Wizard: This witcher is neglecting his duties.

Chapter 91 The Road Ahead is Blocked

After the chaos subsided, the atmosphere in the camp became quite strange. Many people were suspicious and believed that there was a traitor in the camp. They were always staring at others, trying to find out who the culprit was.

Some believe it was done by members of the Holober reconnaissance team, because the militia and guilds in the city are now organizing a large-scale force to enter the mountains. Only by hindering the progress of King Niedamir's forces can they obtain the dragon's treasure.

Some believe it was the mage Doregare who did it, because that guy is a madman who spent the whole day yesterday in the camp preaching his theory of the balance of all things, trying to stop everyone from hunting the green dragon.

Moreover, the fire spread so quickly yesterday that the culprit was not discovered. Ordinary people simply do not have that skill. Perhaps a sorcerer can accomplish all of this.

Of course, some people believe it was a dwarven squad, the Raider Brothers, or Yennefergan. These people are highly skilled, and once they outlast the main force, without King Niedamir's obstruction, they can go directly up the mountain to hunt dragons without much supply.

However, in the camp, the person most angered by last night's fire was not the ordinary people, but the young King Nidamir.

Inside the magnificent royal tent, the young king sat on a splendid chair, glaring angrily at Gilensteen, who was kneeling on the ground. His terrifying expression caused the fat steward to break out in a cold sweat that dripped onto the ground.

"Damn it, because of your negligence, our operation has been completely ruined."

"Without food or horses, how are my soldiers supposed to transport equipment up the mountain to participate in the dragon hunt?"

Gilensteen wiped the sweat from his brow, glanced up at the monarch's expression, and tentatively asked:

"Your Majesty, how about we hurry and send people to Hollobor to purchase supplies?"

"A round trip should only take one or two days."

Nie Damir was clearly dissatisfied with the answer and roared angrily:

"That's a free city-state, not my territory. I can't command them. The guilds and militia in the city are also eyeing the dragon's treasure. Do you think these guys will sell us their horses?"

"And if it drags on for a few more days, the dragon might already be gone."

Gillensteen swallowed hard and then suggested:

"Then why don't we discard the unnecessary equipment, travel light, and have the soldiers march up the mountain to resolve this matter as quickly as possible, Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Nie Damir angrily kicked the fat steward and roared:

"Do you want me to hike up the mountain like a farmer?"

"Without those supplies, if something happens to us on the mountain and we get trapped deep in the mountains, your king will be abandoned by his starving soldiers in just five days, not just four, and my nobles will find another puppet to take my place."

"Retreat! Get all our people back!"

"I've said it before, no matter what, Maru's throne is mine. There's no need to come to the deep mountains and forests to hunt this damned dragon."

"I have three hundred cavalry and fifteen hundred infantry in Kangon, enough to fight against their less than a thousand men. They will eventually recognize my legitimacy. As long as they fight their way out, they will acknowledge me."

"As for their princess, that fat cow, I have no intention of growing old with her. Once I've conceived my child through her womb, I can get rid of her using the old methods passed down in the court. We've said enough, Gilensteen, it's time to carry out my orders."

"Before we enter the Great Kestrel Mountains, let's withdraw our people. I shouldn't have listened to your suggestion and participated in this damned dragon hunt."

"But Your Majesty, the people of Maruel believe in that prophecy..."

The portly steward, Gilensteen, wanted to say something more, but was ruthlessly interrupted by the young king.

"Shut up. I don't need that prophecy, nor do I need the support of the people. As long as I defeat their army, the throne will be mine."

"Execute my order and retreat now, or I'll have my soldiers whip you mercilessly."

………………

Although the young king was not particularly intelligent, he was quite capable in taking action.

With his order to retreat, the once large dragon-hunting team was almost entirely wiped out in the blink of an eye.

Only eight men from the Holober scouts led by the shoemaker Kozoed remained, along with the three raider brothers, the dwarf Arpin and his bearded henchmen, the knight Eck of Denesle, Geralt, Yennefer, Dandelion, and the mage Doregare, totaling just over twenty men.

