Drawing Cards in the Middle Ages to Rise in Ranks-Chapter 452 - 234: Contact

Baron Fulk wanted to learn more about Shemir, but unfortunately, after several days, he couldn’t obtain any noteworthy secret information.

That was far beyond the reach of an ordinary Mamluk Cavalryman like him. Even his master, who was a confidant of Taqidin and a mid-level officer in the Kasaji Guard, knew very little about Shemir.

Nevertheless, Fulk did not waste his efforts entirely. At least he discovered that under Saladin, there was another powerful Caster. However, compared to Master Shemir, this mysterious Caster remained secluded daily, and even his name hadn’t surfaced.

His two apprentices, however, were always by Saladin’s side, serving as his Court Advisors.

...

The Crusaders advanced north along the Jordan River, and in just five days, they neared Lake Tiberias.

They were now only two days away from Saladin’s army, and falcons began to be seen intermittently flying in the sky, heightening the tension among the troops.

Some say that war is a long march, a wait, a brief fight, and if one is lucky to survive, a return to the long march and wait once more.

Renault profoundly agreed with this sentiment.

He had left the Black Eagle Banner Team, as the Winged Cavalry unit he had originally aspired to join was full, forcing him into the Heavy Cavalry Archers unit.

Now, wearing light soft armor, he led a team of Scouts in front of the marching troops.

The days of marching were dull and tedious. Every evening, the first thing upon returning to camp was to take off his boots and shake out the sand inside to avoid blistering his toes.

He often reminisced about the old peasant soldier who transferred all his earned merits to him before dying.

The old peasant soldier was quite skilled. Even though he had now received divine grace, vastly improving his battle skills, he still wasn’t confident he could defeat the old peasant soldier in ground combat.

His former comrades didn’t think much of him.

They believed his cavalryman status was a stroke of luck, not through his own abilities. Indeed, he thought so himself.

A piercing eagle cry suddenly resounded in the sky.

Renault instinctively looked up.

Someone asked, "Is it our falcon?"

"Stay alert!"

Renault shouted, "Since yesterday, we haven’t dispatched any falcons."

Though there were Hawk Trainers in Transjordan’s scout camp, they were far fewer in number compared to those under Saladin’s command.

After detecting signs of Saracen falcons, the Ulm Knight, who managed the scout camp, prohibited their falcons from venturing out at will, replacing them with larger reconnaissance teams like theirs.

In the sky, more and more falcons circled high above, calling out loudly and summoning their companions.

One by one, gigantic eagles, nearly as tall as a human, joined the flock circling overhead.

Some nervously murmured, "Looks like this bunch of feathered beasts is gearing up to feast on us."

Saracen falcons possess talons and beaks as sharp as blades.

Even fully armored knights might have their steeds’ eyes pecked blind, leading to a fatal fall, let alone these lightly-armored scouts.

To maintain mobility and lighten the burden on their steeds, they wore at most a leather armor piece.

"Blow the horn!"

"Have nearby scout teams move closer to us."

Renault calmly ordered.

The falcons in the sky grew more numerous, reaching over ten at one point.

Among them, finally, two could not resist their aggressive nature and dove towards the scout team.

Renault clenched his riding bow, swiftly nocking an arrow and drawing his bow.

Whiz—

One falcon got shot through the chest while still mid-air, dropping like a kite with a snapped string.

Another falcon fiercely clawed a scout’s shoulder, then swooped away, leaving the scout screaming and clutching a shoulder so torn that bones were exposed, falling off his horse.

Renault’s mind remained undisturbed by his comrade’s screams, as he drew and nocked another arrow.

Whiz—

The arrow slipped below the falcon, descending in a parabolic arc to the ground.

"A pity."

Being soldiers who had undergone system transition, his archery skills were nearly on par with those of Woodland Archers. However, the riding bow he wielded couldn’t match the formidable strength of the longbows used by Woodland Archers. Otherwise, this arrow would have hit its target.

Just then, a deep, dragon-like horn sound echoed.

Nearby scout teams began to gather, each team having several leaders with excellent archery skills like Renault, creating a deterrent for the falcons.

It seemed these foes realized the difficulty of confronting them and were now grouping together.

The falcons, which had earlier been circling mid-air and eager to attack, continued circling for a while, then slowly flew away to the distance.

Renault, somewhat disappointed, put down the bow in his hand, glanced at the injured, and took out a bottle of Lazarus Potion from the saddlebag: "Apply it to him, but not too much; it’s a potion for three people."

...

"Have scouts been attacked again?"

Losa frowned deeply. Engaging with the Saracens often meant fighting under the premise of losing "air supremacy", something he was already somewhat accustomed to.

