Chapter 489: Kill and Silence!

Weilade jolted awake with a start.

That's right — there was indeed a third person who knew they had been in contact with the beastfolk.

Of course, the person he spoke of was certainly not Duke Lieshi.

The pretext they had given Duke Lieshi when going out to meet the Beast King was to frame Gervas.

Therefore, Duke Lieshi had given his personal approval, and had even deployed the Lieshi family guards to help cover for them.

So, no matter what, Duke Lieshi could not possibly have reported their affair.

The person he referred to, then, was that subordinate of Weilade's.

This subordinate had previously been dispatched by Weilade to liaise with the beastfolk, and could be considered to know every bit of collusion between Weilade, Solit, and the beastmen.

And if he were put under duress, who could guarantee he wouldn't let slip some information?

"Solit, what you mean is…"

"Weilade, find him at once. If he's already dead, so much the better. But if he isn't, then you and I must kill him no matter what!"

"And we have to move fast — otherwise, once the main army is fully settled and he dies afterward, even a fool would know something's wrong!" A fierce glint flashed in Solit's eyes!

"Good! Then let's go now!" Weilade also knew the sooner the better.

Now, killing that subordinate and pinning the blame directly on the beastmen would suffice.

Moreover, half of the army's personnel were still inside the city gates, and within the city there were many houses and small courtyards. If the subordinate really wasn't dead, luring him to some secluded spot and killing him there would be the most fitting course of action!

Saying so, the two immediately lowered their heads and quietly retreated toward the back of the crowd.

The nobles' attention at this moment was entirely on Gervas; no one noticed anything amiss with Weilade and Solit.

Added to that, the Beast King had already ordered a withdrawal, so the beastman warriors who had been surrounding them earlier also began to pull back, fully lifting the encirclement.

And very quickly, the two slipped silently away from the noble contingent and began hurrying toward Lindongcheng City.

Only, the two believed they had done so without anyone noticing, when in truth everything had long been under surveillance.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

At this moment, Yvulan descended onto the high platform astride a swift eagle, then quickly trotted over to Gervas's side and whispered her report into his ear.

The Grand Commander and the greater nobles nearby witnessed it all, but said nothing further.

At most, a flicker of curiosity passed through their eyes.

Gervas, however, had no intention of leaving them in suspense for long. He gave Yvulan a few instructions and sent her to notify Mike and the others.

Afterward, he turned his gaze to the Grand Commander.

"Grand Commander, although I severed all contact with Lindongcheng City during this period, after storming the Royal Tent Palace, I obtained quite a bit of intelligence from letters inside the palace regarding what had happened in Lindongcheng City during this time!"

"For instance, the army's provisions in Lindongcheng City were burned several times; for instance, five hundred beastmen infiltrated Lindongcheng City without a sound!"

"I wonder if these things did indeed occur?"

The Grand Commander was briefly taken aback, then nodded. "That's right, Gervas. During the time you were away, the army did indeed suffer beastman infiltrations and raids, and the provisions were burned several times!

"If not for these incidents, no matter how well the Beast King schemed, our kingdom's army could never have been defeated!"

"Because, as long as we had sufficient provisions, we could have held out inside the city for a month or two without any problem!"

"And such a length of time would have been more than enough for the kingdom's other armies to come to our aid and break the beastmen's siege!"

Gervas smiled and nodded. "So, these incidents were the crucial reason our kingdom's army suffered such heavy losses, and among these incidents, the element that played a vital role was the traitors within the army."

"With the help of these traitors, the beastfolk were able to infiltrate the city without a sound, and to set fire to the army's provisions. Isn't that so, Grand Commander?"

"That's right, Gervas. It was precisely because of these traitors' cooperation that the beastmen truly drove our kingdom's army into a desperate corner. But, Gervas, you say all this — what is it you're trying to say?" The Grand Commander nodded in agreement while asking curiously.

Because he vaguely felt that Gervas, bringing up traitors at a moment like this, clearly could not be doing so out of idle boredom.

"Grand Commander, what I mean to say is, I may be able to help the army identify these traitors!" Sure enough, Gervas did not disappoint the Grand Commander.

The Grand Commander was taken aback; Duke Henan De and Duke Lieshi were also taken aback.

Even the greater nobles standing closer by were taken aback.

"Gervas, is what you say true? Do you know who the beastmen's traitor is?" The Grand Commander came back to himself and, face alight with excitement, seized Gervas's hand.

That look of excitement rivaled the moment he had learned Gervas had captured Sukama.

"Yes, Grand Commander, I do already have a target, and I believe evidence will surface very soon!"

"Who is it? Gervas, tell me now, and I will dispatch men at once to seize this wretch!" The Grand Commander pressed immediately.

Even Duke Henan De, contrary to his usual manner, said, "That's right, Gervas, tell us. We absolutely will not let these filthy scoundrels who betrayed the kingdom and betrayed their own kind get away!"

"Yes! Lord Gervas, please tell us, we'll seize that fellow at once and tear him to pieces!" The greater nobles, needless to say, were gnashing their teeth one and all.

"Grand Commander, Duke Henan De, and all of you — as for who it is, I'll keep you in suspense for now. Everyone, come with me directly, and the traitor will soon be revealed!"

As he spoke, Gervas's gaze paused for a moment on Duke Lieshi..

This made Duke Lieshi furrow his brow, a vague sense of foreboding stirring within him. "Did that damned boy just glance at me? Could this traitor be connected to my Lieshi family?"

However, Gervas had already begun leading the Grand Commander and the others toward Lindongcheng City, so Duke Lieshi could only set his doubts aside for the moment.

……

"Damn it, Dodika really isn't dead!"

Weilade and Solit, still completely unaware of what was happening outside the city, hurried to the location of the Southern Region noble contingent, and Weilade soon spotted his subordinate.

And this Dodika, who had helped them make contact with the beastmen, was still alive and kicking, and had not been killed by the beastmen during the breakout.

And that was only natural — after all, he was Weilade's trusted confidant, a man of some standing.

So, unless every last serf soldier had perished,

only then might he have been killed by the beastmen.

"Weilade, don't delay. I'll go set up in that house over there first; you lure him over, and then we'll finish him off quickly!" Solit, not daring to delay, pointed toward a small courtyard at the end of an alley beside the main avenue.

At this moment, the soldiers were all resting on the main avenue, and, fearing beastmen might still be lurking nearby, no one was willing to stay in those alleys.

This provided Weilade and the others with an excellent opportunity to act.

"Good!"

Hearing the urging, Wei La De dared not delay further and immediately walked toward Doka, who was rejoicing in having survived the disaster.