Chapter 386: Lord Harry

"Important information? Don't miss it?"

Staring blankly as the unfamiliar knight bowed and left, Adamas felt disappointed—he had gained no news about Lord Harry.

Yet, remembering that the envelope in his hand contained intelligence from Lord Harry, which could aid him, his eyes filled with anticipation again.

Quickly returning to camp, after confirming the wax seal was intact, Adamas opened it.

Upon finishing the letter, Adamas shot upright from his chair.

"Tonight, thousands of orcs and several thousand servant troops will attack the Graystone Bridge checkpoint? Their target is Baron Mil?"

Adamas had not the slightest doubt about the letter's truth—it came from Lord Harry.

Thus, the orcs' sudden attack filled him with both shock and delight.

Shock, because the orcs intended to kill Baron Mil, who had only recently risen to fame.

Delight, because he now knew in advance—he could not only prevent the attack but also earn great merit.

"Lord Harry said this must never be made public, for besides him, only I know—there are orc spies within the human ranks, and if this becomes known, the orcs may sense the danger and call off the attack!"

A thousand orcs and several thousand servant troops—this was no minor achievement.

If he could seize this opportunity, it would be a great boon for him and the Austen family.

Thinking of this, Adamas did not hesitate—he immediately headed toward his father's tent.

Lord Austen had just returned to his tent after finishing dinner with several friends.

Of course, it was a proper dinner, held outside the city, and the wine on the table had been only a light sip.

As an elder, he understood the danger of the orcs and could not indulge like the younger generation.

When he heard his son suddenly wished to see him, he found it strange.

"What's wrong? Adamas, weren't you out drinking in the city? Why are you back so soon?"

Sitting in his chair, sipping tea, he asked curiously.

Adamas had no serious vices, so Austen had no objection to letting him spend a few days socializing with other noble youths.

"Father, I went, but found it dull, so I came back early!" Adamas offered a casual excuse, having no intention of telling his father about Wyatt.

"Dull?" Austen didn't know how to scold his eldest son.

Other noble youths went to great lengths to chase wine, women, and revelry—elders couldn't stop them.

But his own son? He deliberately let him relax, yet he found it dull—"So why are you here?"

"Father, I want to borrow troops!"

Spat!

Lord Austen sprayed tea out of his mouth.

He wondered if he'd misheard, "Cough, Adamas, say that again?"

"Father, I want to borrow troops!"

"What do you want them for? Did someone offend you?" Now certain he hadn't misheard, Austen asked in confusion.

"Father, no one offended me—I plan to kill orcs and earn merit!"

"Kill orcs? Earn merit?" Austen's gaze grew even more suspicious—the entire army was resting; where were the orcs for him to fight?

Seeing his father about to think him mad, Adamas had no choice but to explain: "Father, I received vital intelligence—the orcs will attack Baron Mil!"

"Baron Mil? The one the whole army has been notified about?!"

"Yes, him—the orcs plan to send a thousand orcs and two to three thousand servant troops tonight to strike at Graystone Bridge, where Baron Mil is!"

Under normal circumstances, Austen would not have believed it.

But hearing his son name precisely where Baron Mil was stationed—at Graystone Bridge—his expression turned slightly serious.

Because the front-line camp's deployment was secret; children could never know such details. Only a few counts and marquises, due to their high rank, attended meetings with the Duke and the Commander-in-Chief, and thus knew Baron Mil was at Graystone Bridge.

Naturally, Austen needed to verify this: "Where did you get this information? Could you have been deceived?"

"Father, can I not say?" Adamas hesitated.

Although Lord Harry had not explicitly said to keep it secret from his father, Adamas still preferred to say as little as possible.

But Austen's face turned stern: "Adamas, fighting a thousand orcs requires at least five thousand elite soldiers."

"Such a large force is the Austen family's core strength—if you don't explain clearly, I will not permit you to take them!"

"Moreover, without official orders, moving so many troops requires approval from the Northern Command—only then can they leave camp!"

Hearing this, Adamas realized he had underestimated the complexity—he would have to reveal everything to his father.

So he no longer held back—he handed the letter over directly.

When Austen saw the letter's signature, he wasn't truly surprised—it was indeed Harry, the one who had partnered with his son using sugar.

Seeing this, half his worry eased.

First, because they had a business relationship; second, because Harry had previously saved the Austen family's navy.

If he had ill intent, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

Moreover, the event's location—Graystone Bridge—was within their own controlled territory.

By simply inquiring about the outpost's status, the risk would be minimal.

"Father, what do you think?!" Adamas watched his father anxiously.

"Adamas, are you certain you want to join this operation? You could still earn merit by reporting this to the Commander-in-Chief!"

"No, Father—this intelligence came from Lord Harry, known only to him and me. I don't want to miss this chance, nor do I want to pass it on to anyone else!"

"Very well—I'll help you this once!"

…

"Babik, I entrust you with these thousand orc warriors and three thousand servant troops—prove yourself and make up for your past failures!"

"Chief Moral, I will complete this revenge—I will not disappoint you!"

"Good, go! Be careful!"

"Yes, Chief Moral!" Babik suppressed his excitement and bid farewell to Moral.

Then he turned to his assembled troops: "Advance!"

Immediately, the four-thousand-strong orc force moved under cover of night toward the southwest.

Meanwhile, as Babik's force departed, within the main camp outside Redstone City, Adamas was bidding farewell to his father.

"Adamas, remember—this night's operation must be handled with extreme caution..."

"Yes, Father, I will!"

Saying this, Adamas led five thousand family soldiers out of the camp gate under cover of night.

One must admit, Lord Austen cared deeply for his eldest son.

He knew human ranks likely harbored orc spies, so he specifically arranged for his son to leave camp at night.

This approach made it harder for him to request permission from the Northern Command.

After all, he couldn't reveal his true purpose.

His excuse was that he wished to train his son.

Though flimsy, it wasn't entirely implausible.

The Commander-in-Chief approved only because Lord Austen personally vouched for his family's integrity—and

because he had gone to Duke Hernade, his father-in-law, to secure his backing.

Only then did he secure permission for five thousand troops to leave camp for one night.

Of course, to ensure absolute safety, after watching his son disappear into the distance, Lord Austen mounted his warhorse.

"Go!"

Then he led a small escort team, trailing far behind Adamas and his men.