"As long as there are no casualties, it’s fine. Starting today, the size of the scouting teams must expand, and each should incorporate two heavy cavalry archers."

Losa paused briefly and asked, "Did we gather any details about the spellcasters under Saladin?"

Kurs, reporting below, shook his head and said, "Julia’s ’Shadow of Darkness’ has not yet returned with new information. So far, we only know that there’s a spellcaster under Saladin skilled in beast taming, and another whose strength is unknown, seldom seen but with a status similar to the Beast Tamer."

"No news yet, huh."

Losa sighed lightly. The "Shadow of Darkness" organization was established relatively recently, and most of its members were ordinary people. No matter how advanced the organizational structure, it could not bypass the limitations of personnel, funding, and time.

"But it doesn’t matter either; we don’t understand the strength of those under Saladin, and they surely don’t understand us."

So far, the place where Losa truly showcased his strength was in the battle at Limassol against Isaac of Cyprus—after that, their strength has noticeably grown compared to before.

"How’s Furinjira these past two days?"

Kurs smiled wryly and said, "Not well; after obtaining the blood sample from Venezia, she locked herself in the tent again, researching improvements to the Wolf Poison Potion."

Losa frowned and asked, "Should I have left her and Chelina in Jerusalem?"

Chelina was left in Jerusalem by Losa to deal with the spellcasters likely present around Adil, forced to separate from her best friend. Losa, too, was constantly absorbed in military affairs, leaving the young girl feeling very lonely.

Kurs shook his head and said, "She’s just worried about the safety of Miss Chelina."

Furinjira possessed various beneficial spells, playing an extraordinary role on the battlefield. It’s best to have her on the primary battlefield.

Losa was silent for a moment and sighed lightly, "It’s an unavoidable situation."

Being an assassin is a profession that treads on the edge of a blade, facing spellcasters known for their diverse and unpredictable abilities. Even if Chelina is very strong, a single oversight could cost her life.

But Losa had no other choice.

"Kurs, you’re the one who persuaded Venezia to come to me, right?"

Kurs nodded and said, "My lord, you truly have keen insight."

"Come on, I have you to thank for this matter; otherwise, I wouldn’t know how to find an excuse to enhance his strength."

Losa said with a smile.

The great war was imminent, and Venezia was a top-tier five-star combatant, with individual combat power even surpassing Hans.

Just as he thought of Hans, Hans happened to come in through the door.

"My lord, the scouts have discovered a group of rebellious peasants ahead. They have breached the local lord’s castle, and the owner of that castle is coincidentally in the troop—he has already taken his subordinates to deal with those rebels."

Losa was somewhat surprised: "They would actually rebel at this time?"

"Perhaps they couldn’t endure anymore, and they certainly don’t know they’re coincidentally on our marching route."

"This is really troublesome."

Hans couldn’t help but say, "My lord, I asked around privately; that lord is an extremely cruel and tyrannical person, sometimes on a whim would lead knights and servants to drive a group of peasant slaves to the hunting grounds for shooting; sometimes he would stand atop the castle, scrutinizing passing merchants, like a vulture selecting its prey—so often there are caravans and pilgrims disappearing when passing here."

Losa frowned: "By doing so, his territory should quickly become a wasteland, right?"

"He occasionally recruits pilgrims of unknown background to settle in the territory, and this place is also a necessary path along the Jordan River."

Cruel, tyrannical, and even anti-human lords are not uncommon in Europe. Many of them, due to stupidity, do not even have the concept of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs or simply pursue excitement without considering consequences.

Fools are everywhere.

Among uneducated nobility who only emphasize valor, such characters are the easiest to find.

"Hans, do not intervene."

Losa cautioned.

In a strict sense, such an event was actually beneficial to him.

Because when the heretic caravans frequently had issues on this trade route, over time, they would likely choose the route through Eira Port or Kaler Castle, allowing him to receive more trade tax.

He lowered his voice and said, "I swear this scum will pay the price, but it’s definitely not your place to execute him."

The Circuit Court Losa established on his territory was equivalent to indirectly reclaiming judicial power from various levels of vassals, allowing even the commoners the opportunity to sue their lords—but that’s contingent upon them being in his territory.

This man is a vassal of Duke Raymond, and should be dealt with by him.

Kurs said, "Rest assured, Hans, my lord and Duke Raymond are in a honeymoon phase, just a few words would suffice to strip that guy of his title and have him executed in court."

Losa sighed lightly.

Such brutal Crusader nobles in the Holy Land, and even in Europe, are not few. If not for this man causing a rebellion, merely slaughtering peasants and heretics, he truly wouldn’t have had a justification to intervene.