At dawn, the first rays of sunlight gradually spread across the land.
At the edge of a desolate forest, the sound of hooves rang out in every direction.
Ahead lay a plain, its surface unmistakably marked by human activity. The traces were impossible to conceal.
"Have we arrived?"
A middle-aged man looked at the scene ahead and muttered, frowning slightly.
He wore dark-white armor and rode a black horse. He looked tall and imposing, like a powerful knight.
"We should be just ahead." A voice beside him responded.
It belonged to a man in his prime, who looked to be in his thirties. He was also wearing armor, and slowly rode up behind him.
Arthur followed at an unhurried pace, observing the traces ahead as well.
"Arthur."
The middle-aged man from earlier turned and looked at Arthur. "Take some men and check ahead. Be careful."
"Yes, Lord Geru."
Arthur glanced at the man before him, replied, then led the knights behind him slowly forward.
The plain ahead was quiet. Though there were many traces, the people who had once occupied the area were long gone, leaving nothing but empty space.
Riding at the front, Arthur casually surveyed the surroundings, examining the traces in the hope of finding some useful information.
A large number of unknown scent molecules detected. Comparison results: adult males.
As he reached the area, the Chip's mechanical voice sounded in his mind again.
Hearing the Chip's prompt, Arthur suddenly froze.
He looked toward the distant west and remained silent for a long time.
That was the direction the Chip had indicated.
The scent molecules left by the group stretched westward, all the way into the distant forest.
The direction is wrong...
As he watched that way, the thought occurred to Arthur, and a glint flashed in his eyes.
Before setting out, he had studied the terrain in this area in detail.
Based on his original calculations, if the bandits wanted to escape Count Polia's territory and avoid pursuit, their best choice would be to flee north.
That was the fastest and safest way out of the territory. Whether they wanted to flee back to the border or raid the lands of other nobles, they would have to take that road.
"Lord Arthur, we've finished examining the traces!" A call came from beside him.
Arthur looked toward the voice and saw a middle-aged man approaching with several others.
This was his deputy, Aisila, also a powerful warrior.
"Judging by the traces at the scene, the bandits must have headed north."
Aisila spoke seriously, his expression grave as he looked at Arthur.
In response, Arthur fixed him with a deep gaze.
Arthur watched his deputy, his calm, penetrating eyes fixed intently on the man until Aisila began to look uncomfortable.
"Go back and report to Lord Geru. I'll stay here with the others and inspect the area a little longer."
His expression remained calm as he spoke quietly to his deputy.
"This..." Aisila faltered, looking troubled, but his eyes darted to one side.
Following his gaze, Arthur looked toward the distant direction from which they had come.
There was no one there now. It seemed the others had already returned to camp.
Watching this, Arthur looked at his deputy, his gaze steady. "Take the others and come with me to check somewhere else."
"What?" Aisila stared at him, unsure what Arthur meant.
"I thought I saw someone moving in the west just now. Some of the bandits may still be there, hiding in that direction."
Arthur spoke casually, the corner of his eye fixed on Aisila's face.
When he said he was going to search west, Arthur clearly saw Aisila's previously calm expression change.
Standing where he was, Aisila forced a smile. "My lord, we've already searched this area very carefully. The bandits definitely fled north. There can be no mistake..."
He had not finished speaking when he met Arthur's unwavering gaze. He gave a bitter smile and changed his tune. "All right. If you insist, my lord."
Only then did Arthur nod. He raised his right hand and rode slowly forward, seemingly intending to investigate the west after all.
As Arthur moved, Aisila made a discreet hand signal while he turned away, then hurriedly rode after him.
As they slowly made their way forward, the warriors around them mounted up and quickly followed Arthur.
Before long, they had crossed the wide plain.
They crossed a small river and reached the edge of a forest, where they dismounted and proceeded on foot.
Here, numerous signs of human activity appeared again, almost completely exposed.
Seeing this, Arthur instinctively furrowed his brow. He seemed to be entirely absorbed by the scene before him as he slowly walked toward it.
Around him, the other warriors moved forward and silently surrounded him from behind while Arthur remained unaware.
Clang!!
The sound of a sword being drawn rang out. A glimmer of swordlight flashed through the air, accompanied by a faint ripple of Life Energy.
Clang!!
A black sword was suddenly drawn and slammed against the sword behind him.
"You can use a Knight Secret Skill. Who are you, really?"
In an instant, Arthur turned around. His sword was already drawn, though no one could say when he had pulled it free. He looked coldly at the person behind him and spoke.
Before him, a figure quickly staggered backward, apparently unable to withstand the force of their clash and forced to retreat several steps.
Looking at the young man before him, Aisila was shaken. A flash of alarm crossed his eyes as he stared at Arthur.
"Who am I? I'm your subordinate, of course, Lord Arthur."
After a moment, he heard Arthur's question and gave a cold smile.
"I don't remember having a deputy at Knight Rank."
Arthur's expression was calm, without a hint of emotion. He looked at the man opposite him impassively. "Tell me. Who sent you?"
Aisila did not answer. He fell silent for a moment, then laughed instead. "It seems we all underestimated you."
"You clearly became a knight a long time ago, yet you pretended you'd only just advanced. Why?"
He looked at Arthur, a sinister chill in his expression and a trace of apprehension in his eyes.
It was obvious that Arthur's abilities had exceeded his expectations, far beyond what could be expected of someone who had only just advanced to knighthood.
He could not help but suspect that Arthur had become a knight long ago and had simply kept it hidden, only revealing it recently.
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