Without waiting for Leon to reply, he quickly added, "If there is nothing else, we will be leaving soon."
"Leave?"
Leom looked doubtful as he looked at Carlos and asked, "Shouldn't we be heading to the Ruins of the Solace Kingdom?"
Their destination was within sight, which made Carlos impatient. He had no intention of continuing the journey through the dreaded forest any longer. He was also impatient from being at the side of the exiled baron.
Furthermore, as a veteran who had seen a lot of fighting, there was no way Carlos, the captain of the knights, was not able to see what the baron was up to.
"Your Lordship, the knights can't wait any longer."
He took a good look at Leon. In a flat tone, he said, "I'll make a request on their behalf. If possible, we'd like to begin our journey home right away."
That was a firm, unyielding demand, not a request with room for negotiation.
It was close to being rude.
It meant that Carlos and the knights were on the brink of losing control.
"Of course, if that is what you desire."
Carlos was surprised that Leon was so quick about it. The baron nodded and thanked the captain, saying, "It is thanks to the protection of your knights that we were able to make the journey. You have my gratitude."
"This is just part of our job." Carlos smiled and nodded.
Leon, eyed the smiling knight who stood at a distance. Carlos and the knights loyalty was bound by the king's orders, not genuine respect for the royal blood coursing through Leon's veins.
"Listen Captain, I know you're not thrilled to be here, and frankly, I'm not your favorite prince," Leon began, his tone measured. "But I come to you with a proposition. I need your help. I can't command you, and I won't pretend to have earned your loyalty, but I can offer something that might pique your interest."
"Your lordship, what do you mean by that?" Carlos asked. There was no way Carlos was oblivious to what was happening. His senses were perceptive enough to know this after having spent so much time on battlefields.
There were more than 40 goblins found at the clearing, which were close to the Ruins. That meant the Ruins had long been taken over by the goblins.
Leon remained looking at the middle-aged man while he rummaged through his pocket for a purse. "Will this be enough?"
"Well..." Carlos caught it and felt the obvious weight of the metals in his hand.revealing its gleaming contents
Leon said, "This is a reward for the hard work of you and your men. It is 16 gold coin."
"16 gold coin?" Carlos's breath became somewhat rushed since that was not a small number.
Their monthly pay was only 20 silver coins. The exchange rate between the silver and gold are 100 silver coins to 1 gold coin.
That money meant that every one of the knights would receive five months' worth of extra pay.
"I know you all could leave after escorting us to the Ruins, so this would be my pay for hiring you."
Leon looked at Carlos and solemnly said, "You should be able to understand that if you can help me reclaim my fief, I can give you more than that."
The corner of Leon's mouth rose ever so slightly into a smirk. He looked at Carlos, who had fallen into contemplation.
The air remained cool as Carlos gazed at Leon while accepting the pouch, but skepticism lingered.
"But, Your Lordship, aren't you afraid? What's to stop us from taking this gold and leaving you to the goblins?"
"Afraid? Afraid of what?" Leon asked, as if he genuinely didn't understand. "Why should I be afraid?"
"Heh."
Carlos chuckled at the infuriating irony of it all. Leon was an exiled baron, the least favored son of the king. Regardless of whether Carlos thought Leon was better off dead, there had to be a proper excuse if the baron were to end up that way. It would have been acceptable for Leon to die at the hands of goblins on his way to his fief. But there was no way he could die at the hands of a knight of the Kingdom of Cailux, especially one without special status.
Leon was still part of King Leopold's bloodline, as well as a baron representing the Kingdom of Cailux.
"The Ruins have been taken over by a bunch of goblins. We have absolutely no chance of defeating those humanoid beasts with the numbers we have," Carlos said before continuing. "Your Lordship, we both understand what's going on here. Neither of us is a fool."
Leon met the middle-aged man's gaze and said, "We need to take out the goblin tribe at the ruins one way or another. After that, you'll all be free to return home."
"Haah… Any plans then?" Carlos sighed, then asked.
Given the situation, there was no way he believed Leon didn't have something else in mind.
Leon, of course, had further plans to deal with the problem.
"We'll ambush the goblins while they're unaware. The tribe doesn't know we're here, so we'll strike from the shadows. After all, we have the element of surprise."
"Ambush?"
Carlos's voice rose slightly. "The knights will suffer heavy casualties!"
He took a deep breath before saying, "Please note that we only have 15 knights at our disposal, Your Lordship!"
"My people will be a part of this," Leon replied calmly. "If the ambush succeeds, the goblins will be thrown into chaos. We'll wipe them out before they can regroup and retaliate."
"Do you mean those peasants of yours, Your Lordship?"
Carlos's face was filled with sarcasm and ridicule. "I have to admit, they're good at working as servants."
"They can fight as well," Leon countered.
"Your Lordship, you're playing with fire here," Carlos said, glaring at Leon with anger in his eyes. "This is irresponsible to my subordinates. You're gambling with our lives."
"That's how war works," Leon replied firmly.
"Also… I think you know one of the reasons why I, Leon Nightshade, became an exile." Leon smirked as he raised his right hand, where swirling dark particles began to gather.
Carlos looked at Leon's hand and fell silent. He understood what Leon meant. Maybe, with Leon's powers, they could actually pull this off.
Leon then said solemnly, "You should understand that if our ambush is a success, we might all make it out alive."
The term "ambush" was simple: a surprise attack. It was a straightforward tactic to strike when one's forces were outnumbered. The effect was even greater with cavalry, thanks to their mobility. That was why Leon went this far—to keep the knights fighting for him.
The tent fell silent as Captain Carlos weighed the offer, his eyes fixed on the glimmering gold. After a long pause, he nodded tersely. "You have yourself a deal, Your Lordship. We fight for the gold and the promise to reclaim your fief."
Carlos then looked at Leon and said, "We need to wait for the right time, when the goblins are most relaxed. Perhaps dawn would be a good choice."
"No." Leon immediately rejected the idea.
While the goblins would be most relaxed before dawn, Leon's group didn't have that much time.
"Why?" Carlos frowned, confident in his battlefield experience.
Leon explained, "The slaughtered goblins at the clearing will alert those at the Ruins. If none of them return by sunset, the tribe will know enemies are nearby."
Carlos's breathing became ragged. "When should we do it, then?"
"Sundown."
After thinking for a moment, Leon said seriously, "We'll launch the ambush when the sun is about to set."
"The evening glow," Carlos added.
"That's right. The sun will be our ally. The light will conceal our approach."
Leon took a deep breath. "They won't detect us in time. When the moment comes, all your people need to do is charge as fast as you can and throw their tribe into chaos."
He paused for a moment, then added slowly, "After that, my men and I will charge as well."
The tent was quiet. It took a while before Carlos finally said, "Alright."
"We won't fail," Leon said with a confident smile. "Trust me, this will be one of the proudest stories you tell in the tavern."
Carlos chuckled and glanced at Leon. "I sure hope so."
He walked out of the tent.
Leon was left alone, his expression turning serious.
A brutal battle was approaching. Some of the knights would likely die. Some of his barbarians might be lost too.
You can't go through life without making big gambles at least once.
Leon took a deep breath. He had chosen to come to the Ruins of Solace Kingdom—this was his gamble.
He had next to nothing, yet he wanted to live. The only way to secure a future was to give it his all.
Leon touched the sword at his side and chuckled to himself.
Well, it's not like we're destined to lose.
He had come all this way to win.
It was a victory he had to secure at all costs.