Firearms in a Fantasy World

Chapter 157: Interrogation 1

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Duke Dodge and his companions walked silently along the corridor, their faces grave.

"Duke, sir!"

It was Leicester who spoke up.

"I request permission to personally patrol outside the fortress to verify the scout's report. Based on his description, regular soldiers wouldn't be able to handle that situation."

Duke Dodge pondered for a moment before replying, "Let's hear reports from other scouts first."

Throughout the following day, the Duke gathered reports from several batches of scouts who had gone out for reconnaissance. However, he found nothing unusual. Some had encountered rebel scouts but none had experienced the situation described by the wounded scout.

It seemed... that the incident encountered by the injured scout was an isolated case? Or was he lying?

After careful consideration, he agreed to Viscount Leicester's request, allowing him to lead his elite scout cavalry on patrol.

Prior to this, there was an unspoken agreement between them and the rebels not to encroach into each other's alert zones. However, the incident from last night clearly violated this agreement, suggesting that they needed to make some adjustments to the current situation.

...

Not far south of Thorns Fortress, there was a small town that now bore little resemblance to its former self.

The outskirts of the town were surrounded by a tall, thick stone wall adorned with various defensive structures. Outside the wall, a deep trench had been dug, filled with densely packed wooden spikes. Anyone unfortunate enough to fall into the trench would have no chance of survival.

Fully armed patrol guards could be seen walking back and forth atop the stone wall, vigilant and wary of the north.

This place had been transformed by the rebels into a small fortress.

Originally, their encampment was further north and closer to Thorns Fortress. This faction of rebels had no intention of attacking Thorns Fortress, as Duke Giles had tasked them solely with monitoring the Kingdom's army stationed there and preventing them from roaming freely.

However, one night, a small force suddenly emerged from the fortress, quietly took out the visible and hidden sentries in a corner of the camp, and then proceeded to set fires everywhere, causing considerable chaos.

Fortunately, their numbers were small, and they were quickly repelled by the soldiers' spontaneous counterattack. But the fires and ensuing panic kept the entire camp in turmoil throughout the night.

When news of this embarrassing incident reached "Greedy Wolf," Duke Giles was furious and immediately appointed a new commander to take charge of this force.

Taking command of this rebel force—referred to by themselves as the "Southern Army"—was a fierce warrior named Samal, who was one of Giles's trusted lieutenants.

When Samal received his appointment, many of his colleagues expressed regret for him, as at that time the Southern Army was busy dealing with local lords who were unwilling to obey Duke Giles. Taking on this "guard duty" meant fewer opportunities for personal military achievements.

However, Samal was secretly delighted. He had long foreseen that Duke Giles would sooner or later lead an army northward. Even if the Duke did not march north, the royal army would eventually move south. By monitoring Thorns Fortress, he was likely to be at the forefront when the time came to confront real enemies, not these insignificant southern rebels. Naturally, opportunities for military achievements would then arise continuously.