Raise Joan of Arc to be an empress, then discard her.

The assistants fell silent. No one could answer this question. Big shots might treat other people's lives and deaths as just numbers, but if it were their own daughter, they would go crazy.

“Lord Charles is near the High Cliff Mountains; perhaps we can help him,” another knight said.

“If I were the enemy, and I wanted to launch an attack on the Duke of Lucerne, I would be fully prepared,” Aaron said.

“If things really go as we expect, they have been planning for months, they have everything ready, and if we let Charles leave the High Cliffs, it will play right into their hands.”

Indeed, for the past two months, the Obsidian Knights had been pondering: if they truly knew about the High Cliff Mountains, why hadn't they launched an attack? What secrets did the High Cliff Mountains hold?

Looking back now, Carol was very likely the opportunity they had been waiting for: a duke's daughter and a nobleman of all ranks in Esgard.

The High Cliffs Mountains are a state secret. All the knights present were secretly stationed there. Even Duke Augustine was unaware of this. The Duke was completely oblivious to the dangers there, and they thought central Lucerne was safe.

If the Duke of Lucerne's daughter had been abducted by rebels near the High Cliffs, it would have been a major case that shocked the world.

Carol was the Duke of Augustine's only daughter, and anyone who knew the Augustines knew that Carol was the apple of their eye. If Carol were captured, it would be tantamount to tearing open the Duke and Duchess's hearts. His assistant was right; the Duke of Augustine would "go mad."

If, by then, someone with ulterior motives were to tell Duke Augustine that when Carol was captured, the Obsidian Knights were actually stationed nearby, but they did nothing, watching Carol being taken away by bandits without offering any assistance...

The Leclerc family will definitely break with the Obsidian Knights, or worse, the best-case scenario is that they will turn from supporting them to opposing them, and the worst-case scenario is that the forces that originally supported them will turn into their mortal enemies, locked in a life-or-death struggle.

"We'll send reinforcements immediately..." The assistant, realizing the terrible consequences, trembled. He quickly regained his senses and said to Aaron, but Aaron interrupted him. Aaron turned his head and gave the knights standing beside him a deep look.

“Lord Aaron…you are going to…” the assistant said in a trembling voice.

“I’ll write Enzo a leave note; I won’t be attending tomorrow’s meeting.” Aaron pulled down his sleeves, picked up a robe from the hanger, and draped it over his shoulders. “I have to go on a business trip.”

The Trap Set in Chapter 29

"Do you wish to go there yourself, Lord Aaron?"

Aaron took out the letter Carol had sent: "After refusing so many times, it's time to accept Duke Augustine's invitation."

"Lord Aaron, if they foresaw everything, did they also foresee that you would go there? Could the High Cliff Mountains be a trap to lure you there?"

A newly arrived knight voiced his concerns, which were entirely justified, but as soon as he finished speaking, a chorus of cold laughter erupted around him.

"First, the enemy is not like our king, truly omniscient and omnipotent; they cannot possibly foresee everything."

“Secondly, if they really anticipated that Lord Aaron would discover their plan, then they shouldn’t have launched this attack in the first place,” the assistant said with a sneer.

"Whether I'm walking right into their trap or not, I should go there. If it really is a trap they set, I'm curious what kind of trap could possibly hold me." Aaron, having put on his trench coat, walked out the door.

*

Early morning, at Aurelia's residence.

As Aurelia yawned and stepped out of her room, she discovered that it looked like a thief had broken into her house.

The man had barged in, not only throwing fine charcoal into the fireplace and lighting it, but also taking good wine from her cupboard, choosing her favorite wine glasses from the wine cabinet, and even leisurely sitting down at her dining table to sip his drink.

“Why did you come here? I thought a thief had broken into the house. Pour me a drink too,” Aurelia said.

"I haven't been here long." The person who barged in was Aaron. Aaron put down his wine glass. "I hope you live a few more years, so I won't pour you any more wine."

"You're so stingy. I'm not at the point where I'd die from just one drink." Aurelia plopped down next to Aaron. "So, what happened this time?"

Aaron didn't answer immediately, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to speak. Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Joan of Arc appeared in the doorway.

"Joan of Arc? What brings you here?" Aurelia looked at her in surprise.

"My teacher asked me to come over." Jeanne looked at Aaron. It was rare for Aaron to suddenly call her over, which meant that an unusual emergency had occurred, so she rushed over immediately.

"I'm going on a long trip, and I have something to tell you."

"Are you on a mission? What happened?" Joan of Arc came to Aaron's side.

