Please trust me, okay?

Karl froze for a moment, his gaze unfocused, due to the sudden information that appeared in his mind.

Seeing this, Charlotte curiously poked his shoulder with her finger, "Hey, Karl? What's wrong? You suddenly zoned out, did I really hit you silly?"

Karl snapped back to reality, forcefully suppressing the shock and urgency in his heart. He shook his head, "No... it's nothing."

He took a deep breath and then asked in a seemingly casual tone, "Charlotte, how many people are you planning to bring for the escort mission tomorrow?"

Charlotte was a bit bewildered by his abrupt question and glanced at him suspiciously, "Why are you suddenly asking about this? But... it's just a simple escort mission. I just need to escort those young masters out of the city and make sure they don't fight amongst themselves or get lost on the road. Thirty cavalrymen should be enough."

"I'm not their nanny. Once they're a certain distance from Fran City and there's no major danger, I'll be bringing my team back. I can't escort them one by one to their territory."

Karl's heart sank.

Thirty cavalrymen against a prepared Soren Battle Group was like a drop in the bucket.

His expression became unusually serious, "Charlotte, can you bring more people? Preferably all elite cavalry, the more the better."

Charlotte grew even more confused, her brow furrowed slightly, "Why? Karl, what's really going on with you? Are you actually planning to fulfill your promise to my father and deliver them all safely to their territory? Do you think these useless people will be grateful to you? They'll just think it's their due!"

"It's not for them!" Karl interrupted her urgently, "I just... have a very bad feeling."

He couldn't explain the source of his information, so he could only emphasize the feeling; "Although logically, the period for large-scale Soren troop movements out of the passes has long passed, I just feel... we might encounter Soren troops that are returning late, or perhaps never intended to return on time."

Seeing his tense expression, Charlotte couldn't help but laugh. She reached out to touch his forehead, "Your premonition? Karl, did I really hit your head just now? Or are you hallucinating from being scared on the Northern Border? Sauron aren't goblins, they aren't that easy to encounter..."

Before she could finish speaking, Karl suddenly grabbed her outstretched hand.

His palm was slightly sweaty from the recent training and his nervousness, but his grip was strong and firm.

Charlotte was startled by his sudden action and instinctively tried to pull her hand away, only to find Karl holding on tightly.

Karl looked directly into Charlotte's surprised and slightly amused blue eyes, his gaze incredibly serious, even carrying a hint of pleading, "Charlotte, I know this sounds absurd, you probably think I'm crazy, but I swear on my honor, my intuition has never been this strong!"

"I can't explain it, but I beg you, trust me this time! At least, bring more people and be fully prepared! If... if my premonition is wrong and it's just a false alarm, I'll apologize to you personally and let you do as you please! But if my premonition is true..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the solemnity and worry in his eyes said it all.

Charlotte was somewhat flustered by his sudden seriousness and the warm palm that tightly held hers.

She had never seen Karl so flustered yet so serious before. The urgency and worry in his eyes didn't seem fake.

The atmosphere by the training grounds suddenly became a little delicate.

Charlotte felt her cheeks grow slightly warm, and her heart inexplicably quickened a few beats.

She subconsciously avoided Karl's overly direct gaze, but didn't try to pull her hand away anymore.

She was silent for a few seconds, seemingly weighing something.

Finally, she took a soft breath, met Karl's gaze again, and though her tone still held a hint of helplessness, it had softened considerably, "Alright, alright... I can't do anything about you. Seeing how... how nervous you are, I'll go back and tell my father to arrange for an extra troop... no, two troops of elite cavalry to accompany the mission, under the guise of 'ensuring the smooth progress of the pioneering plan and showcasing the kingdom's majesty.' Will that be enough? A total of ninety cavalrymen should be enough to handle a small group of Sauron if we really encounter them."

Hearing Charlotte finally agree, a heavy weight was lifted from Karl's heart. His tense expression relaxed, and he then realized he was still tightly holding her hand.

He quickly let go and smiled awkwardly, "Thank you, Charlotte, really... thank you for being willing to believe me."

Charlotte withdrew her hand, flexing her wrist a bit unnaturally, and pretended to be nonchalant as she snorted, "Hmph, don't celebrate too soon. If tomorrow is calm and nothing happens, just you wait and see how I deal with you! It won't be as simple as sparring on the training grounds then!"

Although she spoke threatening words, her slightly flushed cheeks and flickering eyes betrayed her inner turmoil.

Karl's desperate urgency and worry, and the hands that held hers so tightly... this feeling was unfamiliar to her, but not unpleasant.

This guy... he's really strange sometimes.

She thought to herself.