52: Fierce Battle (Four Thousand)

The Sheriff's eyelids twitched, a cursed omen that had never been wrong.

At this moment, she was trapped in this small chapel.

Her deputy, a father of three, was painfully curled up in the corner.

His abdomen had been torn open by the furry beast's sharp claws, leaving a terrible gash.

His intestines slipped out of the wound, dragging on the ground.

However, his strong desire to live led him to do something horrifying.

"Damn... damn it, Boss... Boss. My intestines are spilling out!"

He cried out, stuffing his intestines back into his belly.

"Shut up, Ferman. I'll get you out of here."

"Boss... Boss, if I die, give my pension to my mother, not my... my wife."

"Shut up!"

The Sheriff's eyelids twitched even more violently.

Relying on years of experience and keen intuition, she suddenly dodged to the side, avoiding the beast's fatal claw attack.

Immediately after, she swiftly swung the sword in her hand, forcing back a Ratman attempting a sneak attack.

However, the crisis was not over; another Ratman attacked from the side.

Adelaide inwardly cursed—she couldn't dodge it!

Just at this critical moment, Ferman struggled and lunged at the attacker.

His weak body collided heavily with the Ratman, tripping him to the ground.

The tripped Ratman let out a sharp, unwilling hiss.

The short knife in his hand continuously stabbed into Ferman's arm and neck, and blood gushed out like a fountain, staining the ground.

Adelaide roared, spun around, and delivered a kick that directly shattered the beast's front teeth.

At the same time, the Werewolf attacked again, and this time, he succeeded.

The Sheriff felt a sharp pain in her back.

The next second, her entire body was sent flying by a tremendous force.

She stumbled forward a few steps, barely managing to steady herself.

But before she could catch her breath, the Werewolf was already close.

Adelaide gritted her teeth, turned, and wildly swung her sword, trying to block him.

Her sword was parried, and she took a solid punch to the abdomen.

The violent impact made her entire stomach feel as if it were churning.

She spat out a mouthful of bile, enduring the sharp pain to knee him hard in the groin.

The move worked.

The Werewolf let out a wail and, in pain, had no choice but to throw his caught prey away.

The Sheriff rolled on the ground to absorb the impact of falling.

Then she sprang up, drew the dagger hidden in her boot, and stabbed it into the neck of a Ratman attempting a sneak attack.

Blood splattered on her face.

She stood up, pulled out the dagger, and looked at the Werewolf not far away.

The Werewolf bent down and picked up the dying deputy, then slit his throat with his sharp claws right in front of the Sheriff.

"I'll skin you and wear your hide as a robe soon!" the Sheriff snarled through gritted teeth.

-----------------

Godwin took only half an hour to compile an asset list for the Fada Family.

"This is just a rough estimate," he explained.

Arthur had just healed the wounded soldier with an arrow in his shoulder.

He didn't take the list but instead instructed, "Just tell me the numbers, I don't have time to look through it."

"Yes, My Lord, my oversight.

"According to the mountain folk's estimates, the fur inventory is worth approximately three hundred gold coins.

"Additionally, I also found a small box of Chult artifacts, value unknown.

"The cash collected is roughly over a hundred gold coins."

"A small village chief is so rich," Arthur couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder he chose to rebel."

"My Lord, that's the case. Some of the furs were likely obtained through plunder.

"Because I found many boxes engraved with the surname Jason."

"Alright, distribute the money. Add one more thing: have the villagers report Cyric cultists in the village.

"Tell them there's a reward for reporting, you decide the specific amount.

"Be generous; I don't want those cultists causing trouble in the dark."

A family knight beside him added, "Have the soldiers directly imprison any confirmed Cyric cultists in the old mansion."

Godwin nodded and immediately turned to carry it out.

"Damn it, we've already lost two soldiers," Dylan said after Godwin left. "If it weren't for your ability to cast divine spells, My Lord, it would probably be three."

Arthur frowned, "If we don't deal with those bandits soon, the casualties will only increase.

"How is the interrogation of the Fada Family going?"

"I was just about to report to you. According to your instructions, we interrogated them separately and cross-referenced... cross..."

"Cross-referenced," Arthur corrected, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

"Yes, cross-referenced. Uh, they mostly matched up.

"The Fada Family changed their faith after the war twenty-three years ago."

Arthur pondered slightly, "I know of that war for the Supreme Council seats.

After the war's defeat, many from the Evil Wolf Family turned to the Falcon Family.

After all, we lost, and they won.

