met free Chapter 98 The Fall of the Undying
Chapter 98 The Fall of the Undying
Chapter 98 The Fall of the Undying
Pegasus is dead.
At least that's what Kathy heard.
Kathy stood up from her seat and looked around the room.
He had lived in Goringburg with Bekas for ten years before going there.
Now Cathy is back, but Pegasus isn't.
Bekas said he has been by Cathy's side since she was born.
Kathy felt that Pegasus was not exaggerating; in his memory, Pegasus was present in every spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Although Pegasus would occasionally leave for a while, he would always return to his side quickly and call out "My Lord" in a stern yet gentle voice.
However, this time, Kathy probably won't be able to hear Pegasus's voice again.
Kathy carefully recalled the past she had spent with Pegasus, but why was her memory now only a blur, even though they had spent so much time together?
Cathy felt terrible for forgetting so many important things.
In the end, all he could remember were the last few words Pegasus said to him.
Bekas said that Kathy has the blood of the plateau and the ocean flowing through her veins.
This undoubtedly refers to Cathy's background.
Ever since he could remember, Bekas had repeatedly emphasized to Kathy that she possessed the purest highland bloodline.
Count Reggie and Master Jord would occasionally mention this to Casey.
He was the Duke of the Highlands, and naturally, the blood of the Highlands flowed in his veins.
But what about the blood of the ocean?
Cathy knows that her mother's name is Natalie Lines, and that she is a child of the highlands and forests, but both of these areas are far from the ocean, so Cathy believes that the ocean refers to her father.
When she was very young, Cathy tried to ask who her father was.
Bekas said he didn't know, and his face turned very pale, so Kathy never mentioned the word "father" again.
So, Pegasus actually knew some clues all along?
But who does "Ocean" refer to, and which family?
Kathy had no clue, but he thought it didn't matter who it was.
Compared to the ocean, which he had never seen in his life, Pegasus was clearly more like his father.
Pegasus can be clumsy at times, but Kathy can sense his meticulous care for her.
Kathy felt that he actually regarded Pegasus as his father to some extent.
Pegasus may have unintentionally treated Kathy as his son, but that powerful and stubborn knight would never admit it.
As a knight, Pegasus would risk his life to uphold justice and defend his master's honor.
Therefore, he could not allow his master's reputation to be damaged because of his own actions.
"Your Majesty the Duke!"
A call startled Cathy from her daze.
Turning my head, I saw a soldier standing at the doorway of the room.
In the past, the people in the city all called Cassie "Young Master".
But it was only after he officially declared himself the Lord of the Highlands that people learned of his identity and began to call him Keshi by his title.
Kathy asked him, "What's wrong?"
"My lord, please allow me to bring this to you."
The soldier said as he entered the room and handed the items to Cathy.
"And please rest for a while, then go to the study to find him."
"I see,"
Kathy nodded and took the things.
The soldier left, and Kathy looked down at her hand.
It was a sword, and Kathy recognized it as Pegasus's sword.
Pegasus cherished his sword, and Kathy often saw him maintaining it.
However, Kathy thought it was just an ordinary weapon.
On one occasion, Duke Reggie proposed to forge a sword for Pegasus using exotic iron ore, but Pegasus resolutely refused.
Cathy was curious, so she asked Pegasus for the reason.
Bekas said the sword was a gift from Cathy's mother, Natalie.
For Pegasus, it was an invaluable treasure.
Kathy recalls that Bekas had unintentionally revealed his dissatisfaction with Natalie on several occasions.
However, Natalie's place in Pegasus's heart remained unshaken.
It is clear that Bekas was utterly loyal to Natalie from beginning to end, as were he to Cathy and Cathy's grandfather.
Pegasus served three generations of the Lynes family, devoting himself wholeheartedly to their cause. His actions absolutely deserved the honor and trust bestowed upon him by the Lynes family.
However.
The fact that this sword was handed to Casey at this moment can only mean one thing—
Kathy hugged the sword tightly.
Pegasus is really dead.
He's not coming back.
Cathy was already thirteen years old, and she felt she shouldn't be crying now.
But he wanted to cry because of Pegasus.
But-
Cry! I'll cry! Cathy clenched her fists and punched herself hard around her eyes. Wasn't I a crybaby before? Why can't I cry now?
Kathy felt as if a hole had been ripped out of his heart, but he couldn't squeeze out a single tear.
