Clop clop.

The steady noisy clopping sounds.
Dosen, who obtained permission from Gale, took five patrols of Cavalrymen from the First to the Fifth sections.
These soldiers heard about the story regarding the children, and volunteered to forgo their free time. When they first heard about a novice enlisted from the spearmen squad, whose role was to scout for them, they became concerned.

‘Will he be able to ride a horse properly?’

However, it was all in vain.

‘Is he really an 18 year old novice soldier?’

The gazes of the cavalrymen fell on the Roan’s back, who was riding in front of them.

‘It’s a lie, right? It seems like he’s riding the horse better than us?’
‘What kind of spearman rides a horse better than men from the cavalry?’

The soldiers from the cavalry truly admired him.
They stuck their chests closer to the horse, and urged their horses to gallop faster.

Dudududu.

The thunderous galloping noise shakes the earth wildly with it’s furious pace.
A hundred cavalrymen ride across the plains.
Roan guessed where Hotton Village should be, based on his past knowledge of where Trum Village was located.

‘She said that Trum village was in the east of Hotton village.’

If Lia’s words were true, then there was only one place where Hotton village should be located.
A humble area located near the entrance of Pedian’s plain.

‘There’s nothing more important than water.’

Roan bit his lower lip and kicked the horse.
The west winds freshly breeze, made him feel like it was rubbing his back.

‘Our destination isn’t Hotton Village, but the middle point between Hotton Village and Trum Village.’

If it was according to Gale’s, Dosen’s and his guesses, then the guys who attacked Hotton Village would be travelling to Trum Village.

‘If my memories don’t fail me, there should be a thick forest in the west of Trum Village.

Roan’s eyes shone with calculating thoughts and hoped that he was right.

‘To rescue the villagers safely……..’

He bit his lower lip and pulled the reins.
The head of the horse swerved towards the east.
Dosen, and the cavalrymen who were following behind him, also pulled their reins.
However, there was no one who questioned this change or displayed weird faces.

‘It seems like those bastards are in front of here.’

They trusted Roan.
No, they could only do so.
Because they didn’t even know what kind of place they were riding to.
The chase continued for a long while.
After they passed the bushes which were as tall as their waist, some small hills, a small thick and densely forest appeared.

The cavalrymen rode through the thick forest roughly.
Then, Roan who was charging ahead fiercely, pulled the reins and lessened the pace.

“Adjutant Dosen.”

He reined in his horse to a stop, dismounted and turned back to look at Dosen.

“What happened?”

Dosen approached him while still mounted on top of the horse.
Roan pointed to a hill which was outside of the forest.

“It seems like we’ve caught the tail end of those guys.”

“Mmm.”

A low exclamation of amazement.

“We finally caught them.”

The place Roan pointed towards.
There was the bastards they wanted to see so much.
Dosen made hand signs to the cavalrymen who were behind him, and dismounted from his horse. They tied the horses in the trees behind them, and hid behind some big bushes.

“There are roughly about 50.”

At Dosen’s words, the 1st Squad Commander Karon frowned.

“There are estimated to be about 100 captured people. It seems like they are Slave Merchants.”

The 2nd Squad Commander Pierson, clenched his fists.

“And it doesn’t seem like the only village attacked was Hotton.”

At his words, everyone nodded.
Dosen’s face became dark looking at the slavers.

“If we just attack them like this, the village people will be in danger.”

There was also the probability that those Slave Merchants would escape leaving the village people behind. But there were also cases for the opposite option to occur.
Where they could threaten the lives of the village people as hostages, and they can’t do a thing.

“Is there a method to rescue the villagers safely?”

Dosen asked while looking at everyone else.
However, among the hundred plus soldiers, no one could come up with a clear plan.
In that time while discussing options, the Slave Merchants disappeared into the other side of the hill.

“Adjutant Dosen.”

Then, Roan carefully raised his hand.

‘It’s you again?’

Dosen looked at Roan.
Every time they were pushed into a difficult situation, this guy came up with an idea.
In the investigation of Ale Gorge, the battle plan against the Goblin Marauders. And now, this time too.

‘The results were good.’