The Falcon Family also successfully replaced the Crow Family as a member of the Supreme Council.

But I didn't expect even Red Maple Village, so close to Wolf Den City, to be incited."

Dylan waited for Arthur to finish, then continued his report: "According to Old Fada, in the fifth year after the war,

several Shadows disguised as fur traders found him and invested in building the fur processing camp.

By the time he realized who he was dealing with, it was too late for regret.

Plus, selling fur products indeed made him and his family a lot of money. So..."

Arthur nodded, "Colluding with Shadow Thieves is nothing; if that were a crime, the entire Earldom would probably not find a single perfect person.

I want to know what made him decide to participate in the rebellion?

The Fada Family isn't like those furriers.

They have enough money to maintain a wealthy life; there's no need to take this risk."

"My Lord, human ambition is endless.

They might have initially just wanted good food and nice clothes.

But gradually, their demands grew higher.

Old Fada said they had always coveted the mountain folk's hunting grounds because that place has precious Fallow Deer.

This type of deer is slightly larger than a goat, with very beautiful fur, and its leather products are very popular among the upper class in Esputa.

Those Shadow Thieves promised to help him drive away the mountain folk so his family could monopolize that hunting ground.

Of course, that's secondary. The most important thing is that after the second... no... Richard becomes the Earl, the Fada Family would be promoted to nobility."

"So that's it. Alright, organize all the relevant letters and confessions and send someone back to Wolf Den City."

Arthur issued instructions, "Have my father squeeze out some more manpower to assist us, in case those mercenaries refuse to help.

Then tell Godwin to set aside some money to reward the soldiers."

"My Lord, regarding rewarding the soldiers, I think... you know.

Before we set out, Robert and the Earl both instructed that all the money obtained from this mission is yours."

"Old fellow, I think you're confused," Arthur laughed. "Since it's mine, I can give it to whomever I want.

Besides, you heard it, those mountain bandits are all seasoned mercenaries who live by the sword.

If a real fight breaks out, the casualties will likely be severe.

Spending a small amount of money to stabilize morale is a profitable venture."

Seeing My Lord say this, the family knight no longer spoke much.

He was naturally happy that his subordinates would receive money, especially after casualties had already occurred.

"Then I'll thank you, My Lord, on behalf of those fellows."

Arthur waved his hand, "Go do it quickly."

-----------------

The Sheriff's leather armor on her chest was torn open, revealing blood-stained clothing underneath.

Without a suitable weapon, she could only retreat under the siege of three Beastmen.

Pain came from all over her body, and every dodge and block consumed her dwindling physical strength.

She secretly prayed, hoping that her subordinates guarding the temple entrance would react and come in to help.

But as time ticked by, that hope became increasingly slim.

The three Beastmen formed a triangular formation, attacking from different directions, blocking all her exits.

Adelaide took a deep breath, preparing for a final desperate struggle in her heart.

Just then, a spiked club whistled from the doorway, cutting through the air, and struck the Ratman on the left.

The Ratman let out a scream and fell to the ground.

The Sheriff immediately seized this hard-won opportunity and awkwardly escaped the encirclement from the left.

"You sons of bitches, Beastmen, come and have a go with me!" Iron Shovel shouted as he rushed into the chapel.

Behind him followed three disheveled Sheriffs.

The Werewolf, having missed again, let out an angry howl.

A figure suddenly rushed at him quickly.

The Werewolf instinctively dodged sideways, but the short sword that came whistling through the air also changed direction accordingly.

The short sword cut a gash across his chest, and piercing pain immediately followed.

Before he could react, the deadly short sword attacked again.

This time, it was his abdomen.

Two consecutive deadly stabs made the Werewolf grimace in pain, and he quickly retreated backward.

He looked at the attacker with bloodshot eyes; it was a masked fellow.

Although not tall, he was quite agile.

And his animal instincts told him that this fellow exuded deadly danger.

"Come on, you little brat, taste Grandpa Dwarf's hammer!"

Iron Shovel, on the side, seized the opportunity and slammed his warhammer into a Ratman.

The Ratman squealed in pain and was quickly chopped into pieces by the surrounding Sheriffs.

The other Ratman's situation was not much better.

Under the siege of several people, he was also quickly hacked to death.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the Werewolf turned and ran towards a nearby window.

Jessica seemed to have anticipated his move and threw the short sword in his hand.

The short sword flew past the Werewolf's ear, forcing him to stop.

Immediately after, he charged at the Werewolf, but the Werewolf suddenly turned and swung his sharp claws.

