Chapter 238: We Must Seize Lord Parker

"Congratulations, Lord Parker, the Cabinet Minister has said that once that Gervas is dead, he will arrange for the Stormhold lands to be granted to you!"

"Hah! Then I am deeply grateful to Minister Willard—but Captain Adani, Stormhold is far too dangerous; I don't believe my luck can surpass that of the three previous nobles!"

"So, just give me the Baron Kain's territory; Stormhold is out of the question—this way, the Minister's maneuvering will be much simpler!"

Inside Lord Parker's castle, Parker was chatting with a middle-aged knight.

This middle-aged knight was none other than Willard's trusted confidant, dispatched to command the fifty light cavalry of Eagle City.

He was a formidable warrior who had reached the Silver Knight realm.

"My lord, all troops are assembled and ready to march at any moment!"

At that moment, a voice came from the entrance of the hall—Parker's vassal reported in.

Parker and Adani exchanged glances and wasted no more time: "Then let's march!"

When Parker stepped out of the castle, a force of fifteen hundred men stood ready.

This time, Parker was gambling everything.

After all, killing a noble lord was no small matter; Jiranzuole ， Najiuyidingyaoquanliyifu ！

Otherwise, if he failed to kill Gervas, his crimes might be reported to the Noble Council, putting both his title and life in danger.

Of course, among these fifteen hundred, only five hundred were elite troops—his own and his two vassals' finest guards.

The remaining thousand were conscripted serfs.

"March!"

At the command, the fifteen-hundred-strong force surged eastward toward Lord Parker's territory, a sight of impressive grandeur.

Parker and Captain Adani rode along the flank of the column.

Yet the fifty light cavalry were not among them.

Because light cavalry were too valuable, they must not be exposed before battle.

They were now hidden at the border, waiting for the signal to strike!

More than an hour later, the fifteen hundred reached the border.

Far ahead, they could already see the iron mine mountain.

"Your Lordship!"

"What's the situation?"

Learning from last time's lesson.

This time, Parker had already stationed scouts.

"My Lord, all around the iron mine is normal—no Stormhold guards have appeared!"

"Excellent! All troops, advance immediately! Seize the iron mine!"

Lord Parker beamed and led his force forward at once.

Ding-dong-dong!

As they crossed into Stormhold's border, the mine guards quickly spotted them.

Urgent alarm bells rang from the mountaintop.

But the guards did nothing but ring the bells—they fled up the mountain like a flash, abandoning even the gate at the foot.

"Kieran, Bell, lead your men and charge up!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

The two vassals obeyed and led five hundred serfs in a charge toward the iron mine.

And this time, without incident, that damned Gervas was nowhere to be seen atop the mountain.

That was only natural.

This was a surprise attack; the brat couldn't possibly have received precise warnings every single time.

Last time, he was probably just lucky—and I was too careless, with poor secrecy.

"Report, my Lord! All miners and guards on the iron mine have fled through the rear mountain—they're heading toward Stormhold!"

"Excellent! Ignore those peasants—let them go warn that brat Gervas; our next moves are what truly matter!"

Lord Parker couldn't help but lick his lips in excitement.

Last time, he lost over two hundred men and still didn't get the iron ore; now, he seized it without losing a single soldier.

A perfect opening victory.

And now, Parker wasted no time in coordinating with Adani.

Their plan was simple.

Once Gervas learned the iron mine had been seized, he would surely try to retake it.

Then, we would lure Gervas into battle and hold him off.

At the right moment, Adani would lead the light cavalry in a flanking strike against the Stormhold guards.

Then, we could annihilate Gervas and his entire force in one blow.

"Captain Adani, we rely on you for the next move!"

"Lord Parker, we are in a mutually beneficial alliance—no need for such formalities!"

"Hah! Correct! A mutually beneficial alliance!"

…

"So, my lord, you plan to lure these dark creatures into attacking Lord Parker's forces, letting them wear each other down?"

In a dense forest over ten miles from the iron mine, Gervas and his men had set up camp.

Upon learning from Gervas that over a thousand dark creatures lurked at the border, Migen and the others immediately understood why he had prepared twenty sheep.

Yet Gervas shook his head outright: "No. I do not intend to defeat Parker using dark creatures—I intend to crush them with my own Stormhold guards in open battle!"

"This...?" Migen and the others stared, baffled. "My lord, isn't this terribly inefficient?"

Not just inefficient—it was the act of a fool to waste such perfect cannon fodder and risk his own men.

Of course, none of them dared voice such thoughts about their lord.

Gervas knew what his men were thinking: "Tell me—do you want merely to kill Parker and his army, or do you want to seize Lord Parker's castle as well?"

"Seize Lord Parker's castle? Is that possible?"

The choice was obvious.

If you could seize the castle, of course you'd choose to take it!

It was the fortress holding all the wealth and resources of a lord's domain; capturing it meant untold spoils.

But could a lord's castle truly be taken so easily?

And if word got out that we raided a lord's castle... wait!

At that moment, Migen and the others suddenly realized why their lord refused to lure the dark creatures directly.

"My lord—are you planning to lure the dark creatures straight to Lord Parker's castle?" Migen and the others widened their eyes, brimming with excitement.

"Exactly! That is my plan! Killing Parker alone is actually quite easy for us!"

"But killing him while also looting his castle—that is maximizing profit!"

"And the dark creatures will be our perfect cover, erasing all evidence!"

Gervas finally confirmed his plan.

He had never even dreamed of seizing a lord's castle before.

After all, the kingdom's laws were strict—no one dared act recklessly.

If nobles weren't kept safe in their castles, none would feel secure!

But now, the dark creatures offered Gervas a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"My lord, tell us what to do—we're ready!"

Migen and the knights no longer hesitated—they longed to fly straight to Lord Parker's castle.

Just then, a dark hawk swooped down from the sky.

"Report, my lord! Lord Parker has led his forces to seize the iron mine—his total strength is fifteen hundred men!"

"Additionally, fifty light cavalry are hidden in a forest at the edge of Lord Parker's territory!"

"Excellent! Migen, you heard that—the battle begins soon. Order the army: rest for the final half-hour, then march immediately!"