A Scumbag Always Gets What He Deserves

39: The brand of love

Every city in the country was conscripting soldiers.

Grande was a major military town. Jian Qiao, who happened to be staying there, naturally couldn't escape military service.

Although he'd only brought a dozen or so knight captains, these captains had hundreds of knights under their command. As soon as they gave the order, these knights would march from Desolette and form a sizable army.

Of course, lords with far greater military power than Jian Qiao abounded, and all of them were enlisting in the army.

"Lord Rege didn't join the expedition." The knight commander who went outside to inquire about the news hurried back with a worried look. "Lord Rege was detained in the palace by Queen Moen and prevented from leaving. For one thing, he's about to get married, and he can't leave his bride to go fight in such a situation. But the Principality of Orson is sending troops to aid Gloria, which will be a great help. So it doesn't matter whether he goes or not. As long as he marries Princess Clarice, he's already fulfilled his responsibility to protect the country.

"For another thing, Schuster's commander-in-chief is General Landon. General Landon once defeated Lord Rege and tortured him in a dungeon for three months. It's said that when Lord Rege escaped there wasn't a single patch of uninjured flesh on his body. General Langdon is the only formidable enemy he couldn't defeat. Queen Moen feared he'd die at the hands of General Landon, so she trapped him. Our commander-in-chief is Prince Andrew, which is terrible news. He doesn't know how to fight at all, but he loves adventure! Going to the front line with him is tantamount to gambling with your life. But the army of the Principality of Orson is very powerful, and that's our chance to pull through."

The knight commander anxiously analyzed the situation.

Jian Qiao's attention, however, was completely diverted.

He bit his pale lips and asked, "Rege was imprisoned for three months? Did, did he suffer a lot of wounds?"

The knight commander: "... Yes, he was tortured beyond recognition. It's said that several chunks of flesh were gouged from his body, and his legs were broken and left to heal on their own, which made him somewhat deformed. After returning, he had his legs rebroken and set, and with a full six months of bedrest he finally recovered. Langdon is an extremely cruel man. Like Prince Andrew, he takes pleasure in murder. Of all the enemy generals who fell into his hands, Lord Rege is the only one who lived."

Jian Qiao held his dizzy head.

He couldn't stop imagining Rege's blood-stained body. He felt a cold sweat on his skin, and the excruciating ache in his chest made him shudder.

The knight commander reminded him, "Right now you should consider how to survive this war. Your health...."

He looked up and down at his master's thin body that was shaking like a leaf, and his expression was very uneasy. Forget going to the front. A cold rain on the road to the camp and his master could die of sickness.

In the army there were no high beds or soft pillows for him to convalesce, no expensive medicines for his treatment, and being exposed to the elements was a daily routine.

As he thought of this the knight commander rubbed his brow in distress.

Jian Qiao, however, was still concerned about Rege. "How did he escape? Is he completely healed from his injuries? He's right not to go. He shouldn't go—"

The knight commander reached the end of his forbearance and couldn't help but remind him, "My lord, there's no guarantee you'll live!"

Jian Qiao: "..."