Night Battle at the Manor

Seeing the Bask leave, Gutierrez bowed to Victor and prepared to leave as well, but Victor called him back.

"The Bask are in a hurry. I still have a task to give him. Since he has already left, Gutierrez, please pass on the message to him for me."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

"The refugee group you are about to face should have a Cavalry force, but it should not have Cavalry combat capabilities; it should be similar to our mobile infantry force."

Of course, they weren't riding horses, but rather donkeys or mules—you should have seen them in the territory, Gutierrez."

Gutierrez nodded; now that Victor mentioned it, he did recall it.

"So the mission is simple: defeat the refugee group, preserve these mounts, and interrogate the prisoners to find out where these mounts came from."

"Clear!"

Gutierrez answered decisively, bowed again, and left.

Soon the entire camp began to bustle with activity, Personal Guard the guards began to leave their tents and help each other put on the equipment that had been prepared beforehand.

Considering the long distance of this march, the Bask did not plan to have everyone wear plate armor, but only chainmail. They believed that chainmail would be enough to defend against the attacks of the refugee groups, since their weapons were certainly not as good as those of the regular army.

However, the Bask was cautious enough to have each soldier carry three javelins as a medium-to-short-range suppressive force. The Personal Guard soldiers were all skilled in throwing techniques and would definitely be able to make good use of the javelins.

Finally, with Victor watching them go, the Personal Guard, led by Bask, set off towards the refugee group. Steward Magnus, even sent a small squad of scouts to help guide and scout.

The departure of the Personal Guard also caught the attention of those who were interested.

Inside a room, several people sat around a round table. They had just received a message from their subordinates, and one of them said, "That army has left the manor. My men saw them!"

"My men saw it too!"

"Me too!"

Suddenly, someone asked suspiciously, "Why are they walking so fast? Could it be a trap?"

Another mocked, "Why are you scared now?"

"If you're scared, then get lost! We don't need you!"

"You bastard..."

Seeing the two start arguing, the person sitting in the main seat slammed their fist on the table.

"Infighting has already broken out before victory has even been achieved?"

"Keep your spirits up! Give it your all when we attack the manor later!"

After the two quieted down, he continued, "I only just found out why they were able to set off so early. Take a look!"

After he finished speaking, he handed over a mailbox and placed it in the middle of the table.

The others exchanged glances, and soon one of them took the mailbox, took out the letter inside, and was a little surprised after reading it, but still handed it to another person next to him. In this way, the letter passed through everyone's hands and was finally put back on the table.

"Something's not right with this group of refugees. Why are there Cavalry among them?"

They took down the outposts almost without our help, and captured two very easily.

"Yeah, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Is it fake news?"

"It shouldn't be fake, because that would make sense since that unit set off early."

Several people got into a discussion, each offering their own opinions. However, the person sitting in the main seat didn't want them to waste time on this issue, so he slapped the table again.

"Those things are not important. What we need to do now is to carry out our plan. After all, that army has been lured away by the refugee group."

"That's right, that's exactly how it should be!"

"No matter how powerful the refugee groups are, they are still refugees. Once we gain control of the territory, we can easily wipe them out with the Great Oak Territory's army!"

Everyone quickly agreed and decided to launch a surprise attack on the Lord's Mansion immediately. However, since the time was brought forward, they had to assemble their troops earlier, and many people began to leave their rooms to inform their subordinates.

"Enzos, why aren't you leaving?"

When only two people remained in the room, including the one sitting in the main seat, the other person asked him a question.

"My men are already outside the manor and can come over at any time, so there's no need to notify them beforehand."

"As expected of you, Enzos, you always handle things with such composure. It seems that after this is accomplished, you are still the most likely to become the new Count."

"Mabella, what do you mean by praising me like this? Are you giving up your chance to compete for the Count's title?"

Enzos asked with interest, but to his surprise, Mabella answered quite decisively, "That's right, I plan to give up, but I will still participate in this operation as scheduled."

"Why?"

Enzos was a little confused. Mabella was one of the best among them and had always been ambitious for the Count's title. Why did she suddenly change her mind?

"It's nothing, I just feel that this title might not be so easy to obtain. Rather than going all out to pursue it, I might as well go with the winner."

"Once he succeeds, I can share in his glory. What do you say, Enzos? Will you let me join your side?"

Enzos was somewhat surprised, but he readily agreed. Mabella's willingness to support him was indeed good news and would definitely increase his chances of obtaining the title.

"You said it!"

"Of course, I keep my word. If I say I support you, then I support you."

After saying that, Mabella threw out a short sword. Enzos was stunned for a moment, then picked it up.

"This is my token. You can use it to directly command my men. They, like your men, have already arrived near the manor."

Enzos touched the short sword, overjoyed, never expecting Mabella to actually support him.

"Mabella, don't worry, once I become Count, I will definitely not let you down. I can give you half of my army!"

"No need. What use would I have for an army? You might as well give me more money."

"Or you could give me half of Sunset City's docks; that's what I really want."

After a moment's thought, Enzos agreed. Sunset City Wharf was the largest distribution center for goods in the entire Eastern Region, and its annual tax revenue accounted for one-fifth of the land's total. It was indeed a considerable sum, but compared to becoming Count, it was nothing.

Enzos did not haggle; he wrote a letter of commitment on the spot, affixed his personal seal, and handed it to Mabella, indicating that his commitment was 100% valid.

Mabella was pleased with Enzos's attitude, and the two chatted happily until the others returned to their rooms.

That night, a group of people dressed in black suddenly gathered in an open space outside the manor. Enzos appeared there with Mabella and others.

These men in black were the armed forces they used to storm the Lord's Mansion. Enzos was thrilled to see everyone nodding to him, feeling as if he were commanding a vast army.

After a while, he calmed down and then said, "Tonight, there's nothing to say. Victory is the only option. After it's done, everyone will receive 50 gold coins."

Upon hearing about the hefty reward, all the men in black were extremely excited. They hadn't earned a single coin in a year, yet they had reaped so much from a single operation.

Seeing the black-clad men's morale rise, Enzos was also somewhat smug. He looked at his accomplices around him and saw that they were all wondering why he was being so generous. He smiled contemptuously. How could he really give so much? It was just a slogan. The lives of these thugs weren't even worth that much money.

Enzos glanced one last time at the pocket watch in his hand under the moonlight, then raised his right hand and swung it down sharply. "Time's up. Move out! I want not a single living soul left in the manor!"

All the black men then charged toward the manor with their weapons. The manor guards didn't even notice them, and before they could react, they had already stormed inside.

Soon the manor was filled with shouts of killing, followed by numerous screams. Enzos and his accomplices, who were waiting in the open, were very excited, as if a bright future was beckoning to them.

After the screams in the manor gradually subsided, Enzos and his men rushed into the manor, but they were all stunned when they saw the scene before them.