No matter how loudly he cried out in grief, it was all in vain. He had lost the ability to cry three years ago.
That night, in this very Whitewood city, in a warehouse, Cathy was stripped of all her tears.
The rats he had been raising suddenly started behaving strangely.
The rats were strange-looking and unusually irritable and aggressive.
Kathy remembered that Master Jord had told him about this unusual change, which was called demonization.
He immediately realized that these rats had been possessed by a demon.
They pounced on Cathy and wrapped their tails, which resembled black mist, around her.
However, they simply maintained this posture, staring at Kathy with their dark eyes, without continuing their attack.
Kathy was terrified, but he didn't move or make a sound; tears just streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a wisp of black mist drifted toward his face and mingled with his tears.
The strange substance then crawled along Cathy's tear tracks toward his eye sockets.
But Cathy still didn't dare to move, didn't dare to reach out and wipe away her tears.
After that, he stopped crying.
At this moment, the miner who released the first few demonized rats from the cage, Vanpanog, bulged his green eyes and roared loudly in words that Kashi couldn't understand.
Judging from his gestures, it seemed he was about to instruct the rats to do something.
However, only his roars echoed through the warehouse, and the rats remained completely unmoved.
Wampanog seemed to have lost his patience. He grabbed a wooden rake from beside him, stepped forward, and swung it forcefully at Kathy.
Just then, the rats suddenly shrieked.
Little Red remained nestled on Cathy's chest, while Little White and Little Blue pounced to the side and bit off the wooden rake.
Blackie, Yellowie, and Pinkie suddenly charged forward, heading straight for Wanpannog.
Finally, the three of them crawled into Vanpagnog's trouser leg.
Then Kashi saw Vanpagnog rolling on the ground, screaming hysterically in agony.
The commotion attracted the soldiers of Whitewood City, and Cassie was saved as a result, but by then the rats had already disappeared.
Kathy couldn't understand why Vanpanog would want to harm her.
He felt that he had never harbored any ill will towards Fang Panoge.
Everyone else in the castle looked at these green-eyed slaves with strange eyes, even though Cathy was the only one who treated them well. In short, from that day on, Cathy was no longer able to cry.
Looking back now, Cathy thinks that if he had been braver and hadn't been scared to tears by those rats, perhaps he wouldn't have lost the ability to cry.
So now, he can shed tears for Pegasus's death.
Kathy hates her own cowardice.
However, there was one more thing that Casey didn't mention to anyone.
Although even Pegasus couldn't find the rats, they might appear on their own when Cassie is alone.
Later, they even followed him to Goringburg, and now, they've returned to Whitewood City with Cathy, just like before.
They would come to Cassie and, just like before, place their evil, ominous tails on her body, clinging to her and wrapping around her.
Later, he heard the possible reason from Master Jode.
Demonic beings always have a tendency to assimilate their own kind.
Cathy thought that he must have fed those rats a lot, which made them think of Cathy as one of their own, and therefore they wanted to assimilate him rather than kill him.
That's why they wrap their tails around Cathy; it's probably how they assimilate their own kind.
Demonic transformation can occur suddenly, but the probability of being assimilated by alien creatures is extremely low, which is why Cassie has remained unharmed.
Kathy gathered her thoughts.
Since he couldn't wash away his sorrow with tears, he would keep it in his heart so that he could remember forever everything Pegasus had done for him.
Kathy put Pegasus's sword away and then headed to Baron Reggie's study.
Upon arrival, Reggie will immediately bow to him:
"Sir, are you alright?"
"Yes," Casey nodded.
"I'm sorry, sir, Sir Bourne did indeed die."
"I understand," Casey nodded. "I saw his sword."
"His body has also been brought over. His head and, well, anyway, sir, the body is showing signs of decomposition. I was afraid you would catch some disease, so I didn't let you see it. Instead, I immediately sent someone to bury the knight's remains."
"Um--.-
Reggie stared at Kathy for a moment, then reached up and touched the corner of his eye:
"You are so strong, sir. Even I couldn't help but shed a few tears for him."
"I want to cry too," Katie thought sadly, "but I can't."
As Reggie gestured for Cathy to sit down, he began to speak to himself:
"Although Pegasus is only a low-ranking nobleman, he is a true knight worthy of respect. Although he has many shortcomings, no one can question his martial arts skills."
