Quick Strike

"My lord, how did you know they'd pass through here?"

Simon asked in confusion from the ambush site.

They had infiltrated the Holy Cross Kingdom five days ago, yet no prey had appeared.

Derek, however, remained extremely confident and waited patiently.

"Where we come from, they're rats. Once caught, we can deal with them however we please.

But over here, they can operate openly.

If it were you, would you still keep hiding out in the wilderness?" Derek asked in return.

"No. I'd head into the city to rest and resupply right away," Simon said, immediately grasping the implication. "So this is the nearest route."

Derek believed that no matter how cautious a group of slave hunters was, they could not maintain that vigilance forever.

Once they reached their own territory, they would certainly let their guard down.

That was his opportunity.

He was convinced there was at least a ninety percent chance.

A group of slave hunters might be vicious and cautious, but they definitely did not possess much military discipline.

This was the best place for an ambush.

Hard work paid off. Derek finally saw his prey arrive.

After recalling all the scouts, Derek led everyone into hiding behind a small mound.

Beyond it lay an open plain, with nowhere else to conceal themselves.

Even this small mound looked utterly inconspicuous.

A place like this could not hide many people at all.

That was why it would not draw the enemy's attention.

He knew he had only one chance, and they would be fighting outnumbered.

Their only advantages were surprise and elite troops against a rabble.

The Slave-Hunting Team was indeed sizable. Large numbers of slaves, their hands and feet bound with straw ropes, shuffled forward slowly.

As a result, the Slave-Hunting Team could not move quickly. Still, their numbers were far lower than Derek had estimated.

According to what the scouts had seen, there were roughly two or three hundred slaves, but the Slave-Hunting Team had no more than fifty men.

The situation was somewhat unexpected, yet understandable.

After all, they had people looking after them in the Locke Kingdom. The pressure of actually capturing slaves was minimal; this was more like an escort mission.

Moreover, they had already completed the most dangerous stretch of the journey. Now that they were on their own turf, they were even less vigilant.

Derek had prepared for the worst, but the prey was more foolish than he had imagined.

Every warhorse remained utterly quiet, meeting the standards expected of a warhorse.

Leading his horse, Derek silently counted in his heart as he slowly walked to the top of the mound.

As he crossed the highest point, he saw the long column just rounding the mound.

This was the only path worn into the ground. Perhaps the sheltered side of the mound was suitable for camping.

Derek swung himself onto his horse, and the other knights mounted just as swiftly.

They tugged the reins and raised their long wooden spears.

"Charge!"

Not even a single scout. They deserved to die.

The sound of hooves went from nothing to thunder in an instant.

The muffled rumble was like war drums, rapid and dense.

Before most people could even react, the twelve riders had already charged into them.

Most of the cavalry had trained for only a year, yet they handled themselves as skillfully as veteran riders of many years.

This was also Derek's first time leading a charge. When his spear struck its target, immense resistance surged through his arm, and his entire body began to tilt backward.

He even saw the wooden spear explode. The tremendous force was more pressure than the shaft could bear.

Fortunately, he had no idea how many times he had practiced charging. His arm instinctively released the weapon, every movement perfectly standard.

Guided by his other hand, the warhorse leaped nimbly and swiftly over the obstacle.

He quickly pulled the Knight's Sword from the hook at his side. The heavy sword had lost some of its sharpness, but gained even more weight.

Just as the warhorse slowed somewhat, Derek swung left and right, cutting down several men.

He heard someone roaring, trying to organize a counterattack.

But the cavalry charging in afterward easily tore apart all resistance.

They met almost no resistance until the warhorses finally came to a complete stop.

Squeezing his legs, he guided his warhorse in an arc and turned around.

Only then did Derek glimpse from the corner of his eye that not one cavalryman was missing, though every one of them was stained with blood.

Behind the mound, the spearmen had already come around, delivering an even heavier blow to the Slave-Hunting Team.

The slaves had their hands and feet tied together. Some lay sprawled on the ground, some tried to flee, and some even crashed into one another. The chaos was complete.

As for the members of the Slave-Hunting Team, barely half remained.

"The outcome is decided!"

Derek relaxed. He had forgotten to be nervous during the charge, but thinking back on it now, it had truly been exhilarating.

When the cavalry completed their loop, they picked up speed again and cut in from the side of the spearmen.

Even though the Slave-Hunting Team managed to organize a rudimentary resistance, it was still easily crushed.

With more than half their men dead or wounded, these desperadoes were nearly mad.

"We are Ha—"

A man who appeared to be a leader tried to announce his affiliation, but Derek directly hurled his Knight's Sword at him.

The heavy sword struck the man in the head like a brick, cutting him off.

Looking at the few remaining members of the Slave-Hunting Team, a vicious glint flashed through Derek's eyes.

"Leave no survivors."

The spearmen advanced, rigidly following orders as they had been drilled.

In mere moments, everyone had been killed.

Derek had his men gather the clothing and spoils, then burned everything in a single fire.

Then the warhorses dragged the corpses away and discarded them casually.

After a simple cleanup of the battlefield, nothing remained except the bloodstains on the ground.

"Withdraw!"

This place was remote and desolate, but the Slave-Hunting Team had backers. If they failed to return for too long, someone would surely come to investigate.

But there were too many wild beasts in the wilderness. How many fragments these corpses would leave behind was anyone's guess.

At their current level, they would likely never find the culprits.

Derek led his men as they drove the slaves onward, loosening the ropes around their feet and binding only their hands.

"We are the army of the Locke Kingdom. We came to rescue you. This is the territory of those bastards from the Holy Cross Kingdom. You definitely don't want to find out what happens if you run away and get caught.

So follow me home obediently, then wait for further arrangements."

Perhaps the word "home" touched the slaves. The journey went smoothly, and not a single person attempted to escape.

Derek brought them to Deep Mountain Base and conducted the first round of screening there.

Those with the best obedience would be enlisted into the army to prepare for the coming war.

As for those who were truly stubborn and unyielding, Derek was no saint. They could work obediently instead.

In any case, their fate after being taken to the Holy Cross Kingdom by those bastards would not have been any better. Derek felt no guilt whatsoever.