The First Vampire - Chapter 132
Chapter 132: 132 The Sorrow of the Black Knight_1
Translator: 549690339
“Why?”
Marquis Garcia looked at the Viscount Dawson, who had been restrained by the furious officers of the Dark Cavalry, and asked solemnly.
Viscount Dawson smiled and spoke frankly, “I’m sorry, my Lord Marquis, I owe much to you and had no wish to betray you. But, in order for the dwarf clan to accomplish their longstanding ambition of building a nation, I must do this!”
“A dwarf nation?” A flicker of realization passed through Marquis Garcia’s eyes. He then pointed to the pure white horse flag that had suddenly risen above the gorge and asked, “Is this the promise the St. Prowse family gave you?”
Viscount Dawson shook his head, “No. In fact, I didn’t even know that the army ambushed in Shadow Gorge was from the Eastern Territories.”
“Who induced you to do this?”
Viscount Dawson’s smile contained a hint of mischief, “Why, my Lord Marquis, have you not once doubted Duke St. Hilde? After all, he is now my liege lord.”
However, Marquis Garcia remained unmoved, “No one knows my brother better than me. He would never be so foolish.’
“Why not? The Dark Cavalry is a major source of instability within the North Territory. Do you truly not suspect that your brother wants to eradicate the threat posed by the Dark Cavalry while the opportunity presents itself?”
A conflicted expression crossed Marquis Garcia’s face, and he sighed deeply,
“You wouldn’t understand.”
Viscount Dawson frowned, then shook his head, “If you are unwilling to speak, so be it. However, I cannot reveal the name of the person who made me this promise at the moment.”
Marquis Garcia scoffed, “You think if you don’t say it, I can’t guess?
The once glorious Spotted Tiger has now become a dog lurking in the shadows! A family that could betray their own kind – you actually believe their promise?
What a colossal joke!”
Viscount Dawson’s face paled, clearly stung by Marquis Garcia’s words. His tone filled with defiance, he retorted,
“What’s the difference? If I don’t trust them, should I continue to trust the St. Hilde family?
We dwarfs have served you for thousands of years, have you ever respected us?
Maybe the notion of a dwarf nation is a joke in your eyes, but it is the highest mission our ancestors have strived for!”
Marquis Garcia hesitated for a moment, holding back his words. With a wave of his hand, he commanded in a disheartened tone, “Let him go.”
“My Lord Marquis!” The enraged officers were clearly in disbelief.
“Let him go!” Marquis Garcia reiterated firmly.
“Yes, sir.”
Viscount Dawson apparently hadn’t expected that he would be released just like that.
The icy voice of Marquis Garcia rang out again:
“Fran Dawson, I will not kill you today.
If I kill you now, you might become a hero to the dwarf clan.
So, I will let you live.
To live with the disgrace of your betrayal.
At the same time, you shall witness for yourself what kind of a joke your so-called dream of a dwarf nation is.
Get out!”
Viscount Dawson’s face alternated between pale and flushed. Ultimately, under the contemptuous gaze of the Dark Cavalry, he stumbled away.
At this moment, the voices of Eastern Territory soldiers echoed through the gorge, demanding immediate surrender from the Dark Cavalry and insisting they lay down their arms.
The current situation for the Dark Cavalry was decidedly grim.
The narrow terrain of the Shadow Gorge had the cavalrymen squeezed tightly together, rendering them unable to form a charge.
Moreover, the huge rocks that had fallen earlier had cut off the Dark Cavalry’s formation in the middle. Apart from a small group that had lagged behind, the vast majority of the warriors were blocked by piles of rocks and left with no way to retreat.
If they advanced, it was all but certain that the Eastern Territory’s army would have set up various obstacles and traps at the entrance of the gorge, lying in wait for the Dark Cavalry to rush in and be gravely wounded.
Faced with such a hopeless situation, Marquis Garcia retained his cool.
He reached out and summoned a senior military officer, quietly ordering, “Knight Logh, you will head back now, scramble over the boulders that block the way, gather the troops that are scattered behind, and lead them back along the same path, through this gorge….”
“My Lord Marquis! What about you?”
“I’m unable to move.” Marquis Garcia said, hand clutching the wound on his waist. Despite a hasty bandaging, black, grimy blood was steadily seeping out.
“No! My Lord Marquis, I will escort you to leave…”
Marquis Garcia stared fiercely, silencing Knight Logh, and resolutely said, “I will not abandon the Dark Cavalry. However, you must leave. If I die, it does not matter, but the Dark Cavalry has to retain a spark of life.”
Knight Logh tried to argue, but Marquis Garcia won’t allow him to, and growled,
“Shut up! Listen to me!
After you’ve led the rear troops and retreated, do not get entangled with the Eastern Kingdom army, and don’t return to the North Territory either.
Instead, detour towards the north alongside the Shadow Mountain Range, spend a little more time to reach Silver Moon City.
Once there, find Viscount Angler and ask him a question—
Should the Lord of North Territory be called St. Hilde?
If he says ‘Yes’, then swear fealty to him.
Otherwise, you kill him, return to Winterfell City, and pledge your loyalty to Duke St. Hilde.
Do you understand?”
“Yes!” Knight Logh said, nodding hurriedly.
He seemed to want to say something else but was stopped by Marquis Garcia’s fierce gaze.
“Go, quick!”
Knight Logh reluctantly knelt on one knee, solemnly saluted Marquis Garcia, then left with tears in his eyes.
Only when Knight Logh had left did Marquis Garcia summoned his officers and asked, “Does anyone want to surrender?”
“Never surrender! ”
The men loudly and unwaveringly responded.
“Good!” A hint of a smile appeared on the face of Marquis Garcia, “The Dark Cavalry only has men who die in battle, not those who surrender! Alert the entire army, dismount, march forward, and break free!”
Woo—
A shrill blast of the military horn and suddenly, the battle commenced.
The Dark Cavalry, being the most elite force in the North Territory and even the entire Glory Empire, certainly does not lack courage for desperate fights.
Even though they had lost their greatest advantage, the fighting spirit that burst forth from their dire situation was still awe-inspiring.
Under the leadership of the officers, all the soldiers of the Dark Cavalry abandoned their warhorses and rushed towards the valley entrance on foot. They overcame the layers of barriers set up by the Eastern Kingdom army, shouting the name of the Lord of Glory, and launched an attack on the enemy.
“Release arrows!”
Arrows became the stars of the sky, swarming en masse like dark clouds.
However, such a shower of arrows couldn’t deter the Dark Cavalry, who surged forth like locusts from the narrow valley entrance, charging at the Eastern Kingdom army’s position.
Blood flowed freely, corpses lay scattered on the ground.
The battle at the valley entrance was devastatingly bloody from the get-go.
The bodies of the Dark Cavalry piled up at the valley entrance, creating horrifying mounds of the dead.
The heavy scent of blood lingered in the air, dense enough to suffocate one.
The Eastern Kingdom army, originally confident of their victory, now found their hearts growing cold with fear and anxiety.
It was as if what rushed brazenly towards them were not humans,
But a horde of frenzied beasts!
