Commander Eldric was tired after a night of riding the horse around, so that morning he decided to keep a gentle pace. He thought that since the other person was only following him from a distance, everything should be fine.
Unexpectedly, as he was getting closer to the temporary camp, his horse was attacked, causing him to fall.
He traveled with a sword, but before he could get up and draw it, one man jumped down from a tree and another appeared behind him.
"Who are you?" Commander Eldric asked. No matter how scared or panicked he was at that moment, he still tried to calm down and put on a brave front. He felt this was the only way he might have a chance to escape.
The other party was strong, and fighting head-on might not bring him any advantage.
"There is no need for you to know who we are. We’ll let you go as soon as you tell us where to find the princess," one of the men said. His face was covered, so no one could tell what he looked like or read his expression.
When Eldric heard the question, his gaze turned cold. Although he had guessed these people were enemies looking for the princess, he still found it surprising.
"The princess? How would I know where the princess is?" Commander Eldric replied. He felt fortunate that he had burned the letter last night after receiving it.
"I told you there’s no need to waste your breath on him. Let’s just carry him back to our base. I want to see if he’s tougher than my equipment," the second man behind him said. His voice was cold, and there was something about his aura that frightened Eldric.
He had a feeling the second man was ruthless and bloodthirsty.
The first man’s eyes shone when he heard his companion’s comment. One could guess he was smirking behind his mask. "My second is not very patient. If you tell us now, there will be no need to suffer," the first man said.
"I really don’t know. After the princess fell into the sea, no one knows what happened to her. If I could find her, I would definitely lead a few men to rescue her and win some merit. Why would I tell you?" the commander said.
Although he couldn’t see the faces of the two men, he guessed in his heart that they must be traitors working with the people of Gube.
The man behind chuckled when he heard the reply and, without warning, attacked Eldric. Of course, Eldric sensed the move and tried to fight back, but he was no match for the men, and with one strike, he fell unconscious.
"Let’s go," the two men said as they carried the commander and entered the forest.
Not far away, the man who had been following Eldric emerged. He had a confused look on his face.
This man had been sent by General Robert to keep an eye on the commander. He had been observing him since the previous evening.
He was surprised Eldric had realized he was being followed, but he continued his task without confrontation, as those were the general’s orders.
When Eldric decided to turn back toward the camp, he followed. Although he had failed to find out where Eldric had intended to go, he felt that his movement the previous night was already suspicious enough.
He also hadn’t expected there to be an ambush waiting for the commander. At first, when the attackers appeared, he hid behind a nearby tree, thinking perhaps these were people Eldric had arranged to meet or maybe it was all a performance for him to witness. So, he didn’t step out to help.
Only after hearing their conversation did he start to have doubts.
Besides, if it was really just a performance, there was no need to hit the commander so hard. Even if he couldn’t see their expressions from where he was hiding, he could tell these people didn’t know each other.
The man frowned. After all, General Robert believed that the commander was working with the kidnappers. If that was the case, then who were these men demanding to know the princess’s location?
"Nothing makes sense," he sighed and quickly sent a message to General Robert before following the group.
He hadn’t rushed after them at first because he felt the men’s skills were superior to his own, so following from a safe distance was the best option.
The two men who had abducted the commander had no idea someone was following them, so they didn’t take any special precautions to cover their tracks. After all, the entire kingdom was mourning, and no one would notice the commander’s absence quickly.
This little oversight helped the observer track them with ease. After venturing deep into the woods, they arrived at a cave, well-hidden from view. The men took Eldric inside and tied him to a chair. Then they rudely woke him with a splash of water.
Eldric opened his eyes and looked around. It was still early morning, and the cave was dim. It took him a while to remember that he had been kidnapped on the way back to camp. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fire·net
"Do you have something to say now?" one of the men asked. His face was no longer covered, and he had a terrifying scar. The look he gave Eldric made the commander shiver.
"I don’t know. The princess was kidnapped, and I haven’t heard any news," he managed to say, even though he was scared out of his wits.
The scarred man didn’t respond right away. He merely stared at Eldric, his gaze cold and pitiless, like a wolf sizing up injured prey. Then, without warning, he backhanded the commander across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the cave, and Eldric’s head snapped to the side, blood pooling in his mouth.
"I asked you a question," the man said quietly, almost too calmly. "You gave me nothing."
Eldric spat blood to the ground, his chest heaving. "I told you... I don’t know."
The second man, still wearing his mask, stepped forward this time, holding a small leather pouch. He untied it slowly, deliberately, and let the contents spill onto a nearby crate; thin iron needles, a pair of rusted tongs, a curved blade no longer than a finger. Tools not meant for killing, but for unraveling a man’s resolve.
"No one’s coming to save you, Commander," the masked man said, his voice low. "Not your soldiers. Your friends. Not even your gods."
Eldric clenched his jaw, he knew he could not betray the princess and the entire kingdom.
"Still stubborn?" the scarred man asked, seeing that the man had no plans to speak. He tossing an ember into the brazier. "You have a warrior’s pride. Let’s see how long that lasts." he said, he did not seem frustrated by the commander’s actions, if anything he seemed excited.