"More importantly, he lived under my roof for more than ten years. We often communicated and fought for a common ideal."
My lord, you may not imagine that I have formed a deep friendship with him that has never been spoken of.
"And he fought for the Lines family until his very last moment, while I am still surviving in a corner of the plateau."
I'm even a few years older than him—
Kathy reached out and placed her hand on Reggie's hand:
"Earl Davis, you don't need to blame yourself. It's all my fault for being incompetent, which made you suffer so much, and even led to Pegasus's sacrifice."
Reggie looked up at Cassie, his expression as gloomy as a bitter gourd. He shook his head and said:
"No, it's all my fault, sir. You don't know this, but Pegasus has repeatedly urged me to make a plan and take action immediately. I always told him not to rush and to wait for the right opportunity. But in the end, I also rushed, which led to the current tragedy and failure."
Kathy found it a little strange.
Kathy was also present on the afternoon they discussed and decided to launch the plan, and according to Reggie at the time, it was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Reggie, did we choose the wrong time that time?"
Earl Davis shook his head: "That was indeed an opportune moment, my judgment was correct, but unfortunately I overlooked the most important issue. Duke Casey, what do you think I should be most worried about?"
Kathy shook her head. "In the more than ten years since the Lynes family left, the Zorc family has been making constant moves. The Zorc family has brought a lot of trouble to the plateau since ancient times, so it is impossible for anyone to support their rule over the plateau. Baron Zorc obviously knows this, so he has taken more covert and cunning measures."
Reggie explained,
"By currying favor with Bob Capello, he made connections with many lords beyond the Highlands and established relationships with them. He then used these connections to buy off the Stonebridge Tower and Chain Fortress, two strategic pass fortresses. Through these two cities, he expanded trade routes across the Highlands. My lord, what do you think Baron Zorc's motives were?"
Kathy thought for a moment and said:
"money?"
"That's right, money! In other words, the economy he controls. The plateau has been isolated since ancient times, and foreign trade has been basically controlled by Goringburg. But Zorc has shifted the focus of trade to two geographically advantageous cities. And these two cities will inevitably benefit from this; they have made a fortune over the years. Even though they originally supported the Lines family—"
"...Now we'll also support the Zorc family!" Casey chimed in. "Once the Lines family takes power and shifts their focus back, their current prosperity will be lost!"
A look of approval appeared on Reggie's aged face as he nodded to Cassie:
"That's right, sir. The reason why those who uphold honor are so rare is because it's too easy for them to kneel down for profit. Once they find that kneeling is more comfortable than standing, they will never straighten up again."
Kathy nodded: "But, Reggie, this doesn't prove you're in a hurry."
"You don't understand, sir. I realized this from the very beginning, but I was just worried that even if we captured Goringburg, they would use it to blackmail us into governing, especially since you were still very young at the time."
Reggie sighed heavily.
"The strategically located Stonebridge Tower and Iron Chain Fortress, capable of withstanding the surge in trade, mean they can, in turn, choke the highland economy. Baron Zorc has a wide network of friends, and I've heard that 80% of the cabinet members have received gold from him. He wields both economic and political power, so the probability of us having to compromise is very high."
"But I'm all grown up now," Kathy said.
"Yes, that's what I think too. When the opportunity arose, you were already ten years old and had a certain ability to think independently, which is why I dared to implement the plan. And that's why I'm anxious."
"?"
"I never imagined that, even though they had already lost the chance to gain control of the narrative by controlling you, they would still choose to resist so stubbornly. I never imagined that they would resort to such despicable, insidious, and contemptible means, dragging the Lanes family and Goringburg down to hell."
Reggie's flabby face trembled slightly with anger as he spoke.
"My lord, if I hadn't been in such a hurry to retake Gaolin Fort, but instead had launched a surprise attack to capture either Iron Chain Fort or Stone Bridge Fort, things wouldn't have turned out this way."
After listening, Kathy comforted him:
"Don't blame yourself, Reggie. I heard Pegasus say that it was because of the famine that he had to rush to unify the Lyons Plateau. However, no one can predict the weather and the poor harvest."
"No, sir, even so, I still bear responsibility."
As he spoke, Reggie lowered his head in self-reproach.
