Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 99: Rudolph’s miserable fate

Meanwhile, Zora pressed onward, the academy now well within reach. At her current pace, she would arrive in no more than seven days.

Night gradually descended.

The forest after dark was never peaceful, filled with hidden dangers and sudden surprises.

When Zora reached a massive canyon, her brows lifted slightly. "This terrain..."

The road ahead narrowed sharply, hemmed in by steep canyon walls on both sides, leaving only a single passage through the middle.

Once someone entered, it would be easy for enemies to block both ends and leave no path of escape.

This was prime ground for bandits.

"This place is a bandit’s paradise," White remarked calmly. "Anyone passing through is bound to run into trouble sooner or later."

Zora nodded. "But since this road must be taken eventually, we might as well go through now."

A misfortune avoided today would only return tomorrow.

If bandits were lying in wait, she would face them whether it was day or night.

"Master, with Black and White here, these bandits won’t stand a chance!" Black thumped his chest proudly.

With their strength, any mountain thieves that dared appear would be courting death.

Zora smiled. Though she had yet to see Black and White truly fight, their confidence alone spoke volumes.

"Then I’ll be counting on you."

"No problem!" Black replied smugly.

Clop. Clop.

The sound of hooves echoed clearly through the silent canyon.

Just as Zora advanced to within two hundred meters, faint voices drifted toward her from ahead.

She raised an eyebrow. "Looks like something’s happening."

As she drew closer, the scene gradually came into view.

Two men on horseback were blocked by a group of mountain bandits. The bandit leader stood before them, clearly in the middle of negotiations.

"Hand over your money," the leader barked, eyes glinting greedily, "and we’ll let you pass."

The two men wore fine brocade robes. One look was enough to tell they were no ordinary travelers.

"Just you people," a warm, unhurried voice replied with a hint of amusement, "and you think you can rob us?"

Even surrounded by dozens of bandits, the speaker showed not the slightest trace of fear.

The man wore white robes, his appearance refined and scholarly, with peach-blossom eyes that held an elegant charm. He looked more like a gentle scholar than someone facing mortal danger.

The bandit leader’s expression darkened. "So you’re not planning to cooperate?"

"Enough nonsense. Kill them."

The man in black spoke coldly, his face utterly expressionless. To him, exchanging words with bandits seemed like it was nothing but a waste of time.

The white-robed man laughed lightly. "Looks like the Great Alaric Von Seraph has already lost his patience."

"You two little lunatics," the bandit leader snarled. "I’ll show you just how formidable the Blackwind Gorge is!"

Clop. Clop. Clop.

Right then, the sound of approaching hooves cut through the tension, attracting their attention.

Both the bandits and the two men turned their heads.

From behind, a lone rider approached at an unhurried pace. A woman dressed in white sat astride her horse, advancing calmly as if unaware of the danger ahead.

The bandit leader’s eyes lit up instantly, greed flashing across his face as he saw Zora. "Well, well. Another beauty delivered right to us!"

In the fading light, the woman in white rode forward. Her robes fluttered gently in the breeze, graceful and ethereal, like a scene pulled from a dream.

Even from a distance, her bearing was impossible to ignore. One glance was enough to leave a lasting impression.

The white-robed man glanced at Zora, a trace of interest flickering in his eyes.

Under normal circumstances, a woman encountering such a scene would flee without hesitation. Yet this one continued forward.

Was she fearless... or had fear robbed her of reason?

"She’s not with us," he said calmly.

The bandit leader laughed coldly. "And you think I’ll believe that? Do I look like a fool?"

All three were mounted. With the woman riding alone, no one would believe she was unrelated.

"Kill them all!" the bandit leader shouted, waving his hand.

At once, the bandits surged forward.

Zora had already grasped the situation, but her attention was not on the bandits ahead. Instead, her gaze sharpened at the rapid footsteps approaching from behind.

If her guess was correct, Rudolph’s reinforcements had finally arrived.

She hadn’t expected that fool to be so persistent, chasing her this far from Drakamir.

Since danger lay both ahead and behind, she might as well deal with everything at once.

Before long, the two men also sensed the disturbance from the rear, their expressions shifting slightly.

"Didn’t expect you bandits to know how to launch a pincer attack," the white-robed man said with a faint smile.

The bandit leader froze. "That’s not us!"

All his men were already here. Where could another group have come from?

Damn it. Had rival bandits come to steal their prey?

"Doesn’t matter!" he roared. "We strike first!"

With that, he led his men toward Zora and the two men.

At the same time, Rudolph’s group arrived from the rear. The moment they spotted Zora, someone shouted, "Kill her!"

Zora’s eyes turned icy.

She had spared Rudolph once. Since he insisted on courting death, she would grant his wish herself.

But before Rudolph’s men could even reach her, they were swallowed by the charging bandits.

At once, the bandits’ fury exploded.

For them, stealing one’s "business" was akin to murdering one’s parents. They had ruled Blackwind Gorge for years. How dare others steal prey from under their noses? 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Rudolph was instantly dumbfounded.

He had no idea what was happening, only that he had been attacked without warning and thrown into utter chaos.

Seeing Rudolph in such a miserable state, a faint smile surfaced at the corner of Zora’s lips.

The scene before her was, frankly speaking, rather entertaining.

"What are you people doing?!" Rudolph shouted in panic.

The bandit sneered coldly. "You, of course!"

...

Boom!

The canyon erupted into chaos as the battle fully broke out, and Zora was swept straight into the fray.

The moment Raphael and Alaric Von Seraph made their move, the difference was immediately apparent. Wherever the two passed, bandits fell like wheat before a sickle. Their attacks were clean, ruthless, and overwhelmingly efficient.

Watching their movements, Zora quickly assessed their strength.

At the very least, both of them had reached the Heaven Realm.

What surprised her even more was their age. They looked no older than 17 or 18, yet they had already stepped into the Heaven Realm. Compared to them, so-called geniuses like Serestia were simply laughable.

The bandit leader’s expression also finally changed.

He had never expected these two young men, who looked refined and harmless, to be such terrifying monsters.

At the same time, Zora fought her way through the bandits, gradually closing in on Rudolph.

"It seems the lesson I taught you earlier wasn’t painful enough," she said lightly, her red lips curving as cold light flickered in her eyes.

"You dare provoke me?" Rudolph roared furiously. "I will never let you off!"

He wanted nothing more than to tear Zora apart, yet he couldn’t even get close to her. All he could do was yell helplessly while fending off attacks.

"Why are you people attacking us?" he shouted desperately.

A bandit shot him a scornful glance. "You came to steal our business, and you still have the nerve to ask why we’re attacking you? Are you brainless?"

"Young Master, they’re bandits!" one of Rudolph’s followers hurriedly whispered.

Only then did Rudolph understand what was happening. He cast a bitter glance toward Zora in the distance, secretly cursing his luck. He hadn’t even had the chance to deal with this woman yet, and now he had run straight into a nest of bandits.

"I’m not here to steal your business," Rudolph quickly explained. "I’m here for that woman!"

Despite bringing many men with him, his forces were still no match for these bandits. Provoking both sides at once would only end badly for him.

Unfortunately, the bandits only laughed.

"So you say you’re not stealing?" the bandit sneered. "And you think we’ll believe that?"

He looked at Rudolph as if he were an idiot. "Do you think we’re blind?"

"Brothers, kill them all!" the bandit leader shouted.