Chapter 163: Back

There was no one seen wandering in the streets. The only ones who could wander around were the knights of the Cheroque kingdom searching through the houses.

Most of the citizens were afraid for their lives, but they could not show their displeasure to the army. One wrong move and they could be brought to treason.

The houses were carefully searched with every nook and cranny. There was no one left unanswered them, but they still could not find who they were looking for.

Some of the citizens were questioned and tortured for information, but all of them said the same things, Miser and the others already left the town.

This information was brought back to the commander who was angry to revive the news. He almost snapped the wooden throne in his anger.

"Damn it!" the commander shouted. "It's all your fault!"

The commander pointed his finger at the knight who was kneeling with his head down on the ground.

"Why did you let Darren go? It was your only job to restrain him." the commander's anger was whitening through the veins in his forehead.

The knight shivered as he heard the commander shout. He knew that this was probably his last day, but he could not help but hold out hope.

"Kill him," the commander ordered.

A knight immediately took out his sword from his sheath and beheaded the knight in front of the commander. The death was fast and painless, which was the best outcome for anyone that dealt with the commander.

"Search them!" the commander shouted towards his army. "They could not have escaped too far."

The knights ran out of the throne room as fast as possible. They did not want to invite the wrath of the commander now that his plans were disrupted.

Then, a knight suddenly burst into the Thorne room and surprised the commander. A knight immediately pulled a sword towards the invader's neck.

"Who are you? State your business," the knight said as he pushed his sword deeper until it grazed the invader's neck.

The invader had dirty clothes and blood all over his body. However, all this blood was dried off. He was nothing more than a homeless person.

"It's me, commander!" the invader said as he looked at the commander in the eyes.

The commander looked at the invader, but he could not recognize him. He never recognized anyone that was not important or strong.

"You are not significant enough to warrant a space in my mind. State your business now or you will die," the commander said as he sat down back in his seat and ate a piece of grape from the fruit bowl.

The invader gulped as he heard the commander's words. He did not want to incur the wrath of the commander any longer, so he hurried to explain.

"Commander, I was part of the expedition to search for Mia," the invader said.

This invader turned out to be the ones that Hugh and the others captured for information. He had been in captivity for so long that he did not have the dignity of a knight any longer.

"You have dialed your task. Kill him," the commander order without even blinking.

Then, the knight raised his sword and prepared to behead the former knight.

"Wait! I have important information about them!" the former knight said.

It was at this point that the commander raised his hand and ordered the knight to stop his sword. The former knight was saved for now.

"It's about Mia and the others," the former knight said.

It was at this moment that the commander leaned in closer to listen to the former knight's words. His attention was present.

"Mia and Miser got help from four chosen people. They are relatively young, but they are also ridiculously strong."

The commander scratched his chin as got this new information. He knew that Mia and Miser were getting help, but he did not know who they were.

"Have I done good, commander?" The former knight asked. He wanted to get recognition for his information and be spared his life.

"You have done your job. However, you are still disgracing the knights of Cheroque with your current state. You should be killed," the commander said.

It was at this moment that the former knight was terribly afraid for his life. He thought that the information was enough, but it seemed like he would have to say something else.

"Wait! I have other news for you. This one is important," the former knight said with urgency.

The commander nodded his head and waited for the former knight to continue his words.

"Before I do, can I have a promise that my life will be spared?" the knight asked.

The commander chuckled. He nodded his head.

With this confirmation, the former knight heaved a sigh of relief. For now, his life was spared.

"I woke up from captivity and found that my ropes were entangled. With a few of my skills, I was out of the restrictive ropes in no time.

Then, as I sneaked my way out, I overheard them talking. I heard them talking about where they would escape to.

There were many places debated, but they all decided to escape into the woods. They would travel outside and make sure that they were far away from the Cheroque kingdom."

As the former knight finished his words, a smile formed on the commander's face.

The former knight saw this, and he got excited. It seemed that the commander was happy with his capability. He already started to think about the rewards he would be given.

"Kill him," the commander said.

Before the former knight could even complain, the sword already separated his head from his body.

The former knight's headless body fell to the ground. There was no muss or fuss, a clean kill.

"Should I send word to pursue Mia in the woods?" the knight next to the commander asked.

However, the commander shook his head. "No. They won't be there."

The commander's smile grew even wider. He was amused by the fact that Mia and Miser tried to pull a fast one on him.

"Tell the troops to come back to the kingdom. I got a feeling that Mia will also be there."

The knight was surprised by the commander's words. He did not know how the commander knew that the former knight's words were incorrect.

"His ropes got loose? That was clearly a giveaway. There was no way that they would let him go. They purposely gave him wrong information so that we would also get wrong information."

The knight was surprised. Even after all these years, the commander was still as sharp as ever. There was a reason why he was able to lead the army into victory so many times.

———————

Hugh and the others were currently on an adventure back to the Cheroque kingdom. They were traveling through 2 carriages.

It turned out that the commander's hunch was correct. Mia and the others were currently on their way to the Cheroque kingdom to try and give Mia the throne.

This was the only way that they could win the war and overthrown the commander.

"When we get there, let me handle everything. We can't let the wrong people know that Mia has royal blood," Darren said as they all sat in the bumpy carriages.

Mia gulped. She was confident, but nervous as at any moment, her life could be in danger. There was also a very small chance that they could win this war.

"Will they even believe it?" Hugh asked.

Darren did not answer Hugh's question. He also did not know the answer to this question as it would be hard to convince the others.

Some people would immediately believe it, but they were small and few in numbers, not enough to sway the crowd.

After that, the mood immediately became somber. They all had thoughts of their own, but nobody spoke in the meantime.

They sat in the carriages and let the time pass by. Soon after, the sun came down and got replaced by the bright shining moon.

The plains were as wide as the heavens, and it almost made it seem like it was endless. It almost felt the same as their current impossible mission.

Darren stopped the carriages and let the horses rest for the evening. They also needed to set up camp for the night as their journey tomorrow will belong.

A campfire was installed in the middle of the tents and provided heat for the freezing night. They only had jerky to eat since their preparation was hurried.

The group talked with each other, but they all purposefully avoided the topic of their current situation. They all needed to relax for the night.

Soon the stars showed themselves and painted a dazzling show of lights. The group slept while there were designated stakeouts with a three-hour interval.

Hugh was the first one to stay awake. He let out Beru and played with him to pass the time.