Kingdom Era

Chapter 3 Victory A Great Cost

"No!" A trace of fear flashed past the eyes of the leading gray-haired werewolf.

Slash!

The moment the leading werewolf and Gossen rode past each other, the werewolf's body, along with the mighty wolf he was riding, was torn right down the middle, and the wasteland was stained red with his putrid blood.

It seemed slow, but everything happened in an instant. By the time the other werewolves realized that their leader had been cut in half, they were ambushed by the other royal guards right on Gossen’s heels.

Like a red flower blossoming in the field, broken body parts flew everywhere, and blood spurted out all at once. 

At many points in time, the attack formation formed by the 40 royal guards was on the brink of collapse against the 19 wolf knights. The wild werewolves had lost all sense of pain and fear of death. Even with spears piercing through their bodies, they were still able to stab their enemies before breathing their last.

The giant wolves that the werewolves were riding on were equally ferociously. They pounced and bit down on their enemies with all their might, naturally capable of suppressing the war horses. The awesome combination made up for their disadvantage in numbers.

The orcs’ reckless and insane behavior opened the royal guards’ eyes to the real meaning of ferociousness, especially since they had never experienced a real battle. They witnessed with their own eyes how a single wolf knight was able to beat three royal guards at the same time. 

The limelight was on Gossen, who left chopped pieces of wolf knight carcasses in his wake with a swing of his giant sword.

The battle did not last long. With Gossen around, the wolf knights had no chance of turning the tables. Before long, the battle ended as eight royal guards pierced through the last werewolf with their spears. 

Out of the 40 royal guards who fought alongside Gossen at the frontline, only 28 survived, out of which almost every one of them was injured. 

“Clean up the battlefield and give them a decent burial.” Gossen glanced at the dead bodies on the battlefield and sighed inwardly. 

Unbeknownst to them, two figures in cloaks had appeared a distance away, out of their sight.

"Report to the Patriarch that the plan failed." 

"That boy is lucky to have a seven-star knight of glory protecting him."

...

"Praise be to the goddess, our brave warriors have returned. Welcome! Ser Gossen, this is a small token of my appreciation for you. Please accept it."

The moment Gossen and his men came back, Alan exclaimed loudly as he shot Derya next to him a look. 

Derya reluctantly retrieved a small cloth bag. Forcing a smile on his face, he bowed and presented it to Gossen. There were 100 shiny gold coins in the bag. 

Gossen cast a glance at Alan and accepted it unceremoniously. He received the bag and tossed it to a guard next to him. 

"Bruce, this is a token from His Highness. Distribute the money amongst all of you."

Although they were royal guards, their pay was not high and would usually receive around ten gold coins a year. As such, 100 gold coins to them were a great fortune.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Bruce thanked Alan with excitement.

The gloomy atmosphere became livelier after the coins were given out.

"Ser Gossen, about Kakuh and the rest..." Bruce said as he looked at the wounded knights lying on the ground near them. 

Among the 28 guards who were still alive, most of them suffered slight injuries, with only five of them seriously injured - Two of them had one arm chopped off while fighting against the wolf knights, one was slashed at the abdomen and almost had his stomach cut open, one was stabbed in the chest, and the last one had his foot bitten off by a giant wolf.

"It’s not safe to stay here for too long. We must set off right away. As for them, all of you shall take care of them along the way. Whether they can survive the journey depends on their willpower," Gossen instructed after staying silent for a moment.

No reliable medical treatment was available in this world. When people were injured, they could only be healed by wizards from either the light branch or the water branch, or with medicine from a skilled alchemist. Apart from that, they could only depend on luck. 

"Leave them to me. My carriage is big enough to accommodate them. We can ride horses instead." 

Alan stepped forward and suggested when he overheard their conversation.

Looking into Alan's sincere eyes, Gossen somehow found this young man unfamiliar to him. Was he the same profligate who only knew how to eat, drink and be merry that he used to be?

"Your Highness, they're seriously injured. What’s more, we’re in the heat of the summer season and they might not be able to survive tomorrow" Derya whispered into Alan's ear, which successfully earned him an angry glare from Alan. 

Bruce didn't dare to speak. Deep down, he naturally hoped that the injured knights could stay in the carriage. After all, who could guarantee that they wouldn’t be the next to suffer the same fate as these injured knights?

He could only shift his gaze helplessly toward Gossen.

"Don’t hem and haw; saving them is of utmost importance. Besides, I managed to survive only because of all of you. For all we know, there might be even more dangers lurking in Blackstone City. I only hope all of you won't desert me when the time comes," Alan grinned broadly. 

"I swear I'll protect you with my life, Your Highness!" Bruce was so touched by Alan’s words that his eyes turned red with tears. The five injured men looked at Alan with gratitude in their eyes. Just moments earlier, they were mentally preparing themselves to be abandoned anytime.

Respect toward Alan filled the hearts of the other guards as their disdain and frustration toward Alan faded in contrast.     

Gossen looked deeply at Alan, nodded slightly, and said nothing further. 

Very soon, Alan's carriage was vacated. Alan and Derya rode on horses while the two maids were put in charge of looking after the wounded in the carriage. 

Seeing the wounded guards haphazardly tear off a piece of cloth to bind up their wounds, Alan finally understood why Derya had said that they might not be able to survive tomorrow. 

From the way they treated their wounds, it would be a surprise if their wound didn't get infected and inflamed!

"Derya, fetch my wine!" Alan halted the injured knights who were taking their armor off and treating their wounds as he urged Derya to bring him the wine from the carriage at the back.

It was common sense in the world he came from that alcohol could be used for sterilization. Alan wasn't sure whether it would be effective in this mystical world, but he decided to give it a shot anyway.

At such a time like this, he had the original owner of this body to thank. If it weren't for his intention to drink himself into oblivion, he wouldn't have figured out this solution to treat their wounds.

Very soon, two barrels of wine were brought over. Some injured knights clustered around in curiosity, many of them growing excited with yearning.

Some of them even started to empty their water bags, l*****g their lips as they stared at the two barrels of wine with thirst. Ever since they left the imperial capital, they had not touched a single drop of alcohol for close to one month.

You see, these guys were all full-blown alcoholics. 

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness." The men were drooling and could no longer hold themselves back when Alan opened the barrel, and the rich aroma of wine filled the air. One by one, they approached the barrel, eager to fill their bags with wine. 

However, Alan quickly slapped their outstretched hands away. "These are not for you to drink, but to treat your wounds. Come over one by one and listen closely to my explanation."

Alan’s offer to give his carriage up to the injured knights had already overturned many people’s impression of him. Upon hearing that he was going to treat their wounds with the wine, they all looked at him curiously. Even Gossen turned his attention to them, his interest piqued.