Chapter 476: Are You Mocking Me?

Prada’s face turned ashen, but he refused to answer.

“Oh? So it’s true! Leader Prada, I heard Princess Sukama is your sister—is that correct?” Gervas didn’t mind, and instead smiled as he continued.

Hearing this, Prada finally showed shock. “You… you knew all along? Human noble, weren’t you unaware before? You… you were mocking me? You knew from the start?”

Prada believed he had deduced the true possibility.

He immediately hated Gervas with biting fury.

After all, he had followed this human noble the entire time; such information could only have been known to him in advance, with no one else telling him.

And the feeling of being toyed with was even more unbearable than being defeated by force.

“My lord, is it truly possible to head south?”

At this moment, Migen, Lei Meng, and the other knights finally realized what was happening.

Even though they didn’t know the full details, Prada’s reaction had already answered the question.

“Yes! I once accidentally learned a rumor that Princess Sukama is of vital importance to the Beast King and the beast tribes—she is said to be the one foretold by the Great Shaman of the beast tribes, destined to bring them good fortune.”

“But since this concerns the lives of over a thousand of us, I couldn’t confirm it directly, so I pretended to retreat westward, then suddenly changed direction to test Prada!”

“Now it seems the rumor is true. Even if we encounter the Beast King, we can still ensure our safety—and perhaps even use this to threaten the Beast King and aid our main army!” Gervas had already prepared a plausible explanation.

Migen and the others naturally had no doubts, and at this moment, they didn’t care about anything else.

“My lord, does that mean we not only secure our own safety but also have a chance to save the main army?”

“If so, how great would this achievement be? Could you become a Marquis now…?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Nothing is settled yet. Even if you want credit, you must wait until we are truly safe and the beastmen have fully retreated!” Gervas cut off Migen and the others’ fantasies immediately.

Of course, his willingness to risk heading south was also largely motivated by the prospect of glory.

If he could save the main army, plus all the beastmen and Bloodbat Knights he had slain along the way, the title of Marquis would surely be within reach.

But the danger ahead would rise sharply, so he certainly couldn’t let his subordinates grow careless.

“Yes, my lord!”

Thus, Gervas directly led the group to turn back.

More than a li away, Moralis had already sensed the sudden change.

Originally, he and his two subordinates had been relieved that the human Gervas had chosen to head west.

Otherwise, if he had headed directly south, he might have ruined the Beast King’s plan to annihilate the hundred-thousand-strong human army.

But the moment this thought passed, the human Gervas suddenly began to turn back.

“Human Gervas, what are you trying to do?” As Gervas and his men drew near, Moralis immediately demanded.

“Great Leader Moralis, I’ve changed my mind. I won’t head west anymore—I’m going straight south!” Gervas wore a radiant smile, one so innocent and harmless.

But Moralis felt as if struck in the chest, wishing he could leap up and cleave Gervas in two with his axe right then.

“Why? Isn’t going west safer? Heading south means facing our other beast tribe armies—I can’t guarantee they’ll be as willing to spare you as I am…”

“Enough, Great Leader Moralis. Stop pretending. I was just teasing you earlier—I never didn’t know how important Princess Sukama and the Prince are.”

“Don’t you know the prophecy of your own Beastmen’s Great Shaman?” Moralis hadn’t even finished speaking when Gervas cut him off with mockery.

“You… you knew all along? Who told you?” Moralis was stunned and furious, for he had previously suspected Gervas might still be unaware of Princess Sukama’s importance.

But now Gervas had suddenly realized—could Prada have leaked the information?

Instantly, he glared fiercely at Prada.

Prada panicked at once. “Great Leader Moralis, this isn’t my doing! Princess Sukama is my sister—how could I ever harm her?”

But Gervas offered no explanation, nor did he give the two any more time for chatter. “Great Leader Moralis, I’m not asking for your permission.”

“I give you five minutes to order your men to retreat two li to either side and clear the path south. Otherwise, I’ll bring out your Princess Sukama and Prince again!”

Moralis’s face flushed alternately pale and crimson—but what could he do? Princess Sukama and the Prince were in the hands of this damned human noble.

He had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, “Let’s go!”

Immediately, Moralis led his men away, preparing to order the thirty-thousand-strong army ahead to make way.

Thus, Gervas’s thousand-man force changed direction and headed straight for Lindongcheng.

Since it was a straight-line distance, they were only a hundred and fifty li from Lindongcheng—roughly three days’ march.

Gervas now only hoped the kingdom’s main army could hold out, and not collapse before he arrived.

…

Time flew swiftly, and soon the third day arrived.

“Everyone, are you ready?”

In the meeting hall of Lindongbao.

All the nobles, great and small, had gathered today.

The Great Leader stood before the long table at the head, facing the nobles.

The current Great Leader was much thinner than before.

In fact, not just him—even the other nobles looked haggard and worn.

If even the nobles were this way, one could imagine the condition of their subordinates.

“Great Leader, we are ready!”

“Good. Then I won’t waste more words. This breakout is our only chance to survive!”

“In the past, I know many nobles held back, half-heartedly fulfilling their duties. But now is different—if you don’t fight with all your strength, there will be no chance left!”

“So I ask you all to give everything you have—only then will we have a better chance to break out!”

“Great Leader, we understand!” The nobles nodded solemnly, knowing this was a matter of life and death.

Even if the Commander hadn’t spoken, they would have fought hard.

“Good. Return to your posts and prepare. In one hour, we break out through the mountain path on the right, descending directly—no need to pass through Lindongcheng itself!”

Thus, the nobles returned to gather their forces.

“Adam, here is my seal, and this scroll. Keep them safe. If anything happens to me, the future of the Austen family rests on you.”

“Also, I know your younger brother has ambitions—but he’s still your brother. Afterward, send him far away so he can’t stir up trouble again.”

As Adam stared at the golden seal and the magical contract scroll his father handed him, he froze, then his expression changed.

He clearly understood what his father meant. “No, Father. We must return to the family together. I’m not yet ready to lead the Austen family—you must still lead us!”

Seeing Adam’s anxious expression, Marquis Austen smiled. “Adam, I’m not deliberately walking into death. I’m just preparing for the worst. If things turn dire, don’t worry about me—only when you’re safe can I retreat without restraint.”

“Father, you won’t die. I won’t let you die!”

But Adam still felt uneasy. After all, Gervas had already met with misfortune—if his father were to suffer the same…

He didn’t know what in this world would still be worth holding onto.