"Aren't we leaving yet, my lord?"
"Wait. I sent Gavin into town to do some shopping."
"But didn't he already go there this morning?"
"I didn't bring enough money earlier, so he had to make another trip."
Samwell replied casually, then continued to gaze in the direction Gavin had gone, anticipation clear on his face.
Todd sighed helplessly, turned around, and walked away.
The moment his back was to Samwell, a cold glint flashed through his eyes.
It was nearly evening when Gavin finally returned.
"Master, I searched the entire market and only managed to buy the last two stalks of ghost grass. That damned peddler blackmailed me—I spent a full twenty silver stags!"
"Just buy it." Samwell quickly took the ghost grass, clearly unconcerned about the cost. "Did you ask where it came from?"
"I did. The peddler said ghost grass only grows in the Scarlet Mountains, and it's extremely rare, so it's hard to find. He bought it from an adventurer. I also tracked that adventurer down. According to him, these ghost grasses were obtained after killing a savage from the Wandering Crow Tribe."
"Scarlet Mountains… Wandering Crow Tribe…"
Samwell murmured the two names under his breath, suppressing the surging desire in his heart. Then he mounted his horse and gave the order:
"Move out!"
…
The night was deep, and the camp of the pioneering team lay in silence.
Samwell, sleeping soundly, suddenly felt a chill brush against his face and woke with a start.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw a figure standing in the darkness inside his tent.
"Shh—Lord Caesar. If you don't want this sword to accidentally slice your throat, don't make a sound."
Samwell took several deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down.
Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he finally saw the face clearly—
It was Carter, Todd's knight's squire.
"Carter, what do you want?" Samwell asked.
Carter smiled faintly.
"Lord Caesar, I just want to tell you something."
"Go on."
"Our pace is far too slow. At this speed, when will we ever reach the Scarlet Mountains? So starting tomorrow, I hope you'll stop wasting time training those useless recruits and march straight toward the Scarlet Mountains. Once we're there, you won't need to worry about savages or beasts. Our hundred-plus brothers will naturally ensure your safety."
Samwell's face darkened.
"Todd Flowers sent you?"
Carter didn't answer. Instead, he lightly patted Samwell's cheek with the flat of his sword.
"Lord Caesar, do you agree with my proposal?"
Samwell replied coldly, "Do you know that threatening a noble with a sword is a crime for a commoner?"
"Noble?" Carter sneered. "Heh. All I know is that you're a piece of trash abandoned by your family."
"But I still carry noble blood," Samwell said slowly. "And I am a pioneer knight officially conferred by the Duke of Metz. How dare you kill me?"
"Master Knight, have you forgotten?" Carter chuckled softly. "We're not in a castle—we're in the wilderness. If I really killed you, I'd just announce that you were attacked and slain by wild men in the Scarlet Mountains. Do you really think the Tully family would bother sending someone to investigate?"
Samwell fell silent.
After a long while, as though fear had finally taken hold, he said in a low, muffled voice:
"Fine. Starting tomorrow, there'll be no more training. We'll move at full speed."
"That's more like it." Carter smiled and withdrew his sword. "I've been watching these past few days. You're not as stupid as the rumors say, so you should understand—we are your guarantee of safety out here. As for those recruits… hehe. If things really fall apart, they won't be able to stop us at all. So you'd better behave. That way, we can get along much more harmoniously in the future."
Samwell lowered his head and said nothing. In the darkness, his expression could not be seen.
Carter didn't care. He bowed slightly.
"Then, good night, my lord knight."
With that, he turned and left the tent.
Samwell remained seated, motionless, unable to fall asleep again.
…
The next day, Samwell canceled military training and ordered the team to march south at full speed early in the morning.
Though the recruits were confused, none of them dared question his command.
The same thing happened on the third day.
After three consecutive days, the pace of the expedition suddenly accelerated, and they reached the upper reaches of the Mijiu River.
Late at night on the fourth day, everyone in the camp had already fallen asleep.
Only Carter and three soldiers were on night watch.
"At this speed, sir, we'll reach our destination soon, won't we?" one of them asked.
"Yeah, about two or three weeks." Carter sat on a large rock outside the camp, chewing on a blade of grass. "If it weren't for that cowardly fat man wasting time, we'd already be at the coast by midsummer, catching fish and stuffing our faces."
"Why did that fat knight suddenly stop training the recruits?" another subordinate asked suspiciously. "Did he think a little over a month was enough?"
Carter curled his lips but didn't explain.
He wasn't stupid—of course he wouldn't dare reveal that he had threatened a noble with a sword.
"Why ask so much?" Carter waved him off. "If we arrive early—"
He suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
His expression turned grave.
"Did you hear something?"
"There's movement in the woods."
"Yeah, I heard it too."
"Let's take a look."
Carter stood up and walked toward the forest with his men.
The four entered the woods and followed the sound for a short distance.
Carter abruptly halted and said to one of them, "Jamie, you go back alone. If we don't return in ten minutes, wake Lord Todd immediately."
"Yes, sir."
Carter then continued forward with the remaining two men.
After chasing a bit longer, Carter stopped again, his voice low and cautious.
"Stop. I suspect they're deliberately luring us."
"My lord, should we go back and wake Lord Todd?"
"No. It might just be bandits passing through. Seeing how many people we have, they wouldn't dare show themselves. Let's head back and keep watch first, see if they—"
Before he could finish, the grass and trees not far away shook violently, as if something were rushing through them.
Carter reacted instantly and hurled his longsword.
Whoosh!
"I hit it!" Carter clapped his hands confidently, relaxing. "Looks like a rabbit."
As he spoke, he walked forward, preparing to retrieve his sword—and his spoils.
But after only a few steps, Carter suddenly felt a powerful tug on his right foot!
Shua—
Before the two subordinates could even react, they turned around and saw their captain hanging upside down from a tree.
They jumped in fright, hastily drawing the swords they had just sheathed—only to see more than a dozen figures emerge from the darkness, surrounding them.
Carter struggled violently and shouted, "You two idiots! Hurry up and cut the rope!"
Before they could move, a cold voice rang out from the shadows:
"Drop your weapons—or die!"
"Samwell Caesar!" Carter instantly recognized the familiar voice. "What do you want?!"
Samwell stepped forward, smiling.
"I just want you to answer a question."
"What question?"
"The one I asked four days ago." Samwell grabbed Carter by the hair and pressed a longsword to his throat. "What crime does a civilian commit by threatening a noble with a sword?"
Feeling the icy blade against his neck, Carter finally lost his arrogance and hurried to plead.
"My lord… I was just joking with you…"
"A joke?" Samwell's voice was cold. "The laws of the kingdom are no joke!"
Seeing the naked killing intent in Samwell's eyes, Carter finally panicked.
At that moment, another voice rang out from afar:
"Lord Caesar! Please show mercy!"
"Master Todd!" Carter's eyes lit up in ecstasy upon hearing the familiar voice. "Quick—save me!"
"Todd Buddha Flower." Samwell looked toward the figure running through the darkness, smiling warmly, as if greeting an old friend.
At the same time, his right hand slashed downward in a sharp diagonal arc—
Chi!
The cold blade mercilessly sliced through Carter's throat.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
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" Game of Thrones: From the Elden Lord to the Young Wolf"
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(End Chapter)