Chapter 519: Boar-Men Attack!

"Set off!"

At Gervas's command, the column slowly set out toward the south, and Baron Mill's castle gradually receded behind them.

That's right — Gervas had spent the previous night at Baron Mill's castle.

As the column advanced along the muddy road, every breath the soldiers exhaled turned into a wisp of white mist.

Gazing at the white world around him, Gervas's mood was somewhat complicated.

Snow scenery is naturally a feast for the eyes.

But in these backward times, it also meant that many people were facing another life-and-death ordeal.

If they endured, they would live another year.

If they didn't, they would remain forever in this bitter winter.

"Pass the order down — pick up the pace, try to reach Storm Territory by around noon!" Thinking this, Gervas no longer hesitated and immediately ordered the army to quicken its march.

Besides the boar-men attack, he also wanted to return to the territory as soon as possible to check how the serfs' winter preparations were going.

"Yes, my lord!"

Then, accompanied by the rumble of wheels, the Storm Legion gradually vanished into the vast white expanse.

……

"Hou Jue! The snow is heavy! Please get into the carriage!"

In Storm Territory, on the main road at the northern end of Wheatfield Town, Catherine stood on the muddy ground, gazing toward the castle amid the swirling white snowflakes, her eyes full of reluctance.

Over these three days, although Gervas had not been at the castle, Catherine had not left either.

The reason was simple — she was worried about Gervas in her heart, and she knew that if she returned to Violet Castle, she would surely lose sleep from worry and longing.

So, staying in Storm Territory, even though her heart was equally worried, being able to fall asleep breathing in Gervas's scent gave her a trace of peace within.

Of course, such a stay was brief; with the arrival of this first winter snow, she had no choice but to set off on her return journey.

After all, she too was a lord — she needed to return to her territory to inspect the serfs' winter preparations everywhere.

To prevent the serfs from enduring the winter in hunger and cold because of her subordinates and officials falsifying reports.

"Gervas, you must return safely!"

Thinking this, Catherine was about to climb back into the carriage and leave Storm Territory directly.

Clang-clang-clang!

But just at that moment, the urgent tolling of an alarm bell came from the small town behind her.

"What's going on?"

Catherine's motion of boarding the carriage immediately halted.

"Countess, it's a warning — Storm Territory may be facing some kind of danger!" The Knight Commander was also stunned; everything had been fine a moment ago, so why was the alarm bell ringing now?

"My lord, we'd better leave quickly, otherwise when the time comes…"

"How can we just leave at a time like this? Go quickly and find out exactly what's happening!"

The Knight Commander had just been about to suggest Catherine leave first, but before he could finish, Catherine cut him off with a frown.

"Yes, Countess!"

Hearing this, the Knight Commander's face showed helplessness, but he could only follow orders, swiftly taking two subordinates and running toward the town.

A moment later, the Knight Commander hurried back, his face filled with solemnity: "Countess, after careful inquiry, the guards of Storm Territory have discovered a boar-men tribe coming from the south — at least a thousand strong!"

"Boar-men? A thousand?" Catherine's expression also immediately became solemn.

Although she was a woman, being in the Southern Border, she naturally knew the threat these half-beasts posed to humanity.

Apart from some weaker half-beast races like the rabbit-folk and fox-folk, which posed little threat to humanity—

The others — kobolds, gnolls, boar-men, and so on — these half-beasts were undoubtedly one of the kingdom's borderlands' greatest hidden dangers.

The number of humans killed by them each year was already comparable to the slaughter caused by those even more evil and bloodthirsty monsters.

"Countess, this subordinate advises you to retreat quickly. Lord Gervas has departed for the Northern Border, taking the vast majority of the army!"

"Although the territory also has fifty barbarians and over a hundred guards, it is not enough to face a thousand boar-men!"

"Right now, the townsfolk have begun emergency evacuation, but those barbarians and guards — they want to defend the castle!"

"But to speak frankly, a baron's castle, plus a hundred-odd men — if they want to hold it, I'm afraid it will be rather difficult…"

The further the Knight Commander went, the quieter his voice became.

Because he could see the cold expression on Catherine's face.

"Knight Commander Lieutenant Dali, I know you have my safety at heart!"

"But I, Catherine, am also a noble lord. Even though I'm a woman, I still possess a knight's faith and sense of duty!"

"Storm Territory is our ally, and Gervas is my close friend. At the moment his territory is in peril, do you think I could truly feel at ease fleeing like this?"

"That… but Countess, your safety is paramount… Moreover, when Grand Duke Hernande sent this subordinate to serve you, he also instructed that the top priority is always your safety…"

It turned out that Knight Commander Lieutenant Dali had been arranged by Grand Duke Hernande to serve the Violet Family, in order to protect Catherine's safety.

As a veteran knight, Knight Commander Lieutenant Dali not only possessed rich combat experience but was also a long-standing Silver Knight.

Therefore, he was indeed well-suited to this responsibility.

But that was under safe circumstances.

In the current situation of an attack by a thousand boar-men, if they were surrounded, even he could not guarantee Catherine's safety!

Therefore, the best choice now was to retreat immediately, which would guarantee Catherine's absolute safety and avoid risk.

"Knight Commander Lieutenant Dali, I know it was my Waizufu Sect who sent you to protect me, but I ask you — who do you serve now, my grandfather, or me, this Countess?"

"If it's the former, then please leave first! I will return to Gervas's castle and fight on my own!"

"But if it's the latter, then please follow my orders and accompany me to Gervas's baronial castle to defend it!" Catherine said coldly.

Her usual warmth toward these subordinates had completely vanished.

Knight Captain Lieutenant Dali's body stiffened, and in the end he gritted his teeth and said: "Count, my lord, since I swore to serve you, I am your most loyal guardian knight!"

"Very well, Knight Captain Lieutenant Dali, then please follow me back to Gervas's castle!"

Perhaps she felt her words just now had been too harsh.

After all, the old knight before her was not only a knight captain, but could also be considered her elder.

So Catherine added another explanation, "Knight Captain Lieutenant Dali, actually inside Gervas's castle there are weapons you would never expect, so I don't think there should be any major problems with security."

"And with our more than fifty knights added on top of that, Gervas's castle will surely be even more secure!"

"Weapons you would never expect?" Knight Captain Lieutenant Dali was taken aback.

He had not been in the South for very long, but he had heard of this Viscount Gervas.

He had heard that this Viscount Gervas had once saved Countess Catherine, so the countess paid special attention to this viscount.

Of course, as a guardian knight, he had been assigned by the Duke to protect Countess Catherine, so he paid no attention to such gossip, nor would he get involved.

And he only felt that it was Gervas's good luck, happening to encounter Countess Catherine in her time of distress and saving her.

Therefore, he had always regarded Gervas and Storm Territory with the same eye as an ordinary minor noble.

But now the countess was actually saying there was some kind of weapon inside that castle capable of defending it.

How could that be possible?

What kind of weapon could close the gap between two hundred humans and over a thousand boar-men?