Chapter 76

Edward's impression of Richard was still rooted in their encounter more than ten years ago. To him, Richard had already been a fearsome presence then, which was why he had fled the castle. But now, after all the events of this journey, Richard seemed even more terrifying than he had back then.

Thus, Edward's resolve solidified.

"He must die!" Edward muttered to himself, each word punctuated with a heavy certainty. Richard's astonishing methods had only intensified his fear, and in equal measure, his bloodlust. Edward felt that if Richard were not eliminated, he would never sleep well again. Therefore, Richard must die!

As these thoughts churned in Edward's mind, a scout riding along the sides of the company suddenly shouted a warning: "Beware! There are enemies ahead!"

"Hmm?" Both Count William and Edward, each with their own motives, paused for a moment. Then, together, they looked ahead. In the distance, a small group appeared on the road. They were still a few hundred meters away, posing little immediate threat, but their intentions were clearly hostile.

Count William squinted, his sharp eyes quickly discerning more details. He turned to Edward and said, "It must be them—the ones from last night."

"Hmm?" Edward's brow furrowed, confused. "Who from last night?"

"The ones who attacked our camp last night!" Count William repeated, his voice thick with certainty. "Yes, those ten people—there is no doubt!"

"The ten from yesternight? Then... should we slay them?" Edward asked, slightly taken aback. Although his rank was not low, he was still under Count William's command. Apart from a few trusted subordinates, he had no authority over the rest of the army, so he could only wait for orders from William.

Count William, upon hearing Edward's question, first let out a brutal laugh before answering: "Of course, it is our duty to dispatch them! Their fate is sealed."

"Ah..."

Without wasting further words, Count William's voice became colder, his command unmistakable:

"Prepare yourselves to hunt them down with fervent pursuit! Bring unto me their heads, that I may dip them in tar and suspend them as grand embellishments upon the gates of my fortress! He who doth present me with a head shall be rewarded with fifty silver coins, a bounty most generous!"

At his command, the soldiers, under the promise of both authority and reward, immediately began to pursue.

Meanwhile, Tuku and his group, stationed along the road, saw William's forces mobilizing. They showed no fear, only sneering coldly before turning their horses around and riding back the way they came. The speed of their small team clearly surpassed that of William's larger army, and they had no trouble keeping a safe distance ahead of the pursuing forces.

The soldiers behind them panted and ground their teeth as they chased, but Tuku and his group ran unhurriedly, maintaining a distance of several miles.

Tuku, looking back at the soldiers, couldn't suppress a mocking smile. This mission, he thought, was never about fighting. No matter how skilled he and the First Guard were, they couldn't possibly face off against five hundred soldiers.

No, the goal was simple: to lure them, lure them into a trap. Lead them to a specific location and wait for the spectacle to unfold.

With that thought, Tuku's smile grew colder. The soldiers behind him were already nothing more than walking corpses in his mind.

Meanwhile, Count William's face twisted in fury, his teeth clenched in frustration.

He barked orders, urging his men forward, pushing them to increase their pace. He didn't harbor much hatred for Tuku's group but was consumed by personal shame. The escape of Tuku's group the night before had been one of the greatest mistakes of his life, and now he was desperate to rewrite that history. That desperation drove him to urge his soldiers onward, pushing them to the point of exhaustion.

Minutes passed, then ten, twenty…

Half an hour went by, and still, there was no sign of catching up to Tuku's group.

Count William's brow furrowed as he observed the distance between them. He could sense something wasn't right. He had chased for long enough now to realize that Tuku and his group were intentionally keeping just out of reach, not running away but maintaining a safe gap. His suspicion grew, a faint odor of conspiracy creeping into his mind.

At over fifty years of age, with a wealth of experience, William could see that Tuku's actions didn't add up. Tuku's group clearly had the opportunity to escape, yet they refused to. Instead, they kept just far enough ahead, almost as though they wanted to be pursued.

A trap... William's mind began to race as he formulated a new hypothesis. His lips pressed together as he turned to Edward.

"When thou didst leave thy father's demesne, thou wert already of the age of nine winters, old enough to recall certain matters, am I not right?" William asked with a sharp tone.

"Ah, well..." Edward hesitated, unsure.

"I bid thee tell, if we keep forthright upon this path, where shall our journey's end be?" William pointed ahead, his voice suddenly more intense.

"Uh..." Edward, having spent many years away, hesitated. His memory was hazy. "It's the castle, right?"

"Idiot, of course I know it doth lead to the castle, else we would not be upon this way!" William snapped, his patience running thin. He then barked, "What I seek to know is, between this spot and the castle, doth there lie anything of note? Any features of the land, such as woods, rivers, or the like?"

"Um... let me think..." Edward, grumbling inwardly at the roughness of William's words, began to concentrate.

After what seemed like an eternity, just as William's patience was about to snap, Edward suddenly called out:

"Ah! Now I recall! A mile ahead, nay, a mile and a half, there lies a stretch of undulating hills. Amidst them, there be a narrow vale, roughly a hundred meters in width and more than two hundred in length. It once was a river, but it hath dried, leaving but a trail."

"I see..." William's eyes glinted once more, and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. "Thus is it... It appears the group ahead doth intend to ensnare us into yon vale, wherein they have laid an ambush and await our unwitting tread into their trap."

"Ah! That—!" Edward's eyes widened in realization.

Count William suddenly laughed, his expression growing colder. "A good plan, yet now that mine eyes have pierced through its guise, it hath already forfeited its potency."

Turning to Edward, William spoke again: "Thine brother, this 'Richard,' doth appear most ingenious. He hath the wherewithal to lay ambushes with greater skill than thou."

Edward, stung, remained silent.

"Yet, be he ever so clever... he remaineth but a child. Perhaps he learneth with swiftness—in speech, in gait, in literature, and in script—yet there be one thing he shall never swiftly acquire..." William's voice dropped to a dark tone. "And that is experience!"