The aftermath, part one

On Black Wind and windy night, the darkness was as black as ink, obscuring everything. On a stretch of riverbank on the east side of the Blackwater River, dense reeds and other aquatic plants intertwined, forming a green barrier that completely covered this section of the river.

A group of soldiers from the Northern Alliance Army were busily searching for their target in the reeds, torches in one hand and sharp spears in the other. However, despite their best efforts, they ultimately found nothing.

As the soldiers turned away in disappointment, no one noticed a head peeking out from a clump of reeds not far away.

The figure cautiously surfaced from the water, took a deep breath, and then exhaled a mouthful of murky river water. His eyes widened as he stared intently at the receding Cavalry in the distance, muttering to himself, "Hmph, if I weren't afraid of revealing my location and hesitating to act rashly, I would have already wiped you all out!"

The speaker hastily wiped the water from his cheeks, revealing his face—it was none other than Hurst, the Grand Instructor of the Silver Maple Secret Guard!

Hurst looked quite miserable at this moment, soaking wet as if he had just been through a fierce battle.

His once dignified and solemn face now appeared somewhat gloomy, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes gritting his teeth, as if he were struggling with some thorny problem.

This battle was of great significance to him because he carried a crucial mission: to lead the Silver Maple Secret Guard in disguise as routed soldiers and find the best opportunity to assassinate the high-ranking generals of the Northern Alliance Army.

The entire plan progressed exceptionally smoothly, beyond imagination! Thanks to the secret medicine, these trainees risked their lives to tear through the impenetrable defenses of the Northern Alliance Army' command center.

Not only that, they also won a great victory, inflicting heavy losses on the high command of the Northern Alliance Army and successfully killing the leader of the Northern Alliance Army Count Colt, on the spot!

Everyone was initially overjoyed, believing that this victory would be a turning point in the Civil War.

The Grand Duchy Army is expected to press its advantage and annihilate the Northern Alliance Army in one fell swoop; at the same time, it can also take advantage of the situation to sweep away the remaining Rebellion forces within the Duchy, thus firmly safeguarding the solid foundation that the Silver Maple Family has painstakingly built up over generations.

However, things are unpredictable. Who could have foreseen that just when the situation seemed to be going so well, Victor's army would suddenly arrive on the battlefield!

Moreover, this formidable force displayed unparalleled combat power from the moment it appeared, turning the tide of battle like a divine intervention, helping the Northern Alliance Army achieve a stunning reversal and ultimately turning defeat into victory!

Even Grand Duke Mora himself was powerless to reverse the situation, and in despair, he chose to set himself on fire, dying with resentment in his heart...

After completing his assassination mission, Hurst knew he had to escape as quickly as possible to avoid being captured by Hawk's Cavalry.

He had to carefully conceal his movements, skillfully weaving through the woods and bushes, trying his best to make no sound.

Upon hearing the news of the Grand Duke's tragic death, Hurst resolved to avenge the Grand Duke and secure a chance for the Grand Duchy to survive.

Although the effects of the secret medicine had worn off, Hurst's strength still far surpassed that of ordinary people.

Moreover, he had two surviving Silver Maple Secret Guard by his side, these elites were all battle-hardened and well-trained. Hurst was convinced that this assassination operation would definitely succeed.

Unexpectedly, just as they were quietly infiltrating Victor's camp, a mysterious warbird suddenly appeared before them, instantly seeing through their disguise.

Faced with this sudden turn of events, Hurst and his team had no choice but to quickly change their plans, turning the assassination into a thrilling surprise attack.

However, what happened next left everyone speechless— Victor displayed astonishing personal strength! The ordinary Silver Maple Secret Guard who hadn't taken the secret medicine couldn't even withstand a single move from him and were all defeated.

To make matters worse, due to the intense battle they had fought during the day, all the Silver Maple Secret Guard had long since exceeded the expiration date of the secret medicine and were no longer able to use this powerful but extremely harmful drug.

As a result, they were powerless against Victor, and the entire assassination operation was doomed.

In the end, Hurst barely managed to save his life and escaped Victor's camp in a sorry state...

He ran desperately all the way, but the Golden Sunflower Family and the Cavalry of the Northern Alliance Army were hot on his heels, showing no sign of giving up the pursuit.

