Mastery Is Earned

Sheriff Marcus had sent three squads as reinforcements and placed Dario in command of the operation. The three squads had arrived one after another the previous evening, and the members of Dario's own squad had already assembled in Silverleaf Village.

Even after everyone had arrived and Teddy provided the exact location of the bandits' hideout, Captain Dario chose not to set out at night. Marching after dark was both dangerous and irresponsible. No matter how serious the situation, he could not gamble with the lives of the town guards.

After making arrangements for all his men, Dario waited until the first glimmer of light appeared in the east. Only then did he leave Silverleaf Village with all four squads, twenty-five men in total. At full strength, the four squads should have numbered twenty-eight, but several were short-handed, leaving only twenty-five men present.

Besides the town guards and Teddy, many villagers from Silverleaf Village joined the operation as well. Some were hunters and woodcutters who knew the forest well. Others were village militiamen armed with spears or farming tools. All of them were doing what little they could to help.

The marks Teddy had left along the route were easy to follow. Even after a full night, each one remained clearly visible. The group of more than forty advanced slowly through the forest.

By the time daylight had fully broken, they finally reached the area near the hollow. Dario raised a hand for everyone to stop, then took two hunters familiar with the forest to the front and studied the entrance through the trees. The wooden palisade gate and watchtower hidden behind the trees were clearly visible.

“Is that the hollow up ahead?” Dario asked Teddy in a low voice.

Teddy had spent the entire journey scanning the area and checking the tracks from time to time, clearly still searching for Raymond.

“This is it.” Teddy nodded. “Raymond and I saw the shelters and guards inside with our own eyes yesterday. The trail left when they dragged Henk away led straight to the entrance.”

Dario issued orders to the armed guards.

“First Squad, take the shields and breaching tools. Follow me in through the front!”

“Second Squad, provide ranged support. Keep the camp's archers pinned down and cover First Squad.”

“Third Squad, seal the flanks and surround the hollow. Don't let any of them escape over the hills.”

“Fourth Squad, follow First Squad and charge in with us. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir!”

Seeing the guards in such high spirits, Dario nodded with some satisfaction. He looked back at the villagers who had come to help. “Stay under cover in the rear. Be ready to guard the wounded and carry them back. Don't rush in.”

With that, he drew his weapon, tightened his grip on his shield, and roared, “Follow me!”

The twenty-five guards quickly deployed according to his orders. First and Fourth Squads raised their shields and advanced steadily toward the hollow along the main path, while the other two squads moved to their assigned positions.

Teddy remained where he was, weapon in hand. He looked at the advancing town guards, then at the villagers beside him who were waiting to receive the wounded, but did not take a step. In the end, he did not follow the guards. He stayed behind with the villagers assigned to help the wounded.

Holding his shield before him, Dario took his place at the head of the formation and led First Squad steadily toward the hollow. As they drew closer, he could see a tall watchtower inside, confirming his suspicion that this was the bandits' lair.

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“Someone's coming! There are people outside!”

The childish shout from the watchtower made Dario pause. A child's head soon peeked over the edge. At the sight of the assembled guards outside, the child immediately ducked back down and shouted into the camp. Moments later, hurried footsteps sounded on the watchtower's wooden ladder.

Dario looked up and quickly recognized the conspicuous black hair.

“Captain Dario, it's me! Don't attack!” the black-haired young man shouted.

Dario stared in disbelief. Once he confirmed that the young man on the watchtower really was Raymond, he immediately called out, “Halt! Hold position and stay alert!”

Rumble!

The heavy palisade gate slowly swung open, and Raymond emerged in clean clothes. “Captain Dario!”

Dario regarded him with surprise and suspicion, unable to understand why Raymond was here. But when he saw the bandages wrapped around Raymond's body, caught the heavy smell of blood, and noticed his bloodshot eyes, he could roughly guess what had happened.

“Raymond!” Dario went forward to meet him.

“Thank goodness you're finally here, and with so many people.” Raymond's expression was grave. “We've rescued the missing people, Captain Dario.”

“That's good news. Why do you look like that?”

“Henk... He's unconscious and still hasn't woken up.” Raymond stepped aside and motioned for Dario to follow him into the camp.

Dario did not enter immediately. After a moment's thought, he turned and ordered the men beside him, “Second and Third Squads, stand guard and surround this place. Don't let anyone get away. First and Fourth Squads, come inside with me and stay alert!”

Raymond glanced at the guards, who remained on high alert, but raised no objection. He simply fell back beside Dario to lead the way.

Raymond and Dario walked side by side at the front, while the others followed three to five meters behind. The deeper they went into the hollow, the tighter Dario gripped his shield, wary of anything unexpected.

The moment he entered the camp itself, the sight before him left him stunned. The entire camp reeked of blood. Blood had soaked into broad patches of earth, and a pile of corpses lay beside the clearing.

What caught Dario's attention most, however, were the chunks of flesh scattered throughout the camp. They lay in a chaotic mess, as though they had been torn off by brute force. In the pile of corpses, some were missing arms or legs, while others had crushed skulls or broken necks. Hardly any remained intact.

On the other side, a group of women stood around several children, watching the newcomers nervously. They had been washing clothes, cooking food, or packing things away. When they saw Dario and the others, they all rose uneasily.

“These people... Did you kill all of them?” Dario asked in disbelief.

“No, I didn't do it alone. It was mostly thanks to Henk, but he's unconscious now, and I don't know what's wrong with him,” Raymond answered honestly.

“Henk? Take me to him,” Dario said at once.

He found it difficult to believe anyone could have done this, but there was no way Raymond could have fabricated the scene before him. After all, Raymond could not possibly have done all of it by himself.

Dario followed Raymond into the room at the center of the camp that had once belonged to the leader. The ledgers had been neatly bundled together, while Henk lay on the large bed covered in animal hides. His enormous body nearly filled the wooden bed, and one lower leg still hung over the edge.

Beside him, a full-figured woman was carefully cleaning Henk's wounds with fresh water. She froze for a moment when Raymond and the others entered, then hurriedly gathered her things and left the room with her head lowered.

“He's a half-orc. This is Henk?” Though Dario already knew the answer, he could not help asking.

Only after Raymond nodded did Dario's expression turn grave. He had never encountered a half-orc before, though he had heard of them. He had always assumed they were merely somewhat taller than ordinary people. He had never imagined one could be as huge and powerfully built as Henk.

“Are all the bandits in the camp dead?” Dario asked after a brief silence.

“Only the bookkeeper and two wounded bandits are still alive. I locked all three of them up,” Raymond answered honestly.

Dario glanced at the unconscious Henk but did not ask any more about the previous night's battle.

“I've already had everyone gather the goods we found in the camp,” Raymond said after a moment. “The bookkeeper made a rough inventory of the ore, pelts, and weapons and recorded the quantities. The wagons and packhorses are still in the clearing under guard. I made sure no one touched them.”

Dario looked at Raymond in surprise. How had this boy raised in an inn become so shrewd and capable? He had even known to gather the goods first, then have the bookkeeper take inventory.

“You did well. All of this is connected to the smuggling case. I'll assign people to record and guard everything, and no one may touch any of it before the investigation is complete. As for what you and Henk accomplished, I'll report it truthfully to the sheriff,” Dario said solemnly.

“Most of the credit belongs to Henk.” Raymond shook his head. “I don't care what happens to any of this. I only want Henk to recover. He's saved my life more than once.”

“Don't worry. I'll have him taken back to Blackstone at once and send for a physician.”

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