CHAPTER 62: CHAPTER 55: BANDIT SUPPRESSION

In utter terror, Leonard felt like he’d grasped a lifeline and hurriedly asked, "Sir, what should I do?"

Losa asked thoroughly:

"First, tell me how this desert bandit gang set their sights on you. Who did you encounter on your journey to Montreal? Who knows that you’re carrying a large amount of Suludes?"

Leonard stammered, "Well...that is, ah, when I set out, only the five soldiers I brought knew about it. They’ve been stationed at Jorgelisburg for a long time, absolutely loyal and reliable, because in the past when I paid taxes, I’d never been robbed..."

"The village with half the population being heretics is called Antoga, it’s the closest to Montreal, so we passed there and asked for water."

"I don’t know if any of them noticed I was carrying a lot of Suludes, as I kept the money on me the whole time, but the jingling sound from the money bag was something I couldn’t hide."

"..."

The panic in Leonard’s heart gradually calmed down, and he began to seriously recall everything he’d experienced.

He spoke without missing a detail, even mentioning how many times he relieved himself along the way.

"Okay, then I’ll ask you one last question. Was there a male eagle circling overhead the whole time while you were traveling?"

Leonard felt a chill, "Sir, how did you know? I thought it was the Heavenly Father’s will, that your emblem transformed into a black eagle, watching over us!"

Losa waved his hand:

"Alright, I understand. Next, you need to widely spread a message: That Baron Losa of Jorgelisburg intends to bring a generous gift to Kaler Castle to visit the esteemed Countess Stephanie."

Losa patted Leonard’s shoulder, "If you mess up this simple task, even posthumously, I won’t let anyone put a cross on your tombstone."

Leonard shivered all over.

If there’s no cross on the tombstone after death, it’s destined never to return to the Heavenly Father’s embrace.

"I will, I’ll definitely do it well."

Losa added, "Your subordinates too, tell them the consequences; the Heavenly Father grants me mercy, but mercy will not descend upon Judas’s head."

Watching Leonard leave cautiously.

Losa spoke, "Furin, is everything he said true?"

The girl hanging upside down from the ceiling descended silently like a ghost.

"It’s true."

"But isn’t your plan too hasty? If I were the bandit leader, I’d definitely lie low, at least for the short term, I wouldn’t make a move again."

Losa nodded, "What you say makes sense; conventional methods of lying in wait surely won’t be effective."

"Although Reynard is brutal, aggressive, he’s a decent general; otherwise, he couldn’t have played a pivotal role in the battle of Mongisa. Pretending to be a caravan, lying in wait, I believe he could think of it too."

"But this gang of desert robbers has falcons; they can clearly see through our reality, and after having smooth sailing for so many years, even the King of the Dead Sea, Reynard, couldn’t deal with them, do you think this Bandit Corps would take seriously a little lord from such a remote area like me?"

"I’ll only bring Hans and his Winged Cavalry; besides them, it’ll just be you and Prajna."

"This strategy can only be used by us; normally, these bandits surely won’t fear a mere seven people, even if five of them are fully armed cavalry."

"I see."

The plan became clear by this point.

"We’re not aiming for annihilation, as long as we repel them."

Furinjira pondered, "And leave one or two survivors, then I can use my charm ability to inquire from their mouths the location of their camp."

"Exactly."

At this moment, faint footsteps came from outside the corridor.

Prajna, wrapped in a bathrobe, with slender and fair bare feet, walked in from outside. Seemingly sensing the solemn atmosphere, she slightly tilted her head, her black, smooth long hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

"Did I seem to miss something?"

Losa made an effort to move his gaze away from that snowy white view, "I’ll tell you later, first put on some clothes."

Prajna’s indifferent eyes glanced briefly at Furinjira, making the vampire lady gnash her small white teeth.

Isn’t it just that her chest is bigger, her butt is perkier, her legs are longer?

What’s so great about it!

Losa turned around.

The rustle of clothing sounded.

Prajna took out clothes from the wardrobe and changed into them.

"Ready?"

"Mm."

"You two, come with me to the church."

Furinjira frowned, "Sir, are you sure you want me, a vampire, to go with you to pray? Aren’t you afraid of a divine thunder from the Heavenly Father striking down?"

Losa carelessly stated an irreverent remark, "If the Heavenly Father cared about such things, then he wouldn’t be the Heavenly Father."

They walked into the church together.

In Losa’s hands appeared a white statue, topped with a circular halo, grasping a crossed Armed Sword and Kite Shield, with wings on the back.

Its prototype should be the Saint Michael Statue.

Losa placed the statue at the end of the church table, where below the mosaic brick pieced holy image lay.

Under the sunlight.

The white statue seemed to glow like a radiant golden deity, instinctively inducing a sense of worship.

"It can make subjects more loyal to me."

Losa explained.

He sighed inwardly, perhaps he really was going to ride CEO Yuri’s road unchecked.

...

By evening time.

The sky darkened slightly, but the temperature didn’t drop.

The earth, baked all day, began to release the accumulated warmth freely.

Hans and three Winged Cavalry followed behind Losa.

These young cavalrymen clad in mirror-like, well-maintained half-body plate armor.

Everyone wielded a lance three meters long, and the wings on their backs made them look even more impressive.

The Winged Cavalry’s lances were too long; even the shortest was 4 meters, thus they were hollow, pieced together from two sections of spruce wood, easy to break.

These lances were not practical, at least within Losa’s territory, it was impossible to manufacture or purchase such special lances.

Thus Losa ordered them to switch to traditional lances, more practical and easier to replace.

Prajna and Furinjira, the two ladies, followed by Losa’s side.

Leonard drove the coach, which was loaded with "valuable" cargo covered in felt cloth.

He was the only candidate outside the plan.

If he could survive this attack, his and his subordinates’ offenses would be erased.

In the sky, alongside a crisp eagle’s cry, the male eagle soared, seemingly echoing the Black Eagle Banner hanging high on the coach.

Losa exchanged a glance with the eagle, lowered his head indifferently, and a trace of coldness flashed in his eyes.

...

In the distance, the desert light cavalry, riding fast horses, gazed at the bright armor that nearly reflected light, their eyes filled with greed, "They really only have five cavalry."

"Of course, never question what the chief sees with eagle eyes."

"You go inform the chief, I’ll keep an eye on them."

"Don’t let them get away, this boastful Baron Yorgelisburg, wouldn’t he think that because we robbed his subordinates once, there wouldn’t be a second time shortly?"

The Bedouin wrapped in a white headscarf sneered.

"I heard that the coach is filled with gifts for that woman Stephanie, this damn woman, has hanged quite a few of our brothers."

"Perhaps the chief will agree to send this foolish baron’s head to that bitch as a gift."

"No, that’s impossible; the chief appreciates how this baron treats his tribesmen equally. He wouldn’t kill this baron."

The Bedouin expressed some dissatisfaction, "When these Frank people slaughtered our tribesmen, they weren’t merciful in the least; why do we need to show them righteousness?"