Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After nightfall, the temperature began to drop.
The nights in the North Territory during spring, are fairly cold.
In the camp, the soldiers lit bonfires to warm themselves, boil water, and cook.
At the same time, they also began to chat amongst themselves.
What their conversation centered on was of course, the daytime meeting between the two Marquises, Marquis Garciaâs whip, and Marquis Charlesâs tears.
Knight Colin was discreetly mingling among these soldiers, listening to their casual banter.
Then he suddenly discovered that there was an unexpected shift in the soldiersâ attitudes towards Marquis Charles.
Before today, these soldiers, especially those who had fled in defeat from the Mirror Lake battlefield, had an extremely negative attitude towards Marquis Charles.
They despised, hated, and scorned him.
Such an infamous reputation was expected for a defeated army commander.
Moreover, Marquis Charles issued a draft order in haste and treated the people conscripted as cannon fodder and bait.
It can be said that if he wasnât the Dukeâs eldest son, if the reputation of the St. Hilde family was not as grand in the North Territory, Marquis Charles might have already been torn apart by these infuriated soldiers.
However, Marquis Charlesâs cry during the day has seemingly turned public opinion gradually towards him.
Listening carefully to the soldiersâ discussions, Colin began to understand.
He wasnât sure whether Marquis Charlesâs cry was a genuine expression of emotions, or simply political showmanship.
However, it did remind him of Liu Da Earâs renowned skill in this matter the more they cried, the more they would win over peopleâs hearts.
Also, when Colin thought again about Marquis Garciaâs whip, he felt there was an underlying significance to it.
At that moment, Colinâs initial reaction to it was only of two wordsâarrogance!
That whip wasnât just targeted at Marquis Charles, but was as if it was also a lash on Duke St. Hildeâs face.
Colin thought that it was Marquis Garcia venting out his dissatisfaction with the Duke, after all the defeat could be traced back to the Dukeâs decision to keep the Dark Cavalry in reserve.
But now that he thought about it, the whip might have also served to help Marquis Charles extricate from blameâ Iâve whipped him publicly, so you should stop hating him.
Perhaps, that was the message.
In this light, it seemed like Marquis Garcia was extending his care towards Marquis Charlesâ¦
As Colin was lost in thought, a soldier came up to him:
âKnight Colin, Marquis Charles is asking for you!â
Colin was taken aback, as he didnât expect the Marquis to come looking for him.
âAlright, please lead the way.â
While contemplating why Marquis Charles was looking for him, Colin followed the soldier to a luxurious tent in the center of the camp.
âGreetings, my Lord Marquis!â Being the first-in-line heir of the Angler family, his loyal lord, Marquis Charles was worthy to receive Colinâs genuflection.
âPlease rise, Knight Colin!â
Marquis Charles quickly stepped forward, warmly helping Colin stand.
The Marquis seemed to be in his thirties, worn with experience, his bare upper body wrapped in bandages. Colin was unsure whether the Marquis was genuinely wounded or just putting on a show.
However, Colin was not bothered by this.
He was not like the common soldiers who could be appeased and sympathized by a few tears from the man in power.
âMay I know why my Lord Marquis has summoned me?â Colin escaped from the over-enthusiastic grip of Marquis Charles subtly and bowed to ask.
Marquis Charles did not respond immediately, instead he turned and took a two-handed sword from one of the guards, solemnly handing it over to Colin.
âIâm sorry, Knight Colin, your father Baron Angler⦠has unfortunately died on the frontline⦠itâs all my fault⦠This was his sword, please⦠mourn for him!â As Marquis Charles spoke, he began to choke with emotion.
Colin had to admire the otherâs acting skills, tears flowing as soon as he spoke, far better than some emotionless fresh faces.
âLord Marquis, please, donât! My fatherâs death for the country is his glory, not your fault.â
Colin also tried to squeeze out a few tears, his face full of impassioned vigour: âI swear, I will kill all the invading trolls, Iâll seek vengeance for my father! I beg Lord Marquis to grant me this opportunity!â
The Marquisâs eyes brightened, clearly he hadnât expected Colin to be so understanding, so cooperative.
He grabbed hold of Colinâs hands, shouting: âRest assured, Knight Colin! I promise you, I will definitely kill all these damned trolls, and seek vengeance for Baron Angler and all the other warriors of North Territory who have lost their lives!â
Colin, forcefully suppressing his inner disgust, âThank you, Lord Marquis!â
âItâs the least I could do, Knight Colin!â
The two held hands, their gaze full of tears, the atmosphere becoming a bitâ¦
intense.
After a long while, the two academy award-level actors finally calmed down from their previous intense state.
Marquis Charles, regaining his composure, sat down with Colin: âKnight Colin, I heard from Vera about the hardships you faced on your journey, so on behalf of my late father and for the St. Hilde Family, I thank you for protecting Vera from being harmed by the trolls!â
âIt is my duty.â
Marquis Charles nodded, but his subsequent tone became somewhat ambiguous:
âKnight Colin, from my sisterâs account, I could clearly see how much she values you, and more so, I heard that she personally pleaded with Archbishop Raven to save you with the pure holy water, haha, after all these years, I have never seen her value another man so much.â
âI will never be able to adequately repay Miss Veraâs kindness!â
Colin then understood. The Marquis must have discerned his military talents from Veraâs narrative; which lead to his current pandering attempt.
However, if this was before the war, Colin would not hesitate to swear loyalty to Marquis Charles and the olive branch he has extended.
But now, Colin would not easily board this ship that seemed on the verge of capsizing.
âHowever, even after inheriting the Baron title of Angler family, Iâm afraid that for you to marry my sister is⦠â Marquis Charles continued, seemingly speaking from the heart.
âLord Marquis, how could I harbor such thoughts! Miss Vera is like a goddess, she is not someone I would dare to defile!â Colin would not admit that he had such thoughts.
âHaha, Knight Colin, donât belittle yourself!â Marquis Charles motions with his hand, smiling, âWith your talents, it is a certainty that you will gain meritorious service on the battlefield, and elevation to a higher rank of nobility is not a farfetched idea.â
âLord Marquis, you are being too kind. It is my long-held ambition to fight for the North Territory, I donât dare to ask for more.â
Colin felt some contempt inwardly, the Marquis actually used his sister as a bargaining chip to curry favor, it just didnât seem right.
Furthermore, regarding Veraâs marriage, Colin had no reason to believe the Marquis had much say in it at all.
Of course, itâs also likely that Marquis Charles wasnât truly intending to help Colin win his sisterâs hand in marriage.
The promises made by these politicians were no more reliable than a bossâs vague promise of âWork hard, youâll definitely be promoted and get a raise in the futureâ.
So, on the surface, Colin appeared to be flattered, even revealing some signs of dependency, but he remained alert inwardly.
Marquis Charles seemed not to have detected Colinâs perfunctory attitude and continued to be hospitable.
The two engaged in a long conversation, as if they had known each other for a lifetime.
It wasnât until late into the night that Colin rose to bid his leave.
Marquis Charles personally escorted him outside the tent.
As Colin bowed to bid farewell, Marquis Charles suddenly looked behind Colin and exclaimed with surprise:
âEh? Sister, itâs so late, why arenât you asleep yet?â