These people, whether for wealth, fame, faith, or their own unspeakable secrets, had no intention of withdrawing from the operation.

Without the burden of the main force, their speed actually increased significantly. In less than half a day, they covered most of the mountain road and arrived at a simple stone bridge on the upper reaches of the Bula River.

Looking at the dilapidated, rickety stone bridge, the three raider brothers at the head of the group hesitated.

The eldest brother, Buhot, turned to look at the dwarf Yarpan and said hesitantly:

"Hey! Dwarf friend, this bridge doesn't look very sturdy."

"Can it support the weight of horses and people?"

Yalpin did not answer him, but instead looked at Kozoyed in the reconnaissance team. This shoemaker in his forties had lived in the area the longest and should be the one who knew the situation in the mountains best.

Kozoyed thought for a moment and said:

"This is a stone bridge built by trolls in the mountains in the past. They wanted to collect tolls by using this bridge, but there were too few people traveling through the deep mountains, so the trolls left."

"This bridge must be several decades old, but the quality of the things the trolls built should be pretty good."

Seeing the hesitant expressions on everyone's faces, Kozoyed added:

"Of course, you can also choose not to take this route and go around the mountainside via another road, which will probably add two days to the journey."

However, after saying this, neither he nor the young men in his reconnaissance team took the initiative to go forward and test whether the bridge was safe. After all, no one wanted to risk their lives to test whether the stone bridge was passable for someone else.

However, among this group was a knight named Ek, who valued faith more than life itself. Whether he had even heard the discussion clearly or not, this tall knight, clad in heavy plate armor and riding an armored warhorse, shouted without hesitation:

"The gods will surely protect me, and justice will surely triumph over evil."

Then he rode his warhorse, with heavy steps, and rushed across the stone bridge at an extremely fast speed.

His gear was indeed heavy, and the horse's hooves made the stone bridge clatter loudly. Many small stones were shaken out from the gaps in the bridge and fell dozens of meters down the cliff, crashing against the ground before finally rolling into the flowing Bula River.

After crossing the stone bridge, Knight Ek did not stop. He rode his beloved horse at a leisurely pace toward the dragon's lair.

This knight had long since lost interest in traveling with others. In his mind, none of the people present were respectable or kind; they were either greedy bandits, evil sorceresses, or mutant witch hunters.

He could use this obstacle to break free from them and challenge the justice he believed in.

The three raider brothers were terrified, but they relaxed after seeing that even the heavily armored Knight Ek could pass through safely.

However, what they didn't know was that Wayne had tampered with the bridge the day before; many of the supporting parts of the bridge deck had been destroyed, making it impossible for anyone else to cross.

This was both to prevent Niedam from refusing to withdraw his troops and insisting on going up the mountain to hunt dragons, thus discouraging him from doing so, and to separate others who wanted to reach the summit.

Unexpectedly, whether it was good luck or the blessing of the gods, Knight Ek managed to charge through at high speed and make it across.

Unfortunately, after he crossed the stone bridge, accompanied by creaking and cracking sounds, the stone bridge, built by trolls decades ago, collapsed into many huge blocks that fell down the cliff into the river below.

This scene was also witnessed by Wayne and Borch, who were hiding near the mountaintop.

Wayne turned to look at Borch and said with a smile:

"It's your turn, my friend. This Knight Ek is an upright man who upholds chivalry and values ​​faith."

"Although he's mentally ill, he's still a good person."

"He is your first duel opponent, and he will absolutely not refuse a fair duel with you."

"However, if possible, please spare his life. After all, there are fewer and fewer good people in this world."

Borch laughed heartily, nodded, and said:

"You handled it very well, my friend. Those who still want to hunt dragons now deserve what they got."

"I've heard a little bit about this Knight Ekko's reputation."

"Perhaps he is a good man to you northern races, but to those demi-human races, or other ugly creatures."

"Knight Ek is like a ruthless killer. In his eyes, only a few races are allowed to survive, while the rest don't even have the right to live."

(End of this chapter)