"Becas is in such a hurry because he must have heard the rumors that the royal family intends to intervene in the highland unrest. But you had been living in Goringburg for more than two years by then. If the royal family really had such a plan, why wait until now? And coincidentally, this year's harvest is poor. Just as you said, no one can predict this, and neither can the royal family."
Kathy seemed to have caught Reggie's meaning and asked in surprise:
"Reggie, are you saying that it was fake information?"
"Yes, I have already sent people to verify it. This is false information deliberately released by Baron Zorc."
Reggie nodded and said,
"As for his purpose, it was very simple: to make Pegasus anxious. But in any case, this generation of Zorc was truly a cunning fox. At that time, he was already at a complete disadvantage, and the sudden food shortage was his only chance to turn the tide. And his move was indeed steady, accurate, and ruthless, and he really won the gamble."
Kathy had met Baron Gullwig Zorc once; the man was short in stature with a flat, round head, making it difficult for Kathy to imagine him as a fox with a pointed snout.
"That doesn't prove you were wrong from the start."
"Perhaps, but at that moment, I made the same mistake. I had actually suspected the rumor's veracity long ago, but I didn't remind Pegas in time."
At this point, Reggie lowered his head. "When Pegasus proposed the marriage to me ahead of schedule, although I was angry that Gray City had benefited from it, the thought of unifying the plateau immediately made me feel somewhat relieved. After all, like Pegasus, I had been eagerly anticipating this day. So I relaxed for a moment and didn't think about the possible conspiracy, and agreed to the marriage."
"Raise your head, Earl Davis," Casey said. "These are things that cannot be helped. No one can think things through completely."
Reggie looked up at this and smiled, a smile with a complex meaning:
"You are so generous, Duke Casey. The older you get, the more I see the shadow of Duke Jonas in you. You are truly worthy of being his grandson. You have inherited all his good qualities."
"It's a pity I never met him."
"It's truly a pity that he passed away before you were born."
Reggie said,
"Sir, you've really grown up. Not only are you stronger, but you were also able to participate in my analysis. I imagine you haven't slacked off in your studies during these nearly three years away from Bailin City, have you?"
"Well, I'm not very smart, so I have to work even harder."
“You are the smartest man, my lord,” Reggie said. “It’s just a pity that Pegasus and I were ultimately unable to secure your position as lord, and you may never be able to return to Goringburg.”
Kathy had long anticipated that Reggie would say those words to him sooner or later.
That's why he could speak calmly at this moment:
"It's not your fault, Earl Davis. You've already done more than enough for me."
“No, that’s not what I meant, sir. I am still willing to serve you and help you reclaim power,” Reggie said, “but Goringburg—”
"Huh? What happened to Gaolin City?"
Reggie sighed before explaining:
"Gorlin Castle and the nearby manor have been devoured by dark forces. Presumably, once that force is exhausted, the castle will be nothing but ruins."
Not even a wreckage remained, and the nearby manor would suffer a similar fate.
"The castle can be rebuilt," Kathy said.
"But it will take time."
"And I'm only thirteen years old."
"Yes, you're still young."
Reggie was speaking when he suddenly shook his head.
"However, the land corrupted by that force will likely find it difficult to regain its vitality."
"Hmm? Why?"
Reggie posed a question instead of an answer: "Sir, what is the name of House Zok's castle?"
"Grey City," Casey blurted out.
"That's right. The reason that city is called Gray Domain City is because the castle was built on a gray, barren land where not a single blade of grass has grown for hundreds of years."
Kathy seemed to understand the implication: "Could it be that Gray City has also been corrupted by that dark power?"
“That’s right,” Reggie nodded. “The Zorc family has always liked to take shortcuts. There are many records of them coming into contact with corrupting forces, and each time, it has brought irreparable disaster to their own family or the plateau.”
"I heard Master Jode say that's why the people of the Highlands don't like the Zork family."
"And this time, they actually dared to directly harm the Lines family and the historic Goringburg."
The Zorc family has always only sought its own development and expansion, even at the cost of harming more people, which even Kathy finds hateful.
And it is also an indisputable fact that the Zorc family has now achieved victory.
Kathy was indeed not strong and was timid, but he never backed down or gave up.
He said with unease and lack of confidence:
"But Zorc has always been restrained by Lines, and will continue to be so, at the very least—I don't want them to run rampant—"
"Haha, my lord, with this determination, I think those Zorcs won't be able to cause trouble for long."
