Chapter 302 - Don’t Die (1/2)

Alphord’s expression turned grim as he looked at Paveluc leaving with his escort of soldiers.

‘Did my attempt fail?’

Alphord had abandoned all expectations of surviving from the beginning. He knew all too well that he couldn’t win, but that didn’t mean he would die in vain. His ultimate goal was to rescue Elena, but he also hoped to deal a severe blow to Paveluc. If Alphord and his knights could take him out, there would be nothing better. Even if the odds were slim…the final goal was to kill the traitor.

It was a massive stroke of luck when Alphord saw Paveluc enter the battlefield, and Alphord quickly arranged a plan with a few of his men. If two of them could restrain Paveluc, Alphord could strike the grand duke with a fatal blow.

Realistically, Alphord did not view the plan with a high chance of success, as Paveluc was not one to be killed by such an attack. In the end, he only ended up with an injury to his hand, but…

‘I suppose…I should be satisfied with just that.’

It was a pity that only one hand was obtained in exchange for Alphord’s and his men’s lives, but it wasn’t too bad if the hand was Paveluc’s.

Alphord knocked down an enemy with his sword, but an attack from the side caught him by surprise.

“Aagh!

Before he could check the wound, another enemy soldier rushed at him.

Kang kang!

Alphord tried to push through the bodies of men and run towards to Paveluc, but the battlefield was packed with enemies. He cast his eyes around to assess the current situation. There were about eighty Ruford knights in the beginning, and now they were down to only ten. And that number continued to decrease.

Eight, seven…now three.

At that moment, a spear struck Alphord’s shoulder. He staggered back, just as another enemy soldier rushed at him. His vision blurred before him, but he gritted his teeth to keep focus. With all his strength, he slashed at his opponent’s neck. At the same time, the enemy’s attack landed on him, and blood spurted from his forearm.

“Haa, haa.”

He barely had enough strength to even lift his sword. Nevertheless, Alphord straightened his back and faced the battlefield. He was the leader of the Fourth Order of Knights of the Ruford Empire. He always lived by the sword, and fought for the palace. Because of that…

‘I’m taking down one more person with me.’

Alphord kept swinging his sword. Even though he felt no sensation in his hands, and he was so exhausted that he couldn’t even see properly, his blade danced and spun in the air.

Suddenly, a sword was lodged in Alphord’s flank. He stumbled at the fatal attack.

Not even a beat later, another long spear shot towards him and stabbed his stomach.

Peoeog!

Alphord’s body fell backwards and hit the ground. He shuddered for a few moments, and then went limp.

“You son of a bitch…”

The enemy soldier was heaving deep breaths and sweating profusely. It had been a terrible fight indeed, and the red color on Alphord’s blond hair was evidence to its ferocity. Another soldier came up to him.

“What happened?”

The soldier who had struck Alphord with a spear nodded at the body.

“He’s dead.”

The other soldier nodded at hearing the report, and he saw Paveluc approaching them.

“How is your hand, My Lord?”

The bleeding had already been stopped, and the wound was covered in bandages. Paveluc replied in a dismissive voice.

“I’m fine, so don’t make a fuss.”

Paveluc looked at the bodies of the fallen Ruford knights strewn on the battlefield, including Alphord’s. The soldier next to him reported the situation immediately.

“I confirmed that they’re all dead.”

“Is that so?”

Paveluc regretted that he wasn’t the one to tear Alphord apart in payment for his injured hand, but that was not the immediate problem.

“I’ve been fooled by their decoy, so the Empress must have crossed the border.”

“Yes…it’s likely she’s not in Lunen anymore.”

Paveluc’s face tightened in anger, and the soldier stiffened next to him. However, Paveluc didn’t have the luxury to vent his rage on something that was already beyond his control. There was other business to attend to.

“We’ll have to change our initial plans. Take all the remaining troops and go to the border. Make it appear that I’m with you. I will go to the Kingdom of Jenar with a small group, so we can move quickly.”

“Kingdom of Jenar?”

“Yes. There’s a private conversation I need to finish with them.”

It would be difficult to reverse the current unfavorable situation, even if Paveluc went into battle himself. He needed to get to Jenar. Carlisle was able to fend him off in a far greater capacity than he expected, and Paveluc’s window to victory was rapidly closing. Above all, the Kelt Kingdom was becoming nervous and almost ready to abandon Lunen. Paveluc could not let this persist.

It was why he had to make another choice—the Jenar kingdom. They had long coveted land from the Ruford Empire, and had secretly contacted Paveluc several times and expressed their willingness to help. Just as with the Kelt Kingdom, however, it was a high price to pay for allies. Paveluc refused them…until now. Such was his desperation.

He turned towards the soldier.

“Remember, no one knows I’m heading for Jenar.”

“Yes, sir!”

But there was something they did not know.

Alphord was thought to be dead on the ground, but his fingers twitched slightly.

***

Elena personally led a group of forty knights and began to trace Alphord’s path. Numerous Lunen soldiers had crawled the landscape in search of Elena not that long ago, but now the way ahead of them was relatively clear. They must have assumed that she crossed the border. It had gone as planned. Because of that, she would be able to reach Alphord’s location easily.

“Ah…”