Chapter 430: I Will Find You, And I Will Kill You!

"Prepare to move out!" Duran ordered.

After receiving the report about what happened a day ago, the King of Britannia not only sent the Royal Inquisitor but also five hundred Royal Guards to assist in the campaign in the Borderlands.

When the Royal Inquisitor arrived in tow of five hundred guards via the teleportation gate, he made sure to tell Dominic that the King was beyond furious.

He added that the Gryphon Battalion better perform well in this war, or else...

Dominic remained calm on the surface, but he understood the King wasn’t joking.

That "or else" implied many things, including the safety of his family and his men’s families.

Although he had already expected the King’s anger and knew its consequences, hearing it straight from the Royal Inquisitor’s mouth made the guillotine they knew was hanging above their heads feel more real.

The role of Dominic and his men was to protect the logistics team, led by Marco.

Since they could no longer soar through the skies after losing their Gryphons, they would need some time to adjust to land warfare.

Duran was lenient enough to let them get used to their new role. However, Dominic understood that sooner or later, he and his men had to distinguish themselves on the battlefield for a chance at redemption.

Vogel and those who had recovered from their sickness had also joined the march.

They numbered forty-four thousand strong, while five thousand soldiers remained inside the fortress to continue recuperating from their injuries and illnesses.

"Vogel, I’ll rely on you to keep an eye on the surroundings," Duran said.

"Leave it to me," Vogel replied.

Unlike Duran and the other soldiers, Vogel’s mount was actually a Rank 5 Winged Tiger.

He bought this from an auction held three years ago and had managed to tame the arrogant beast through brute strength and violence.

The two Generals of the Kingdom of Britannia were Rank 6 powerhouses.

And their talent shone when they commanded troops on the battlefield.

Aware they could be ambushed at any given time, they mobilized their scouts and tightened their formation.

Mages and clerics were positioned in strategic locations, allowing swift barrier-casting to protect the army from surprise attacks.

Two hours later, Duran received reports from the scouts that the coast was clear.

They made a proper sweep of the surroundings, ensuring they would no longer be ambushed once more.

"General, the southeastern plains are cle—arghhh!" The scout suddenly cried out in pain as the connection was suddenly lost.

Duran didn’t hesitate as he ordered the other scouting parties to check what had happened in the southeast.

To his surprise, only twelve of the twenty scouting teams acknowledged his order.

The remaining seven teams didn’t reply, no matter how many times he tried to reach out to them.

"Something is wrong." Vogel, who rode right beside Duran, noticed that the scouts who weren’t replying to Duran were part of his own scouting team.

They were his trusted subordinates who had accompanied him in the wars against the Helion Family, so he was certain of their abilities.

"Captain, take a dozen light cavalry and head southwest," Vogel ordered. "Be on your guard, and report to me if you notice anything suspicious. Don’t stray too far. Maintain a three-mile distance from the main army."

"Yes, General!" the captain of Vogel’s army replied.

A few minutes later, Duran’s subordinates sent back a chilling message through their communication crystal.

"General, the members of the scouting party in the southeast are all dead!" the leader of the scouting party that Duran had sent to investigate reported. "I believe they have been killed by a very skilled archer. Arrows are sticking out of their necks and eyes."

Duran’s expression turned grim upon hearing this report. He then glanced at Vogel, who looked very thoughtful after listening from the side.

The Vermillion Bird General was a powerful archer who could snipe enemies from a mile away.

His name struck fear on the battlefield for this reason.

Unlike normal archers, he had the full advantage of owning an Epic-Grade Bow with an impressive range. The weapon had been discovered in a golden chest dropped by a Boss Monster within the kingdom of Britannia.

"Ask him if they were pierced by an arrow or a crossbow bolt," Vogel insisted. "He knows the difference between them, right?"

If it really was an arrow, then that meant that they were indeed fighting against a very skilled archer.

But if it was a crossbow bolt, it meant that the enemy had attacked them at a shorter distance.

So, what did this mean?

While a skilled archer was scary, a skilled crossbowman was scarier.

Getting that close while also being able to wipe out the entire scouting party without them being able to contact the main army proved that they were very confident in their skills.

"Sir, it’s an arrowhead," the scout reported. "I’m sure of it."

Since the Britannian Army’s scouts used crossbows and bows, they knew the difference between the two.

"Did you notice anything else?" Duran asked.

"All of them were killed in one hit," the scout added. "I believe the enemy had attacked them when they least expec—arghhh!"

"Soldier! What’s wrong?" Duran shouted through the communication crystal. "Report what is happening!"

Through the General’s communication crystal, the sound of panicked shouts and frantic attempts to understand the situation could be heard.

"Enemy attack!"

"Where are they?!"

"Protect the horses!"

"Get down!"

A few minutes passed, and then the communication crystal suddenly went dead silent.

Duran’s expression darkened. "Captain?"

There was no response. His grip on the communication crystal tightened as he once again called out to the scouts that he had sent to investigate the situation.

"Captain, report!" Duran ordered. "Anyone who is still alive, report!"

A few minutes of silence passed. Suddenly, they heard something from the communication crystal that made Duran and Vogel frown.

*Squeak!*

"Good job, Blitz. Hello? Is this thing live? Anyone there?"

Duran and Vogel exchanged a glance. The Vermilion Bird General nodded his head.

"Who are you?" Duran asked.

"Who am I?" a mischievous voice replied. "I am your enemy, of course."

"I’m asking for your name," Duran insisted.

"My name is Lellouche," the voice said in a teasing tone. "Lellouche Vi Britannia."

————

(Somewhere in the multiverse, the Copyright God raised a yellow card.)

————

"Don’t you dare mock us!" Duran growled.

"I just did, though?" the person who went by the name ’Lellouche’ replied. "What’s wrong? You don’t like it? Then come bite me! I can do this all day. All Hail Britannia!"

Cracks appeared on the communication crystal as Duran subconsciously tightened his grip.

"You bastard. I don’t know who you are or where you’re from." Duran growled. "But I will find you, and I will kill you!"

"Not if I kill you first~" Lellouche chuckled. "I just called out to you because I seriously want to ask you a question. Do you not care for your men? They’re dying out here. Oops... another one of your scouting parties just got wiped out.

"Are you really the Black Tortoise General? It’s fitting, if you ask me. You’re as slow as a tortoise. Did you skip breakfast? It seems like your brain is not working fast enough. Any slower and you’d be a Snail General."

A moment later, the sound of laughter echoed from the other side of the communication crystal.

There was even a mix of *squeak squeak*, as if a squirrel was laughing along.

Out of anger, Duran forcefully cut off the connection before looking at Vogel with killing intent oozing from his body.

"I’ll go and check it out," Vogel said calmly.

Now that it had come to this, he needed to personally check on the situation.

"I’m counting on you, Vogel," Duran said. "If you see that bastard, make sure he dies not knowing how he died."

Vogel nodded before lightly tapping the back of his flying tiger.

The powerful monster roared before taking flight.

Vogel flew to the southeast with the intention of finding this "Lellouche", who seemed to be responsible for the deaths of their scouting party.