"I...I will try my best!"
Kathy straightened her chest.
"Yes! Remember this spirit, sir!"
Reggie patted Casey on the shoulder with his short, stubby hand.
"Zok's fear of Lines must be ingrained in his bones. As long as you are still here, he will never be at ease. Moreover, he must have guessed that you are hiding in my Whitewood City, and he will probably send troops to attack soon."
"I'm sorry to have troubled you again, Reggie."
"It's a small matter, sir. You're not the first Ryans to hide in Whitewood City. My fortress, protected by the highland white firs, has never been breached."
"grown ups!"
Before Reggie could finish speaking, a soldier rushed over, panting heavily.
"What is it?" Reggie asked, frowning.
"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, there's an enemy presence!"
"He's got it all," Reggie stood up. "Order the soldiers to assemble at the northeast city wall."
"Sir, the enemy is not in the northeast."
Reggie was stunned, his expression one of utter astonishment:
"What did you say?!"
"The enemy is coming from the southwest—but the southwest of Bailin Fort is a sheer cliff! How could Fang Liang possibly have enemies there!"
Reggie spread his hands, his voice high-pitched and almost cracking.
"As for the other arrow towers in Fangliang, I have arranged for soldiers to guard them day and night. It is impossible for any army to evade all the sentries and get around to Bailin San's rear!"
"The enemy didn't come around, sir," the soldier said, "they climbed straight up the cliff!"
"What did you say?!"
Reggie's face was filled with disbelief.
"This is thousands of meters in the air!"
The soldier replied, "A sentry sneaked down to the edge of the cliff to investigate, and he brought back reliable intelligence."
"Say it!"
"On the cliff, a passage made of iron chains, ropes and planks has appeared at some point."
Upon hearing this, Reggie's eyes widened, and he uttered a nameless phrase:
"Chain Fortress!"
Then Kathy saw Reggie walk quickly toward the tactics table, and she followed him.
He saw Reggie point his finger at Bailin San, located in the southwest of the plateau, and then slide his finger a short distance to the southeast before pressing it on the Iron Chain Fortress.
Reggie said, "It must be them; they're good at making and using chains."
But Casey found it strange, so she asked:
"Earl Davis, how far is it from here to Chain Keep?"
"About twenty-seven leagues."
"But," Casey voiced her doubts, "I've only been at Whitewood Three for a little over two weeks. Is that really enough time for the people of Iron Chain Fortress to build a 27-lig long walkway on the cliff face?"
"Hmm—..—"
Upon hearing this, Reggie sat sideways in his chair and began to think for a long time.
Finally, he figured out the answer:
"Damn it! This walkway wasn't built recently!"
"Huh?" Kathy asked, puzzled.
"The bastards of Chain Fortress, after completing the cliffside ladder, didn't stop construction. Instead, they started a brand new project, secretly building a top-secret walkway on the cliff face—a secret known only to them—just so it could be incredibly effective in situations like this!"
The soldier who had come to report was still lurking at the door: "My lord, what do we do now?"
"What else can we do? Send men to defend the southwest!"
"yes!"
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers immediately ran to carry it out.
Kashiver looked at Reggie, who was pressing his forehead, and asked worriedly, "Reggie, is the situation bad?"
"Yes," Reggie nodded. "Because Bailin San is backed by a fortress, it has never considered the defense behind it. All the defense facilities are concentrated on the front of the fortress, while the rear is undefended."
"Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"
Reggie took a deep breath before saying:
"Don't worry, Duke Cassius, Bailin San is not so easy to break through, but I must go to the front line to command. My lord, you should go back to your room first."
Kathy nodded, while Reggie left the room without a moment's delay.
Bentley could tell that although Reggie was trying his best to appear relaxed, there was a subtle tension and anxiety beneath his expression.
The situation was indeed very critical, and Cathy only regretted that she couldn't help.
Therefore, he had to heed Reggie's words and return to his room.
He arrived at the tower where he lived and climbed steadily until he reached the top annex.
In the past, Pegasus would come to this world every morning, and Kathy had seen him a few times as well.
But it didn't happen often, since Cathy always had a very heavy workload.
The scenery here is indeed breathtaking, but the air seems even thinner.
Taking careful breaths, Cathy pondered her family's words while subtly sensing the air.
Kathy descended from the tower.
