Chapter 77

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Chapter 77: A Stick to Break It Open

"Is that so…?"

"That’s right, Mr. Leo is correct."

"Yes, let’s kick those Night Demons hard, that’s right!"

After hearing Leo’s opinion, everyone thought for a moment and agreed that this was the best choice.

Nobles are never afraid to die for honor, but no one is idle; every day they think about dying for glory.

"Well then, let’s keep heading north," Kalian nodded, deciding on their next course of action.

"In that case, I have a suggestion," Saintess Fleur turned to look at her believers, "I think we need to leave the injured Holy Guards behind."

"？"

A big question mark floated above Leo’s head.

Fleur really knows how to surprise everyone with her words; she always manages to give herself a big shock.

"Why is that?" Kalian was also confused.

"The reason why White Knight Leo’s strategy works…" Fleur continued coldly, "is because you can move freely within the Night Demon’s net because you are all cavalry, which are much faster than the Night Demon infantry."

"But now, the Holy Guards are infantry, and they are injured. If you take them with you, your marching speed will slow down, and it’s only a matter of time before you are caught. So, it might be better to leave them behind."

"Let them delay the pursuers here; that is the most reasonable plan."

Do I think so? Of course, I think it’s wonderful!

Wow, a bunch of extraordinary injured people left here; this is like a buffet for Miss Skuld!

Is Saintess Fleur really this sensible?

"Ahem." Leo cleared his throat twice, ready to improve his words.

"No!" Unexpectedly, Kalian spoke up, getting ahead of him. "Not allowed; the believers of order are also citizens of North Land, and I will never let them die in vain."

Although Kalian had not studied warfare, she was not foolish. She could tell that this so-called delaying the pursuers was really just making these injured soldiers cannon fodder.

In her eyes, this was absolutely not acceptable.

"…Miss Kalian, I must remind you that war is not child’s play." Fleur’s expression was blank. "There will always be sacrifices in war. Back at Winter Fortress, we were the bait for the Marquis of Logan; now here, they are our bait. There is no essential difference between the two."

Leo looked at Fleur thoughtfully, gaining a deeper understanding of the absolute rationality of the Order Sect.

It turned out that to achieve their wishes, they could give up anything, including the lives of believers; this is the Order Sect.

But I wonder, if it came to sacrificing your own life, what choice would you make, Saintess Fleur?

"That was then, and this is now. I will never give up even one of my people," Kalian said firmly, shaking her head. "If the people of North Land can be easily given up, then what is there to talk about restoring the glory of Tersk?"

"…" Fleur fell silent, her expression as cold as ice, but Leo still caught the helplessness in her eyes.

Indeed, if it were Leo, he would likely make the same decision as Fleur, as this is the choice of the lesser evil; if they did not give up these injured soldiers, everyone could end up in great danger.

Unfortunately, the decision-maker now is Kalian.

This kind of leader reminded Leo of Liu Bei from the Three Kingdoms.

One fleeing with the injured, and another leading the people across the river; indeed, idealists exist in every world.

However, an idealist must have someone by her side who can do dark deeds for her.

"Well…" Leo slowly spoke, "Miss Kalian, since that’s the case, let’s set off with the wounded and place them at the back of our group."

"Why the back?" Kalian frowned.

"Well, the cavalry needs to scout ahead," Leo replied with a smile. "This way, we can ensure our marching speed is as fast as possible."

"I see, then let’s do as Mr. Leo said," Kalian almost completely trusted Leo.

But the generals present were not fools and looked at him with strange expressions.

Putting the wounded in the rear…

This means that if enemies chase from behind, they can use these wounded as bait and cannon fodder at any time.

Saintess Fleur’s gaze turned towards them.

Leo happened to turn his head.

The two people’s gazes met in the air.

……

Two calm days passed by.

On the way north, the army encountered scattered stray soldiers, and these soldiers were not the Holy Guard of the Order Sect, but rather the mixed soldiers and citizens who had escaped from Winter Fortress.

From any angle, it was something that should be given up.

But "Benevolent Ruler" Kalian welcomed them without hesitation.

Thus, under her command, this light cavalry turned into a large army mixed with people from all walks of life.

The number grew from the initial two hundred to over one thousand five hundred.

Although the number of people increased, all the leaders except Kalian knew that danger was approaching.

The trip that was originally planned to take five days now needs ten or even twelve days to complete.

This undoubtedly gave the Night Demon pursuers time to respond.

However, the fleeing soldiers also brought some good news.

There were indeed no enemies around the Winter Fortress; the Night Demon’s army either went to chase the Marquis of Logan or took a detour to Winterfell Plain.

The Winter Fortress, which had already turned into a ruin where no birds would even go, was not a place any Night Demon wanted to stay.

"But

It’s okay…" In the camp, Leo sipped the moonlight tea that Kalian had given him, regaining his physical strength.

Miss Skuld sat beside him, "Why do you say that, master?"

"Hmm, in my opinion, North Land is finished. If the Marquis of Logan is a bronze-level fighter, then the leader of Night Demon is at least the strongest king. The gap between the two is too big; we can’t win. We might not even be able to hold on until reinforcements arrive," Leo said softly.

"I was originally thinking about what excuse to use to trick Kalian into taking us back to the Mechanical Sect."

"But now, ha, if Night Demon catches up to us and we can’t fight back, we will be completely wiped out. Isn’t that the best reason to take her away?"

"For Kalian’s safety, I would hit her on the head to knock her out, then carry her on my shoulder and run away. Just thinking about it is exciting."

"Hehe, you are really bad, Master. So many naughty thoughts, Skuld likes it very much." Miss Mucus smiled and said, "Can I hit her too when the time comes, Master?"

"…" Leo remained silent.

How can I let you hit her?

If you don’t smash Kalian’s head, then I will take your last name.

Just then, Miss Kalian, who was in their conversation, walked over.

"Excuse me, Mr. Leo, can you come here for a moment?"

"Um… is it okay if you are alone?"