BXBX NOVEL Book 2, 173
Whenever this came up, Richard normally thought back to what Sharon had told him when he was still in the Deepblue: “Most of the time, adaptability is more important than planning.”
The troops returned to their stations in order, the injured looking for the two fallen clerics for treatment. Caesar had only followed Flowsand around for less than half a month, but even he was already a level 2 cleric who could case weak cure spells. Although he wasn’t worth paying attention to when planning, his help could not be disregarded.
Richard moved to the centre of the camp, commanding in a low voice, “All of you are to rest up overnight. We leave early in the morning!”
Setting up camp a mere ten kilometres away from the Viscount was proof of Richard’s guts and arrogance. However, it was just as he had expected; Zim really wasn’t in the mood to pursue.
Richard’s army had managed to ambush the enemies despite tight security and wariness; it would be foolish to pursue when it was still dark. A day’s march had left Zim with quite an impression of the area; without a guide who knew the terrain well, they could trip over themselves before they even found Richard.
That night had already added to Zim’s trauma, and he definitely wasn’t going to gather his troops to pursue. He was worried that sending his troops out would leave his base empty, giving Richard a chance to return and pose a real threat. The Viscount didn’t believe that Richard would truly dare to kill or even handicap him, but if that gutsy frontier knight did something else like getting a girl to have sex with him and get his bloodline, it would be a huge loss. It wasn’t like such a thing had never happened before.
However, he began to have second thoughts. If Richard sent that amber-eyed girl, then he wouldn’t mind being taken advantage of. But then he remembered what would come next. It would be an unspeakable humiliation to the great unicorn to have his bloodline in that damned frontier knight’s lineage. Zim was immersed in a mix of panic and fury, his mind full of all sorts of strange thoughts. He couldn’t sleep at all.
He paced around the tent, remembering everything he had seen and heard. He was filled with hot blood from time to time, wanting to wage a righteous war at Richard’s castle, allowing the fool to see the siege techniques of a true royal. He had forgotten that his pull on Baron Fontaine had stopped even the foundation of Richard’s castle from going up. Even if he didn’t interfere, a mere base would take half a month to make. This was including the work of a great mage like Richard himself.
The subordinates who had followed the Viscount on this campaign had known him for many years, and had a good understanding of his temperament. The general responded appropriately to Zim’s mood swings, but didn’t take the youth’s words to heart. He knew that the Viscount would be back to normal once dawn struck, returning the command of the army to him. Of course, Zim would still decide the general strategy.
Given the experience of the nightly ambush, the troops were far more guarded during the day’s march. Thankfully, even if Richard had shown great prowess, Baron Fontaine confirmed that the frontier knight did not have too many soldiers.
The army quickly advanced, entering Richard’s lands at two in the afternoon. Viscount Zim looked at the messy construction site and the completely barren barracks, his face ashen.
The base was very crude, built of small wooden tents covered in water-resistant canvas. Only the two-floored building looked to be worth anything. However, the castle’s construction site was now disorderly, with the stones not cut properly and the pit shallow. Even the wood had yet to be nailed in.
The Viscount’s expected outburst only came after a period of silence, “Where’s Richard?! Where did he go?! Isn’t this his territory? His castle? The place that he has to protect with his honour and his LIFE?”
This is just a pit without even a castle. Although many had such thoughts, nobody dared to put them to word.
“Is Richard actually a noble?!” The first thing many people recalled at this question was Zim himself disdainfully saying that frontier knights and titled knights without at least two generations in the family were not true nobles. However, Zim was not one to remember his own words; or at least, he temporarily forgot such things for the moment. He pointed at the empty camp and roared. “BURN EVERYTHING HERE, UNTIL THERE’S NOTHING LEFT!”
All the soldiers darted forward. A moment later, a raging inferno swallowed the base. However, this place was little more than a well-equipped barracks; it made no difference if it was burnt. Richard’s castle was a mere pit; even if Zim wanted to tear something down, there was nothing to destroy. The tiny sparks and fires did nothing to calm the fury in the Viscount’s heart.
“The peasants! Capture all of the peasants!” Zim roared a new command. This time, even the guard captain did not act on it.
The general turned away to direct the soldiers who were trying to burn the pile of stones, and the captain walked over to Zim and whispered, “My Lord, Richard’s territory is a barren land with a scant few people. If we want to capture those worthless scum, we’ll have to divide our forces. Once that sly Richard...”
There was no need to say any more. Zim had enough common sense not to divide his forces so casually, especially with that frightening ambush that left him worried for his safety. Only with his army around him did he have confidence and courage.
“Then what shall we do?” the Viscount hummed, “We can’t find any signs of Richard.”
The general and captain gazed at each other. The former still remained silent, as the latter snickered at him and said to Zim, “My Lord, I have a few men who are proficient at tracking. Richard has many troops, so my people can definitely find them!”
“Then look for them immediately! Once we find them, the entire army is to attack!” Zim stated coldly.