Mage's Profound Truths

Chapter 10: Commander Pula

Soaking in the warm water, Merlin closed his eyes slightly—not to sleep, but to quietly sense the changes in his body.

“My strength has increased a bit, my body feels more relaxed, though my limbs are somewhat sore, as if I’d done intense exercise—is this the effect of those strange poses?”

Merlin gently clenched his fists, veins bulging—he could clearly feel his strength had increased, albeit not significantly.

And the sweat that drenched his body earlier, it truly felt as if he’d undergone vigorous training, yet all he’d done was hold that peculiar posture from the relief.

All in all, the pose from the relief seemed to be steering Merlin’s body in a positive direction.

Although he didn’t know the origin of the relief, since it had such a miraculous effect, Merlin naturally had no reason not to continue practicing it.

After soaking for a while and washing off all the sweat, Merlin finally got up, got dressed, and glanced at the relief on the desk.

He paused for a moment, then gently ran his fingers along the carved patterns.

Since he had already memorized the pose from the relief, it no longer served much use for the moment, so he hid it by the bed, opened the door, and headed downstairs.

At the dining table below, May Snow was resting her chin on her left hand, absentmindedly doodling with her right.

The butler stood beside her, and upon seeing Merlin descend, gave a slight bow and respectfully said, “Young Master Merlin, dinner is ready.”

“All right, sorry to keep everyone waiting.”

Merlin was in a cheerful mood, and his appetite followed—he carved off a chunk of roasted lamb leg and drank a glass of milk.

Very quickly, the chill in his body was dispelled, replaced by a warm and comfortable feeling throughout.

He slightly opened his thick fur coat, leaned back in the chair with half-closed eyes, gazing at the heavy snow drifting outside the front door.

“It’s so cold… I wonder how Father is doing?”

May Snow had also finished her meal and, watching the snow outside, spoke with a worried look.

Old Wilson had gone to the fief to collect taxes; it usually took three to five days, and by this time, he should almost be back.

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, a series of urgent knocks came from the tightly closed main door.

Merlin and May Snow both looked toward the entrance in alarm—who could be visiting the castle so late?

The butler quickly went to open it, and an icy gust of wind rushed into the room.

In the biting cold, Merlin’s expression shifted—he could smell a strong scent of blood on the wind.

“Commander Pula? What happened to you?”

The butler cried out in shock—it turned out the one standing outside was none other than the commander of Old Wilson’s guards.

Hearing the butler’s exclamation, memories of Pula immediately surfaced in Merlin’s mind.

Commander Pula oversaw all the knights within the castle and the territory; aside from Old Wilson, he held the most power—he was Old Wilson’s right-hand man.

Even Merlin had to address him as “Uncle.”

“Uncle Pula, why are you back? Did Father return early too?”

May Snow stood up in a rush, asking excitedly.

Since Pula had gone to collect taxes with Old Wilson, his return meant Old Wilson might be back as well.

But Pula shook his head slightly and replied in a low voice, “The Baron has not returned yet.”

Everyone’s hearts sank—could something have happened to Old Wilson?

“It’s cold out—come in and tell us what happened.”

The butler hurriedly led Pula into the hall, then turned around and closed the door tightly. Immediately, the cold wind stopped entering, and the room felt much warmer.

Only then did Merlin get a good look at Pula. Pula was tall and strong, with a broad back and muscular build. He wore a silver-white light armor, and his short chestnut hair was rather messy, covered in specks of white snow.

However, at the moment, Pula’s white armor was stained with bright red blood, and the greatsword in his hand even had several nicks on the blade, clearly showing that he had just experienced fierce combat.

“Uncle Pula, what happened to you? Where’s my father?”

Pula grinned and said, “Hehe, the baron is fine. It’s just that on the way to the territory, we ran into a small group of bandits. The baron led us and drove them off. He’s worried they might come back and pose a threat to the territory, so he sent me back to transfer one hundred heavy-armored knights from the castle!”

Merlin felt a slight sense of relief. So it was bandits—this was no trivial matter. But since Baron Wilson was a battlefield veteran, he was used to bloodshed and had plenty of ways to deal with bandits.

What’s more, Baron Wilson had already trained a force of heavy-armored knights—one hundred and fifty in total. They were considered the strongest military force in Wilson Castle.

“Uncle Pula, the city is still very peaceful, and the castle doesn’t really need that many heavy-armored knights. Why don’t you just transfer all one hundred and fifty of them, to make sure nothing happens to my father and the territory.”

Pula hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll do as Young Master Merlin says. I’ll transfer all one hundred and fifty heavy-armored knights. Don’t worry, those bandits are nothing. Back when I followed the baron, I lost count of how many Eastern heretics’ heads I chopped off. A few bandits are no problem at all.”

Pula laughed heartily, full of confidence. He had once been a soldier under Baron Wilson, having survived brutal wars against Eastern heretics. Later, when Wilson was granted his title, he brought Pula back with him.

Compared to Baron Wilson, Pula was a typical soldier—warlike, loyal, decisive, but also cruel, bloody, and violent. Many of the servants in the castle feared Commander Pula.

“Uncle Pula, you probably haven’t eaten yet. It’s freezing out there. You’ve had a hard time. There’s still half a roast lamb here—have some.”

Pula did not stand on ceremony. After running through the snow for a full day and night, he was famished. He grabbed the roast lamb on the table and started eating. But he didn’t stay long—he quickly went off to mobilize the one hundred and fifty heavy-armored knights, then dashed out of the castle.

Watching the heavy-armored knights leave the castle, Merlin’s brow did not relax. He raised his head and asked the butler, “The area around Blackwater City has always been safe. Why would bandits suddenly appear? Judging from Uncle Pula’s condition, this group might be quite formidable. Otherwise, Father wouldn’t have sent him back to transfer the knights.”

The butler looked at Merlin and hesitated for a moment before saying, “Blackwater City used to be very safe, but recently, for unknown reasons, a vicious bandit group has appeared. They’ve attacked several small towns outside the city. Even the city guard cavalry has been dispatched several times, but they’ve never found the bandits. But don’t worry, young master—with the baron’s one hundred and fifty heavy-armored knights, plus the territory’s own knights, dealing with a group of bandits shouldn’t be a problem.”

Merlin nodded lightly. With Baron Wilson around, there shouldn’t be any major problems in the territory.