fine warm-up for me!”
He thumped his chest as if the matter were already settled.
Wolfgang said nothing. He merely slammed his fist against his solid chest. Bol and Aika were just as aflame with fighting spirit.
“Good.” Eli’s gaze swept over the gathered men, and he began issuing orders at a rapid pace. “Brandon!”
“You still remember your old trade, don’t you?”
“My lord!” The old soldier immediately straightened his hunched back.
“Take men with you at once. Ride the fastest horses and go ahead to the outskirts of Lucerne City.
“From this point on, I want to know about any troop movement under Grum involving more than fifty men!
“If there is the slightest disturbance, send someone back to report immediately.
“Remember this: concealment comes first! You are eyes, not fists!”
Brandon’s grizzled brows twitched. Though he plainly had reservations about such an intense reconnaissance mission, his mouth answered with perfect honesty.
“As you command, my lord! I guarantee that not even a fly will get out of Lucerne City without us knowing about it!”
He immediately chose several quick-witted soldiers, and the group hurried off, leading their horses away.
“Wolfgang, your men will be responsible for the forested area around the outside of the mine pit. Eliminate any hidden sentries they may place and seal off every possible escape route.” Eli turned to look at the wolf king.
“Yes!” Wolfgang replied with characteristic brevity.
“Aika, take the soldiers and lie in ambush on the high ground to both sides of the mine entrance. Cover the area with bows and throwing spears.
“Nail anyone trying to resist or flee to the ground.
“Clark, your target is ‘Night Owl’ Barr. After the first volley of arrows is loosed, you must kill him in the shortest time possible.
“Do not give him any chance to send a signal or create chaos.
“Bol and I will handle the front. We’ll plug the gaps and finish off the remaining enemies.”
Eli’s orders were clear and precise. Every link in the plan pointed toward total annihilation.
“Understood!” everyone answered in unison, and a sharp killing intent spread through the air.
“Set out at once! Destination: the abandoned mine pit. We’ll arrive two days early, familiarize ourselves with the terrain, and lay traps.”
Eli swung himself onto his horse. Sensing its master’s battle intent, the chestnut warhorse let out a fierce, ringing neigh.
Once again, the pounding of hooves shattered the stillness of dawn in Obsidian Territory.
A silent, razor-sharp force flew northwest like an arrow loosed from the string, toward that crimson mine pit fated to be soaked in blood.
Eli’s face was as cold and immovable as iron.