Raine Nobles

Alex led his soldiers to drive the prisoners of war to carry firewood, and selected a few loud-voiced men from among them.

These prisoners of war are still completely confused. They were sound asleep in the middle of the night when the castle was suddenly attacked by an unknown enemy. They were driven out of bed by officers and fought the enemy with weapons in hand.

However, these black-armored warriors, who appeared out of nowhere, were like monsters. Each of them possessed superb combat skills. When the two sides clashed, it took three or more allies to have a slight advantage against one enemy. Their black armor was extremely sturdy, and it was difficult to break through with swords and blades. Only by thrusting with long spears could they inflict damage.

When the two sides rallied their troops for battle, the castle's defenders and the guests' Guard Corps, despite having a three-fold numerical advantage, were pushed off the city walls. If it weren't for the archers' support, their formation might have been torn apart by the enemy.

Just when they thought they could finally catch their breath, enemy Cavalry suddenly charged out from inside the castle. All the officers and outstanding veterans were killed one by one by these black-armored Cavalry. After the core members were killed, all the comrades in the defense gave up resistance.

One by one, they were stripped of their equipment and weapons and driven into the room. They thought their lives were about to end, but when they were suddenly forced to work, everyone was filled with hope for survival. Everyone was very obedient and worked hard, and the firewood was piled up quickly.

Several loud-voiced prisoners of war kept shouting from below the castle, saying things like, "If you don't come out, we'll set the castle on fire. Don't miss your chance to live," to intimidate those still inside the castle.

Victor also positioned several skilled archers at watchtowers and high points on the city walls, armed with longbows and heavy arrows, to block all the castle windows and prevent the people inside from escaping through them.

These heavy arrows are about the length of a short spear, and their shafts are also very thick. Ordinary wooden shields and armor are like paper when faced with these arrows.

Two servants inside the castle were looking down through a wooden door in a window when they were spotted by archers. Arrows pierced the door and pinned the two unfortunate servants to the castle floor. This terrible attack and the cries of the prisoners of war completely shattered the will to resist of the people inside the castle, and they all came out of the castle gate.

While inspecting the men, Alex also discovered several private soldiers from the territory hiding in the castle with several military crossbows. He broke out in a cold sweat; if he sent men to storm the castle, he didn't know how many soldiers would die under the arrows of those crossbows.

Just then, several men dressed in hunting attire emerged from inside the castle. The warriors were about to inspect them when one of the young men said, "I am a nobleman from the Raine Kingdom. I should not be treated like this. Let your leader speak to me."

These soldiers had all experienced fierce battles and were not intimidated by such words. They used their spears to corner them, pulled the man who spoke out of the crowd, and pinned him to the ground.

Alex and Victor also went over and carefully examined the man. He was about thirty years old, with flaxen hair, a slightly plump figure, and fair skin. Judging from his appearance, he probably had never done any heavy work or even received any military training. Victor thought that the man was indeed of noble birth, but he couldn't tell whether he was a noble with a title.

Alex nodded slightly, signaling the soldier to release the man; he didn't believe the man would harm him or Victor.

"Are you the leaders of this army? Do you even know what you've done? I am Baron Rossi Oleander, a nobleman of the Raine Kingdom. Your internal noble conflicts have nothing to do with me. If I get injured here, you can't afford it. I'm going to sue you to Grand Duke Silver Maple."

Alex and Victor exchanged a glance. Baron Rossi seemed to think they were the army of other nobles within the duchy, and that tonight's battle was a conflict between nobles.

Victor remained silent, intending to have Alex demonstrate the facts to Baron Rossi.

Alex walked directly up to Baron Rossi and helped him brush the dust off his clothes. "Your Excellency Baron Rossi, I'm very curious why a nobleman of the Raine Kingdom like yourself would come to the Duchy. Is there some important mission you're carrying out?"

"Of course, I am an envoy from the Raine Kingdom, and I have important matters to report to Grand Duke Silver Maple."

"That's very disrespectful. May I ask what is so important? We can escort you to Silver Maple City as our apology."

Seeing that Alex so agreeable, Baron Rossi assumed his status had worked and immediately became smug. "That's a very important matter, representing the will of Duke Wiske of the Western Wos Province of the Raine Kingdom..."

Just then, one of the men who had been with him coughed loudly, interrupting him.

Baron Rossi immediately realized that he might have revealed something he shouldn't have, and shut his mouth.

Alex wanted to continue guiding them, but Baron Rossi refused to say anything, only telling Alex to keep his promise and take them to Silver Maple City as soon as possible.

Alex's attitude immediately changed. He left Baron Rossi and went to the man who had been coughing loudly. "Are you sick? Not feeling well? Soldier, make him feel better, and remember to be quick!"

Two soldiers pinned the man to the ground from behind. As he struggled, he said, "I am also a nobleman of the Raine Kingdom. What are you barbarians doing?"

One of the soldiers pulled out a dagger and pressed it against the man's throat. With a slight pull, the man's carotid artery and trachea were severed, and blood gushed out. The man could only make a hissing sound and twitch a few times. After a dozen seconds, he completely lost his life.

Baron Rossi was stunned. He shouted, "Are you all insane? Lord Eli is a courtier of the Duke Wiske! How dare you! How dare you!"

Alex walked straight up to him and kicked Baron Rossi to the ground. "Baron Rossi, we're here for you. Hand over what you're sending to Grand Duke Silver Maple. If you don't want to end up like Lord Eli, you'd better meet my demands."

Rossi, lying on the ground, looked at Alex with a surprised expression. "Who are you?"

"I come from the northern part of the duchy. I hope you will think carefully about every step you take next, and don't push me!"

Baron Rossi immediately trembled, seemingly understanding the meaning behind Alex's words.

At that moment, another of his companions immediately said, "Baron Rossi, think of your family. Don't let the Oleander family be disgraced because of you..."

Suddenly, an arrow pierced the man's head, silencing him.