Seeing that he was about to be driven to the brink of despair, with the turbulent Blackwater River not far ahead, he had no choice but to leap into the river.

The river water was icy cold, making him shiver. Fortunately, the river was filled with lush aquatic plants, providing him with an excellent hiding place.

He clung tightly to the water plants, afraid to make a sound lest he attract the enemy's attention. Time passed slowly, and finally, the pursuers gradually lost patience and began to scatter in search of other clues.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hurst quietly surfaced to get some air.

However, just as he was about to leave the river and go ashore, he suddenly felt a strange aura coming from above.

He suddenly raised his head and looked up at the night sky. The bright moon and the twinkling stars that were once so clear were now completely obscured by thick clouds. It was pitch black all around, and he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.

Nevertheless, Hurst had a strange intuition that told him there was a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows.

He frowned, thinking to himself: Could it really be that wretched, feathered beast? I never imagined that the warbirds tamed by Viscount Golden Sunflower would be so powerful... Well, it's best not to stay here any longer and leave as soon as possible!

Having made up his mind, Hurst no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath and plunged into the water without hesitation, swimming forward with all his might.

And so he trudged on, swimming a full two kilometers before he was certain he had completely shaken off his pursuers. Once he was sure he was safe, he slowly climbed onto the riverbank, rested briefly, tidied his disheveled clothes, and then hurried off toward Silver Maple City.

In the former Duchy Army Main Camp beneath the Sextus County, Victor was stationed with his troops and a portion of the Northern Alliance Army.

Although the city was ravaged by fire and most of its supplies were destroyed.

However, these ducal military camps still contained a large amount of supplies and provisions, so Victor simply used them as a temporary base for his troops, while Alex led most of the Northern Alliance Army back to White Earth City to rest.

Just hours ago, Victor was the victim of a blatant assassination attempt!

However, with his extraordinary strength and superb skills, he eventually succeeded in killing most of the assassins, but one assassin managed to escape.

At that moment, Victor was listening intently to his subordinate's report, "My lord, we have been searching along the river for over two hours. Unfortunately, there is no moonlight tonight, and even with torches for illumination, we have been unable to find a trace of the fugitive. Please punish us, my lord!"

Victor shook his head slightly, indicating understanding and tolerance. "It's alright, there's no need to blame yourself too much for this. You can go and check again tomorrow morning. Everyone has been working extremely hard these past few days!" After all, having experienced such frequent and fierce battles, he was well aware of the current situation of his army.

Moreover, he hadn't really held out much hope of catching the extremely cunning assassin—if he had succeeded so easily, these soldiers would probably have been killed by now.

After the junior officer took his leave, Little Paru stepped forward and respectfully said, "My lord, even Gale couldn't detect a trace of this person!"

Victor couldn't help but admire inwardly, "Truly exceptional skill! No wonder he's a Grand Instructor among the Silver Maple Secret Guard; he even managed to deceive the Gale!"

He then shook his head and muttered to himself, "I guess I'll see him again someday!"

The next morning, before the Sun had even risen, Alex rushed over from White Earth City.

Having traveled a long and arduous journey, he heard the news that Victor had been assassinated, which worried Alex greatly, fearing that Victor might have suffered some serious harm.

Fortunately, after some twists and turns, he finally met Victor unharmed, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.

Alex walked up to Victor, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Victor, we really owe you a lot this time... However, I'm afraid I'll have to lead our family's army back to the Northlands." His tone was heavy, as if he had many unspeakable worries.

Victor didn't show much surprise, because the battle was indeed full of twists and turns.

Although the Northern Alliance Army ultimately triumphed and successfully defeated the Duchy's army, the cost they paid was enormous.

The Iron Birch Family, in particular, suffered a devastating blow as the instigator of the Civil War.

Not only was the leader Count Colt, killed in action, but several other important members, including Viscount Haines, also perished.

Faced with such heavy losses, Alex naturally had a lot of things to deal with and needed to get back to the Northlands as soon as possible.

Just as Victor was about to offer Alex a few words of comfort, the latter suddenly changed the subject and said, "Therefore, I hope to entrust the remaining Northern Alliance Army to you and ask you to take over as commander-in-chief and continue to lead everyone to sweep away the remaining territories of the Grand Duchy!"