Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Colin had a dream.
A very long dream.
In the dream, he was entwined by a massive silver python.
And the grip was getting tighter and tighter.
The terrifying pressure crushed his bones and internal organs, even squeezing out his blood incessantly.
He felt like an orange thrown into a juicer. Becoming a dried corpse seemed to be his inescapable fate.
Colin, of course, didnât want to give in.
But his limbs were tightly bound and he couldnât move at all.
So, he could only bite down on the body of the python.
And suck madly.
You squeeze me, so Iâll suck you out!
This was Colinâs plan.
However, he discovered a serious problem â he could not suck anything out.
The pythonâs body seemed empty, there was nothing in it.
As time passed, Colinâs consciousness began to blur.
The pythonâs body tightened gradually, and Colin was getting closer and closer to becoming a dried corpse.
Who knows how much time had passed.
Just as Colin was about to give up fighting, he suddenly found that he could suck blood from the body of the snake!
Like a long parched earth suddenly getting rain.
That sweet taste,
Was the taste of vitality!
However, there was only one sip.
Colin tried his hardest as if sucking milk, but he couldnât get any more.
Aaaaaah!!!!!
In extreme anger, Colin woke up.
âGreat! Colin, you are finally awake!â
ââ¦â Colin opened his eyes, but all he could see was a blurry shadow.
He could barely recognize that the voice just now should have been Veraâs.
âWhatâ¦what did I drinkâ¦â Colin spoke, wanting to drink more.
âYou drank holy water.â
Holy water?
Colin was completely stunned.
You gave a vampire holy water to drink???
Unable to catch his breath, Colin fainted againâ¦
âColin? Colin?â Vera was somewhat anxious, looking for help towards Archbishop Raven.
The Archbishop calmly pried open Colinâs mouth and poured a few more drops of holy water in.
Then, no responseâ¦
The Archbishop persistently poured a few more drops.
Still no responseâ¦
The Archbishop gritted his teeth, pouring the entire bottle in, then looked at the empty bottle with a pained expression.
Keep in mind, what he gave Colin to drink was pure holy water. The church usually uses water diluted a thousand times to heal.
Although it was just a small bottle, after dilution, it would be enough for the usage of an entire diocese for a whole year.
But even so, there was no response.
The Archbishop checked Colinâs breath, then opened the otherâs eyelids to check again⦠After some meddling, he finally said in a not so certain tone:
âIt seems that his injury has stabilized. With some good rest and care, he should be fine.â
Vera finally heaved a sigh of relief and hastily voiced her thanks.
Seeing this, Marquis Garcia and others left the tent to allow Colin to rest.
Only Vera stayed behind.
Witnessing this, Marquis Garcia didnât say much and merely furrowed his brows slightly.
After exiting the tent, he asked Knight Blis, âTell me about Knight Colin.â
âYes, my lord,â Blis, trailing behind Marquis Garcia, explained. âHe is the son of Baron Angler, the Lord of Grey Castle Town. On his way to Fallen Eagle City with a mercenary group, he came to Mirror Lake Camp due to the urgent conscription order from Duke Charlesâ¦â
âA mercenary group?â Marquis Garcia was somewhat confused, âWhy would the son of a baron follow a mercenary group to Fallan Eagle City?â
âHe probably wanted to conceal his identity. I asked the son of the mercenary group leader, and he told me that Knight Colin had infiltrated the group under the disguise of a false identity, pretending to be the son of Viscount Sudor.â
Blis had indeed verified Colinâs identity and background. Being a very dutiful son, Sael likely wouldnât hide anything about Colin and reported everything honestly.
âAre the Angler and Sudor families close?â
âAs far as I know, the two families have minimal contact with each other.
However, Viscount Sudorâs territory had just been invaded by Trolls recently,
so perhaps Colin thought that it wouldnât be easy for anyone to see through his disguise as a knight from that house, and he wouldnât be pursued for it.â
Marquis Garcia nodded, making his conclusion, âHmm, impersonating someone and not having his own guards indicates that something might have happened within the Angler family.â
Blis thought for a moment and shared another piece of information, âMy lord,
Baron Angler died in battle when he was fighting alongside Duke Charles.â
âThat makes senseâ Marquis Garcia responded with a casual smile, âIt is probably an issue of inheriting the nobility. Nothing novel there.â
The contention for a baronâs title wouldnât cause Marquis Garcia to pay too much attention. Thus, he mentioned it briefly, but did not inquire further. Instead, he let Blis continue his narration. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âMiss Vera happened to be on her way back to the North Territory when she came across the conscription order and arrived at Mirror Lake Campâ¦â
As Blis spoke, he observed Marquis Garciaâs reaction.
Especially when it came to Duke Charles using those conscripted miscellaneous soldiers entirely as bait, he nervously glanced at Marquis Garcia.
Marquis Garciaâs face remained expressionless.
ââ¦we kept fleeing southwards, but were unable to shake off the pursuing Wolf cavalry⦠Knight Colin suggested turning northwards, towards the direction the Wolf cavalry least expectedâ¦we ran into disbanded soldiers who had escaped from the Mirror Lake battlefield during our journey northwardsâ¦after reorganising the disbanded soldiers, we were gradually caught up againâ¦â
Colin suggested hiding in River Bay at the bend of Ben Liu River and set up decoysâ¦in the end, we had no choice but to turn and fightâ¦and we won decisively!â
Blis finished narrating and quietly stood to one side, awaiting Marquis Garciaâs orders.
Marquis Garcia looked at the surging Ben Liu River before him, remaining silent.
After a long while, he finally asked, âWhat kind of person do you think Knight Colin is?â
Blis was taken aback for a moment but quickly responded candidly, âBrave, loyal, intelligent, heâs someone who naturally belongs on the battlefield.â
Marquis Garcia chuckled noncommittally, âit seems you hold him in high regard!â
Blis nodded solemnly.
If it had been before the fight at the river bay, Blisâs impression of Colin might not have been too good.
Although Colin had displayed a strong sense for battlefield strategy, he had, after all, lied and tried to abandon the disbanded soldiers.
However, after the battle at the river bay, Blis completely changed his view of Colin.
Whether it was choosing to stay instead of seizing the last opportunity to escape, fighting at the forefront, or risking his life to shield Vera, these noble traits made all his previous shortcomings seem insignificant.
Therefore, Blis was willing to put in a good word for Colin before Marquis Garcia.
He could tell that the Marquis had some admiration for Colin.
âIndeed, heâs a talented commander!â Marquis Garcia nodded but couldnât help but frown slightly, âHowever, he strayed slightly from the right pathâ¦fortunately, heâs still youngâ¦â
Looking at the puzzled Blis, Marquis Garcia did not provide any further explanations and shifted the topic, âAlright, enough about him. Iâm here to clean up Charlesâs mess. Therefore, I need your help with one more thing.â
âPlease, command me!â
âIâm giving you a cavalry unit. You must immediately head to Winterfell City and call on my brother on my behalf. I need a military order from him.â âWhat kind of military order?â
âOne to support with troops. The Trolls are attacking our home; can I just sit back and do nothing?â
âSupporting the troops?â Blis was somewhat puzzled. However, he quickly recovered and turned pale, âYouâ¦You didnât receive an order to support them with troops from the duke, sir?â
âNo.â Marquis Garcia looked at Blis with interest, âI dispatched troops on my own initiative.â
Blis felt a chill run through his body. A terrifying thought surfaced in his mind, refusing to be dispelled.
But he still bowed his head, spoke in a low voice, âYes, Marquis! I shall depart immediately!â