“The matter is indeed not simple. Perhaps we are being paranoid, but perhaps someone has plotted a scheme to kidnap Duke Augustine’s daughter and seize the mineral resources of the High Cliff Mountains. They have been sending spies to Asgard to gather intelligence and have been planning this for several months. The matter has reached a point where it must be dealt with.”

"Such a big thing..." Even Joan of Arc was shocked.

Will the teacher handle this personally?

"Yes, I need to go there in person. For this purpose, the enemy may send an army."

"teacher……"

Although Aaron occasionally had to deal with such national wars, Joan of Arc knew that with her teacher's strength, he wouldn't encounter any danger, but Joan of Arc was always worried.

"It's alright. I asked you to come here so that you could take care of Aurelia for me while I'm away."

“It sounds like I’ll be settling down my affairs sooner than you are.” Aurelia raised an eyebrow.

Aaron ignored her and continued, "Also, I have something to give you. Do you still have the Stone of Omniscience that I gave you before?"

"Yes, it's still on me."

"Very good. Contact me if anything happens. If you encounter danger, crush the Omniscient Stone so I can sense it."

After saying this, Aaron took out two chess-like pieces and gave them to Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc saw that one piece was a knight and the other was a king.

"I've wanted to give this to you for a long time, but I never had the chance."

"These two chess pieces are for self-defense. They are each infused with my spiritual power. In a critical moment, you can crush the pieces to defend yourself. Each piece is equivalent to one of my attacks. These are very precious, so don't use them unless it's a crisis," Aaron instructed.

"Actually, these pieces are usually one for attacking and one for defending, but because I'm not very good at defensive abilities, and I believe the best defense is offense, I gave you two offensive pieces."

“It’s alright, I think that’s very much in line with the teacher’s style,” Joan of Arc said.

"Although I may be overthinking it, Esgard has been quite turbulent lately, so it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Understood, I will be careful, teacher."

"Okay, that's all. You've always put my mind at ease. Time's tight, I have to go." Aaron finished the rest of his drink and stood up.

“Teacher, may I help you pack your luggage? I can take you to the station.” Joan of Arc also got up.

Aaron shook his head: "Taking the train might not be enough time. I'll find a way to get there myself."

*

Lister, outside the city.

"Tear off the black cloth covering his face," a voice said coldly.

“Turn his face toward me,” the voice said again.

The black cloth covering Thibault's face was ripped off, and his eyes were suddenly exposed to the intense sunlight, causing him pain that almost brought tears to his eyes.

His hands were tied behind his back with a thick hemp rope, and he was forced to kneel on the ground. He felt dizzy and his whole body was covered in cold sweat. Fear made his heart rate extremely high. In the dazzling sunlight, he saw a huge short cloak like a raven's feather. Under the cloak, a man's long robe was wide open, revealing his broad and strong chest.

Thibault looked up and saw a man with short, thorny hair. His attire was completely different from that of a nobleman. His clothes were neither velvet nor silk, but rather a coat made of animal fur, making him look almost like a savage. Yet, the wildness he exuded made him seem like a king.

Thibault was a nobleman from Asgard who came to Lister to escape the summer heat. A dozen minutes earlier, Thibault and a few companions were drinking in their room when they received news that Carol had left the city. They didn't take it seriously and planned to leave the city a dozen minutes later than the main group.

Their luggage had all been packed in advance, and since they had several fine horses, they planned to ride on horseback to catch up later.

They had heard about the bandits in Lister, but they didn't care, because many of them were knights, even superhumans, and they only had a few fine horses, making it difficult for the bandits to catch them.

They never expected that they would actually encounter bandits. Several of them managed to draw their weapons, but they never imagined that they would be captured from their horses without putting up any real resistance. Not only him, but his superhuman companion also acted as helplessly as an ordinary person when facing the enemy.

Afterwards, Thibault, with his face covered by a black cloth, was carried here on a horse, bumping all the way. Just as he felt the horse stop, he was kicked to the ground. He struggled to get up, the black cloth on his face was lifted, and he saw the man in front of him.

“I… am Thibault Tru! My father is Count Gautier! A judge of Esgard! Release me! My father will give you a large sum of money! If you can release me!” Thibault blurted out in a panic as soon as the black cloth covering his face was removed.

This tactic is usually very effective against bandits. Bandits rob merchants, rob trains, and kidnap nobles, all for money. Since they want money, Thibault gives it to them. It just so happens that Thibault knows that his father has amassed a large sum of money by accepting bribes, so kidnapping him is the right person to kidnap!

"My father is rich! My father is rich! Go and find out who my father is! Just let me go! Just let me go!"