Now that the situation turned out like this, Dosen could expect something.

“Yeah. It seems like you have a good method?”
“I don’t know if it’s any good, but I do have something.”
“Speak.”

Dosen was prepared to listen.
And all the other cavalrymen also listened attentively.
Roan took in a breath and continued to say with a self-controlled voice.

“There’s a huge forest in the west of Trum Village. It’s a forest with a lot of trees. We reach there before them and ambush them.”
“Ambush?”

Dosen frowned and asked back.
Roan nodded.

“Yes. We hide in the forest, and when the Slave Merchants moved past us, we hit them with a surprise attack, cutting a line in the middle between both village people and them.”

It was a good strategy.
If it turned out that way, they could save the lives of the village people, and also kill the Slave Merchants.
However, there was a big problem with this plan.

“It’s a good strategy. However, will we be able to enter the forest before them?”

There was only one road.
To overtake them was impossible.
At Dosen’s words, every cavalrymen looked at Roan.
Roan drew in the ground with a branch.

“Look here.”

First, he drew two circles.

“The left circle is Hotton Village, and the right one is Trum Village. Our position is here, and those bastards position is over here.”

Roan made two points between the existing two circles.
The Slave Merchants were certainly closer to Trum Village.

“If you look at it this way, it certainly looks like they can reach Trum Village swiftly. But actually, they can’t.”

Roan drew a horizontal line between Hotton Village and Trum Village.

“It’s the Abyl stream. Although it is unassuming, it’s quite wide and deep, so it’s impossible to cross it.”

Roan made a point in the lower side of the horizontal line.

“There’s a bridge in here. They will need to cross this bridge and enter Trum Village. It’s a road that is quite long.

Karon frowned.

“That’s the only road that leads to Trum Village?”

At his words, Roan smiled and nodded.

“Most people only know about this road.”

At that moment, Dosen’s eyes shone with expectation.

“What you are saying right now, sounds like you know of another road?”

Roan looked at Dosen’s eyes and replied.

“Yes. I know of another road. A much faster one at that.”

At that moment, everyone’s mood lifted.

“Good! Then it won’t be a problem to overtake those bastards!”
“We will be able to ambush them.”

The cavalrymen clench their fists excited and approved it.

‘What’s the identity of this guy?’

Dosen became surprised once again.

This region was one that he, and even Troop Commander Gale was unfamiliar with.
But for an 18 year old recently enlisted soldier, whose just finished his training to know of a shortcut – too mysterious.

‘As far as I know, this guy isn’t even from this region……..’

The more he knew about him, the more surprises he encountered.

‘I will have to properly talk with him.’

A feeling Roan was hiding something from him.
He was really curious, but right now, he didn’t have the leisure to ask Roan about that.

‘First, let’s save the village people.’

They had to take care of the Slave Merchants first.
The thing with Roan came after that.

“Fine. Take the lead.”

Dosen stood up and grabbed the reins of his horse.

“Yes. Understood.”

Roan replied while at the same time, all of the cavalrymen mounted their horses.

Clop. Clop.

The horses weren’t heading to the east, but instead to the north.
As soon as they were out of the forest, a large hill appeared.

Dudududu.

Roan urged the horse and galloped towards the hill.
The opposite direction to where the Slave Merchants were heading to.

‘There’s a shortcut here.’

Dosen and the cavalrymen stick their chests closer to the horse.
The one hundred soldiers galloped furiously while cutting through the wind.
After they rode for a while, the scenery changed.
The hills disappeared, and a lengthy course of a river appeared.

Whine.

Roan pulled the reins in and stopped out front of the flowing water.

“It’s the Abyl stream.”

Dosen who approached him called out.

“I wouldn’t believe it if you told me it was a stream, as it resembles more of a river instead.”

He looked at his surroundings and said.

“Where’s the shortcut?”

Roan pointed towards the Abyl stream with a calm face.
He said something they didn’t want to hear, nor want to believe.

“We will cross through this Abyl stream.”

< Travias Spear (3) > End

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Translator’s note: Thanks for reading!

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Translator : Subak / Editor: Sai101 \ Edit v3.0: Deathwing

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