The plateau is usually silent, but right now, a noisy commotion is erupting from one side of Sanbao.
The city wall to the southwest, as well as the area in front and behind it, was now densely packed with soldiers.
When Kathy compared the walls of the southwestern section to the other sections, he found that the walls of the southwestern section were more than half the height of the other three sections.
He instantly understood why Reggie seemed so fearful and uneasy when he learned that the enemy was attacking from the southwest.
A large group of people were anxiously transporting hot oil, sand, arrows, and other defensive supplies from the northeast to the southwest.
Meanwhile, the people outside were carrying a long ladder they had somehow acquired and propping it against the low wall of Sanwai.
The enemy troops began to climb, but Bai Linsan's defenders showed no mercy.
If any enemy dared to peek out from the ladder, he would thrust out his spear and pierce their head.
However, the enemy was not afraid at all, and one after another they climbed up, even building more ladders.
Just then, Kathy saw a group of soldiers seemingly pulling hard on a huge hemp rope at the edge of the cliff.
They trudged along, seemingly attached to something incredibly heavy, hanging at the other end of a rope below the precipice.
After a long time, when the soldiers collapsed to the ground from exhaustion or lack of oxygen, Kathy was finally able to see what they were trying to pull up. It was a huge, pointed log with many knots tied around it for easy gripping and exertion.
Kathy recognized what it was; it was a three-pronged attack weapon, a ramming stick.
Then a group of people approached the log, grabbed the ropes, hoisted it onto their shoulders, and charged towards the three gates.
"boom!"
With a loud crash, the log slammed into the three gates.
Several soldiers guarding the door were knocked to the ground by the enormous impact through the door.
The loud bang of the attack on the gate was like a bugle call, instantly boosting the morale of the attacking soldiers.
They disregarded their own safety even more and pushed their way up the ladder.
"boom!"
Another sound!
The defending soldiers fired arrows, threw stones, and poured oil, seemingly hindering the enemy's advance.
But it was merely a delay, only a short while:
"boom!"
At this moment, the first enemy soldier to reach the third floor appeared and stood on the parapet to launch a counterattack.
Kathy also vaguely noticed that cracks seemed to have appeared on the three doors.
Kathy realized that even the three gates to the southwest of Bailin were not as strong as those of other places!
"grown ups!"
A shout pulled Casey out of the battle.
Turning around, it was Coach Robert.
"Sir Robert?"
"God help me, I've finally found you, sir! Come with me!"
Kathy felt a little pain as Robert gripped her large hand tightly.
Although he could tolerate the slight pain, he still couldn't help but frown and ask:
"Where to?"
"I don't know either," Robert shook his head. "Earl Davis sent me to find you. He said that Bai Linsan might not be able to withstand the enemy's attack, and that I must take you to a safe place."
"But Reggie said that White Forest Three has never been breached by human legionary forces."
“Yes, but that’s all in the past,” Robert said. “For hundreds of years, Bailin has been clinging to the old ways and remaining stagnant, while the enemy has been secretly plotting and developing in the shadows. This place can no longer be called an indestructible fortress.”
They quickly dismounted and came to Maji.
Robert chose the strongest stallion, lifted Cathy onto it, and sat behind her, shielding her with his body.
A small opening appeared in the three gates of the northwest gate, and the two men secretly slipped out on horseback.
Looking back, Bai Linsan was gradually shrinking.
Kathy asked:
"But, Sir, where is safe if we leave Bai Linsan?"
"I don't know either, sir. The situation was urgent, and Earl Davis didn't have time to give me more detailed orders."
Robert steered the reins while slightly shaking his head.
"Sir, do you have any good places to go?"
Kathy carefully replied, recalling the last few words Pegasus had said to him.
It seems there really is!
So Kathy said:
"exist--
"Whoosh!"
The cold arrow sliced through the cold wind, grazed a bead of cold sweat on Cathy's ear, and embedded itself in the icy ground in front of them.
Then, a hail of arrows came from behind.
Looking back, Keshi saw two groups of mounted archers chasing after them from the southwest and northeast of Bailin San, attempting to stop the two men with arrows.
"Damn it!" Robert cursed, clicking his tongue. "How did they find out we snuck out?!"
They were then forced to leave the flat road and enter the lush white fir forest.
Not long after escaping, Cathy could no longer distinguish directions in the forest.
He felt that he had completely lost himself.