This counter-attack caught Jessica off guard.

He had no choice but to activate the beast within him.

The Werewolf was surprised to find that his attack had been dodged by the opponent.

Then a whole piece of flesh was torn from his thigh, blood gushed out, and he wailed, wanting to escape.

But Jessica's speed was even faster.

He leaped up, pounced on the Werewolf, and knocked him to the ground.

Immediately after, he raised his hand and plunged it into the opponent's chest.

The Werewolf spat out a mouthful of blood, looking at the person in front of him in disbelief.

As he slowly transformed back into human form, he said, "Cough cough, you are... you are... a mutt... a mutt!"

Jessica suppressed the restless beastiality within him.

He pulled out his blood-stained hand and let out a long sigh.

"Are you alright, kid?" Old Dwarf walked up to him and asked.

Jessica nodded and whispered, "Why are Beastmen appearing in a place like this?"

"I have no idea," the Dwarf shrugged. "But I know who likes to keep these beasts."

"The Falcon Family!" Jessica spat out the name like a curse.

-----------------

The mercenary captain who dismounted was a tall, ox-strong woman.

She only had half her hair; the other half was an ugly scar from a healed burn.

She extended her calloused hand and shook Arthur's tightly, then said, "Ms. Kamara.

Leader of the Redtail Sparrow Mercenary Group. Are you Adelaide's nephew?"

"Yes, you can call me Arthur."

"I'll still call you My Lord," the mercenary captain said. "I don't want to get whipped."

The mercenaries behind her all laughed.

Dylan's face turned ashen; he couldn't ignore such rude provocation, especially coming from a woman.

"Is that how you met my aunt too? You didn't want to get whipped by her?"

Arthur retorted unceremoniously.

The atmosphere grew tense.

The family knight reached for his sword.

However, the mercenary captain burst into laughter: "You've got guts, kid.

Truly your aunt's nephew, I'm starting to like you already."

"Oh? Then your 'little one' is going to be unlucky, My Lord."

Someone among the mercenaries yelled out.

This remark made the mercenaries laugh again.

"Your aunt, that damn woman, knocked out one of my teeth the first time we met."

The mercenary captain pulled back her lip with her finger, revealing a gold tooth inside.

She continued indistinctly, "But I broke her nose, haha. Then we became friends.

You know, My Lord, your aunt and I once had a competition to see who could screw more men in one night. I won!"

"I can tell," Arthur wished he were deaf at this point.

"Very well, then let's talk about business."

"Please!"

Arthur gestured for the mercenary captain to discuss details at the Fada Family's old mansion.

The reception room on the first floor of the old mansion was serving as a temporary war council room.

The mercenary captain swaggered in and sat down in a chair.

Her legs were spread so wide that Arthur had to avert his gaze.

"What do you want us to do?" she asked impatiently.

Arthur replied, "There's a group of bandits in Howling Mountain. I'd like to invite you to cooperate with us in subjugating them."

"Is that so? I owe your aunt a favor, I won't go into details.

I'll help you. Tell me about these bandits."

Just as Dylan was about to introduce the current situation to her, Arthur spoke first: "They're not just a group of bandits, but a group of seasoned mercenaries.

I think since we're going to cooperate, it's necessary to tell you the truth."

Dylan was startled; he didn't understand why My Lord would do this.

Subjugating bandits and mercenaries were not the same thing, and the compensation required would also differ.

He had originally intended to conceal this matter to prevent these mercenaries from changing their minds or asking for an exorbitant price.

"Continue, My Lord, I'm listening," the mercenary captain's face darkened.

"It's said that the leader of these mercenaries is a fellow named Kai," Arthur said.

"Kai?" The mercenary captain sprang up from her seat. "Wait a moment, My Lord."

She began fumbling at her chest and, after a moment, pulled out a somewhat crumpled portrait from her inner lining.

"Does this fellow named Kai look like this?" she asked.

"Old fellow, go call Farda and his son, and have them identify him," Arthur turned to Dylan and said.

The family knight immediately left the room.

Arthur took the portrait, examining it carefully as he asked, "Who is this fellow?"

"Kai Brutal. Leader of the Blood Lion Mercenary Group. I have some history with him."

"History?" Arthur asked.

"He and his bastard dogs ambushed us once, causing us to lose many men. And my hair!"

"Sounds serious."

Ms. Kamara smiled, her grin holding a hint of ruthlessness.

"Oh~ My Lord, it's more than just serious!

If it's really him and his bastard dogs, then please let us lead the charge!"