Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 397 - 82: That Night

One by one, the expedition army wolf pack began to retreat orderly.

It wasn’t exactly a defeat, because even in retreat, they remained well-organized. Although there were losses, the majority managed to retreat successfully.

Losa was somewhat surprised: "They’re already retreating?"

He hadn’t even used his half-dragon transformation, nor had he seen Furinjira’s outburst, meaning they only played one card, yet it scared off the wolf pack.

Jeanne said with some pride, "They probably recognized my aura."

"Have you confronted Francisco the Ripper before?"

"Perhaps, but I don’t remember."

Jeanne’s tone was relaxed; during her days as the Grand Master of the Holy Church Knight Order, she encountered countless notorious dark creatures. Although Francisco the Ripper was one of the infamous figures, compared to those evil demons who committed heinous crimes, he couldn’t really capture her attention.

Losa responded with an "Hmm," and added, "We benefited from your presence, it was much easier than I imagined."

"This is just the beginning."

Jeanne shook her head; her destructive power against dark creatures was definitely not at her peak, yet it was still sufficient. The current dilemma faced by her was identical to Losa’s condition; both were running short on Blue Bar.

"Yes, but it’s a good start."

Crack—

Losa struck a match, intending to light a cigarette, only to find that during the battle, the cigarette box had been soaked in blood. He paused his action, when a voice came from behind, "Sir, I have some, if you don’t mind."

Turning back, he saw a young wolf who had lost an arm, hastily bandaged, and returned to the battlefield.

"Thank you."

He took a cigarette from the box offered by the young man with one hand, lit it, and asked, "Do you want one?"

The young man was briefly stunned, then quickly said, "Isn’t this kind of rude?"

"Not at all."

Losa casually placed the cigarette in the youth’s mouth and lit it for him. The youth took a deep drag, causing the glowing tip to swiftly recede. He awkwardly smiled and said, "Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you."

Losa patted the youth’s shoulder; sharing a battle together is one of the best ways to forge a bond.

...

In the expedition army’s simple camp.

Francisco the Ripper watched with a grim expression the scattered warriors returning to camp, most of them injured. He silently calculated the casualties, and after a long time saw that no one else was returning, he turned and looked at the Centurions gathering on the spot.

Someone questioned, "Lord Francesco, why did you suddenly have us retreat? We were close to breaking through the enemy’s first wall with my lads."

A Yakxi wolf expressed confusion, "Boss, did something unexpected happen?"

Francesco nodded seriously, "Hmm, the enemy was well-prepared, and they brought in some formidable allies. Do you know how many losses we’ve suffered so far?"

Everyone looked incredulous at Francesco’s gesture.

"That’s right, over a hundred have fallen, and that’s just the unreturned ones. Many who returned are critically injured, indicating that the Basilicata wolf pack is not a group that we can easily annihilate." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He paused slightly and said coldly, "Moreover, Renault has died. The one who killed him was the formidable ally hired by Basilicata."

Renault was one of the expedition’s elite Centurions sent by the Yakxi Family, with extraordinary strength, not much weaker than the Ripper himself, comparable to the clan leaders of several major superior wolf clans. Unexpectedly, he perished so quickly.

Everyone’s face was filled with surprise.

Someone inquired, "I heard from the underlings that it was the Knight of Radiance?"

"That’s right, it’s that Knight of Radiance."

The words fell, sparking an uproar.

Fear flashed across every face, as this name is a shared nightmare among all wolf packs and could be said for all dark creatures across Europe.

"According to what I’ve heard, the Knight of Radiance from the Holy Church, the Blood Demon from the Blood Royal Court, and the rebels of Basilicata have united forces. No wonder Lord Wolf Lord has made such a big move."

"Now, who still wants to plead for Basilicata’s rebels?"

His sharp gaze scanned across everyone, seeing no one stepping forward to respond, he continued, "Basilicata must be destroyed; everyone of them must be hunted and killed."

He sneered, "Rest well tonight, arrange the Night Watchers."

"Tomorrow morning, we continue the attack."

Someone frowned and questioned, "The rebels of Basilicata and the fortress cannons used by the United Kingdom are the latest models. I’ve seen them before on the fortress in New York. Could they have connections with the British?"

Francisco’s cold eyes swept over him, "Regardless of whom they’re allied with, the will of Lord Wolf Lord is to eradicate Basilicata. This outcome was already destined before we set out."

"Alright, okay."

The inquisitive one quickly succumbed under Francisco’s gaze, gripping his fist tightly as a sense of reluctance arose within his heart.

Just like Losa said, the seeds of rebellion had long been sown.

But as teacher Chelina said, they would always stand on the side of the victors. As long as the Yakxi Family continued to have the strength to rule over the wolves, even if they had rebellious thoughts, they would absolutely not act upon them.

...

On the battlements, the Texas wolf pack sat around various campfires, and some weaker stray wolves unable to stand in the front line cleaned corpses and bloodstains off the walls, delivering large portions of roasted meat to the warriors.

This battle cost the Texas wolf pack dearly.

Although the expedition army was limited by the terrain in deploying forces simultaneously, their elite level was superior to many of the Texas wolf pack, especially the wolf pack during the Corner stage. The expedition army had significantly higher quality.

However, the Texas wolf pack wasn’t without advantages.

The harsh conditions faced by stray wolves have trained many drifters with decent skills over the years. After coming to Texas, years of fighting against wild demons have honed their combat experience, surpassing those of the higher-level wolf pack despite their lesser strength.

Losa quietly sat by the campfire, observing those who continuously stepped forward to toast to Jeanne, a slight smile on his lips.

Hans remarked, "During this time, Mrs. Jeanne really has made numerous friends in Texas."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leon’s loud voice rang out, "Brother Hans, come over here, I’ll introduce you to the brothers."