Thibault shouted at the top of his lungs, trying to make those around him understand what he was saying. In Lucert, kidnapping a nobleman was a serious crime, and the three great knightly orders would hunt them down to the ends of the earth. Paying money to avoid trouble was the best option.

But what were these people doing? Before he could finish speaking, a chorus of laughter erupted around him, as if Thibault had told a joke.

Chapter 30 King of the Mountains

When he said, "Inquire about my father," a wave of laughter engulfed him. The people laughed so hard they were doubled over, tears streaming down their faces. Their laughter was full of mockery and sarcasm, as if they were watching a satirical play, as if they were watching a clown perform.

Thibault felt a chill run through his body. He realized that these bandits might not want money. Realizing this, he felt like a defeated dog caught in the mountains, surrounded by hunters ready to slaughter him.

"Look around you, young master!"

The person laughing the loudest in front of him opened his arms: "Do you think we need money?"

Thibault was completely stunned and looked around.

He saw a dense, dark wall of people, nothing but people. Thibault had never seen so many people in his life. The human wall was so thick and dense that it stretched as far as the eye could see. At that moment, Thibault was just a tiny dot in the human wall, which surrounded him layer upon layer.

Thibault suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath, almost fainting. He couldn't find the exit of the human wall, and the dark mass of people made it hard for him to breathe.

As if searching for an exit, he kept looking out, and what he saw was more and more dark crowds, people holding weapons and with fierce eyes. He looked over one shoulder after another and saw one head after another. These people were like demons from hell surrounding him, wanting to devour his flesh and blood.

Thibault felt short of breath and almost fainted in the human wall. Then he saw the flag in the human wall, a black flag made of animal fur. The things embroidered on the flag did not conform to any heraldry, but gave people a sense of brutality and horror.

In just a fleeting glance, Thibault saw dozens of identical flags raised above their heads. In the moment before he suffocated and fainted, Thibault finally saw the formation of this group. This was not a band of bandits, but an army of over a thousand men! They were like a pack of hungry wolves, spreading all over the surrounding mountains and plains like green grass. They were all wearing short wool and leather armor, draped in variegated cloaks, and carrying weapons.

A thousand hungry wolves were howling and mocking Thibault, their laughter echoing through the mountains and valleys, making Thibault feel as if he were trapped in hell.

“You…you…” Thibault looked at them with a pale face, like a patient who had died of illness. He didn’t know where this group came from. Weren’t they supposed to be just a band of bandits? But judging from their size, they were an army.

Many of them rode warhorses, which were not thin and weak, unlike those that could be raised on plains and deserts, but were real warhorses. And the upright figures of this group of people were definitely not a mob.

Through the gaps between the people, Thibault saw the weapons—not small, rudimentary ones, but heavy, black weapons.

And their formation—an army of thousands, arrayed in perfect formation on the plain, their banners held high, well-trained, ferocious and brutal, and it was clear that the vast majority of them obeyed the orders of the man before them.

This is an army, an army composed of evil spirits, an army with a fierce aura. They are mountain bandits, hungry wolves, like a plague; their appearance will wreak havoc on the world.

"Let's get to know each other again."

Amidst a deafening roar of laughter, the man draped in a massive black cloak proclaimed dramatically, "My dear young masters and ladies, welcome your King of the Mountains, Dominic Levitt!"

The laughter finally reached its peak, filled with sarcasm and mockery, but then he heard a chilling voice: "Let's have some fun!"

A man was dragged out. When Thibault saw him, he almost screamed. It was his companion who had left the city with him. But the pampered young master was already lifeless. They were thrown to the ground, their backs and bodies riddled with weapons. They had suffered greatly in life, and the fear before their death was etched on their distorted faces.

"You actually killed them...you actually killed them..." Fear weighed heavily on Thibault's heart, and Thibault finally broke down. At this moment, someone came out and bent Thibault's knee with a sword. More joyful laughter rang out around him. Thibault was already howling in pain, and his heart was on the verge of collapse.

“Don’t kill him, he’s still useful,” Dominic said.

"And what about this little girl?" someone said, licking their lips. "She's still a rag doll that hasn't been torn to shreds."

Upon hearing this, Thibault suddenly remembered Mary, who was traveling with him. He looked up sharply and saw Mary, who was tied up just like him.

Mary, like him, had her face covered with a black cloth and her mouth gagged. Her hair was disheveled, and she had been crying so hard she was almost out of breath. She was tied to a horse, and her alabaster skin was covered with countless handprints and bruises, her face a mixture of blood and wounds.