Military orders are inviolable

The sound of a bugle cut through the air, marking the start of a new day, and Borne immediately opened his eyes.

But he noticed something strange about today's bugle call—it was unusually sharp and brief.

"It's the signal for an emergency assembly!"

Borne quickly called out to his fellow comrades in the tent to wake up.

The group hurriedly dressed and rushed to the parade ground for the emergency gathering.

On the parade ground, a light breeze blew, and the first rays of morning sunlight touched everyone's faces.

The soldiers stood very straight, like walls of iron.

At that moment, the Praefectus Castrorum walked out with heavy steps.

The soldiers below instantly saluted in unison.

Just as Borne thought this might be related to the Thunder Tiger, he noticed two soldiers being escorted onto the platform behind the Praefectus Castrorum.

Their clothes were disheveled, and their bodies and faces were covered in bruises.

A murmur of surprise came from some of the soldiers below.

The Praefectus Castrorum stood solemnly in front of everyone.

His gaze was filled with anger and authority, and he began to speak:

"In my camp, I expect everyone to know what they should and shouldn't do."

"But I've discovered that someone dared to defy military orders!"

His tone was full of fury, especially when he shouted the words "military orders," his voice booming through the forest.

Borne realized that the two men on the platform were the soldiers who had hidden the Beast Cores yesterday.

"How could this be? Could it mean...?"

Just yesterday, after Borne had left, a soldier who had been hiding in the shadows approached the tent.

"Hand it over; stop hiding," he demanded.

The soldier walked up to the two men, who immediately tensed up, their expressions cautious.

"What are you talking about? We're just chatting," one of them replied defensively.

The soldier smirked coldly and responded, "You know very well the consequences of hoarding items."

He deliberately raised his voice to intimidate them.

The two men began to panic slightly, but they continued to insist they had nothing.

The soldier attempted to negotiate further, but the two quickly stood up.

"We don't have anything here. If you know what's good for you, you'll get out," one of them snapped.

The soldier snorted, leaving them with a final warning: "You'll soon get what's coming to you."

He then exited the tent.

One of the two men became visibly alarmed, considering handing over the Beast Cores immediately, but it was already too late.

The soldier soon returned with the Decanus and the Centurion.

The two hadn't even managed to properly hide the Beast Cores before they were apprehended for questioning.

That night, the Praefectus Castrorum initially planned just to punish them with a few lashes, but he soon discovered that these two were repeat offenders who had repeatedly violated military regulations.

"We are in a special period right now. I didn't want to deal harshly with you two, but after all my leniency, this is how you repay me?" the Praefectus Castrorum's voice brought everyone back to the present.

It became clear to the soldiers that these two were not good men to begin with; if they died, it would be deserved.

The two men were now fixed to a wooden pillory, their hands tightly bound behind their backs with rough rope.

Fear filled their faces, pale as paper, their lips trembling slightly.

They wanted to say something but lacked the strength.

Sweat trickled down their disheveled sideburns, dripping onto the dry, dusty ground.

Their breaths came in rapid, shallow bursts, their chests heaving violently, but there was no escaping the bonds of the ropes.

On the execution platform, the scent of blood mingled with the odor of decaying wood, as if death had long made this place its home.

The executioner stood behind the prisoners, gripping a heavy executioner's greatsword, the blade glinting with a deadly cold light.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly in that moment.

Not a single soldier dared to make a sound, each pair of eyes filled with tension and dread.

An invisible sense of pressure hung thick in the air.

Suddenly, the executioner raised the greatsword high, and the final glimmer of sunlight flashed off its blade.

The sharp whistle of air being sliced followed.

In an instant, the sword's edge struck precisely at the prisoner's neck, emitting a deep, dull thud.

Blood erupted like a red arc through the air, splattering across the ground, onto the executioner's boots, and even onto the faces of nearby soldiers.

The prisoner's head was severed mercilessly from the body, rolling to the ground.

The eyes were still wide open, filled with undying terror and despair.

The entire platform was stained red with blood.

The bodies were dragged away by several soldiers, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground until it disappeared from everyone's sight.

"This is the consequence," the Praefectus Castrorum addressed the soldiers in the parade ground.

He then motioned for a soldier to step forward.

"This is your reward."

A bag full of silver coins was presented, and all eyes, including Borne's, were fixed on it.

"If there are any more violations of discipline, you are all welcome to report them at any time. The rewards will be the same."

The morning assembly concluded amidst an atmosphere of fear and blood.

Borne found it hard to believe what had happened, but it had indeed occurred.

"I was so foolish to even consider shielding them," he thought to himself.

Borne gave a wry smile, but immediately he wanted to find out how that soldier had discovered the two men.

He quickly approached the soldier, who was busy counting his silver coins.

Upon seeing Borne, the soldier put away his money bag and smiled, asking, "What's up, my patron of wealth?"

Borne got straight to the point: "How did you know?"

The soldier burst into sudden laughter, "Hahaha, I also noticed something strange at the time, but I didn't expect you to spot it before me.

I just didn't think you'd miss your chance."

His tone was as excited as a miner who had struck gold.

Borne, feeling even more unlucky, turned and walked away. 

At the dining table, he couldn't shake the images of the two men being executed from his mind.

Dillon couldn't either; he hadn't even come for breakfast.

Suddenly, Borne's Decanus called him out.

"Borne, it seems the Praefectus Castrorum wants to see you. You'd better go find him."

Borne immediately set down his bowl and headed toward the Praefectus Castrorum's tent.

When he arrived, he saw the Praefectus Castrorum standing at the entrance, waiting for him.

"Over here," the Praefectus Castrorum quickly called him over.

Inside the tent, the Praefectus Castrorum handed Borne a map and said, "Our scouts have visited a few villages.

The locals reported that there might be traces of the Thunder Tiger in these three marked locations. I want you to go and check them out tomorrow."

Borne took the map, saluted, and replied, "I will complete the mission."

On his way back, Borne kept studying the map, calculating the possible location of the Thunder Tiger's next appearance.

After surveying the three marked points, he noticed that the second point was also in a field.

"Based on the last encounter, for some reason, it only chose to attack me in the field. Morrow, I need to see what's going on."