Lord of the Oasis

"But we only found fifteen people. Aren't there twenty-five Caradia soldiers in the reconnaissance team?" Derrick asked curiously.

The messenger expression turned grief as he slapped himself on the head and said, "I'm sorry, Commander Derrick. I have another piece of news that I haven't told you."

"What?" Derrick's heart began to feel uneasy.

"There are a total of twenty-five soldiers in the reconnaissance team. Fifteen people have been discovered in the suburbs of Durandal. Three people were killed while carrying out missions on the island. Yesterday evening... Eight of them... were pulled onto the shore." the soldier said sadly, "In other words, other than the soldiers that you painstakingly found, everyone else has died."

Derrick raised his head in disbelief. After confirming the facts that the messenger had told him. He immediately turned his back and frowned to prevent tears from falling from his eyes.

"I see." After a long while, the messenger heard Derrick's response.

"Commander Derrick, I'm sorry for your loss." the messenger said with his head lowered.

"Then, where are their remains now?" Derrick asked with a choked voice, "It's good that their remains can be recovered."

"They are on their way back to Drondheim." the messenger replied. "The funeral will be held in the military camp."

"Yes, alright. After I take care of things here, I'll return to Drondheim to attend their funeral." said Derrick. "Then, are you leaving now?"

"Yes," the messenger replied. "Lord Kant and the others are still in Cumberland for the matter of the missing soldiers. I have to hurry back to report the news."

"Alright then. I wish you a safe journey." said Derrick to the messenger. The messenger saluted and jumped onto his horse.

"Thank you, Commander Derrick." the messenger said as he cupped his fists while riding on his horse.

After that, he whipped his horse and drove it further and further away under Derrick's gaze.

After Derrick entered the military camp, he immediately rushed to the area where Devitt and the others were resting.

Although the clinic in the military camp was prepared for the incoming wounded, they were still far from having enough manpower. They could only handle the work of a few people by themselves. They went in and out of the clinic.

Derrick grabbed a medic who passed by and asked him, "How's the fainted soldier?"

"Reporting to Commander Derrick!" the medic immediately stood up and answered, "The soldiers suffered severe frostbite and are undergoing a full-body examination."

"What do you mean by severe?" asked Derrick, puzzled.

"Some patients may require amputation." the medic replied as he looked at Derrick seriously.

"Nonsense!" Derrick pushed the medic away and shouted, "They are soldiers! Are you telling me that they need amputation?"

"Water has seeped into the knee joint, and all the cartilage inside has severely damaged." the medic followed beside Derrick and carefully explained, "When the soldiers wake up, they probably can't feel their legs anymore."

Upon hearing his words, Derrick stopped in front of Devitt's bed.

Devitt's lips, which had turned purple from the cold, had gradually recovered. The muscles on his face had also relaxed.

Derrick's tears fell on the white quilt. He felt sad that he was at a loss for what to do.

Kant had been in Cumberland for three days, and the salvage work had long ended. These few days, Bunduk led his soldiers to conduct a search in the vicinity of Cumberland. About a kilometer away from the city gate, they found a pile of firewood left over from the fire to heat up.

The means of survival in the wild was a compulsory course for every Caradia soldier before enlisting in the army. Even the method of camping in the wild was fixed and uniform.

After confirming that this was the trail left behind by the Caradia soldiers, Bunduk immediately reported this clue to Kant.

"Judging from the position they are staying at, they are walking along the Elf Kingdom's official road," Bunduk analyzed. "They are indeed going to Durandal."

"Tomorrow, continue to lead the soldiers in the direction you have speculated and search for them. Now, we only need to wait for the news from Durandal." Kant nodded and said.

"Yes." Bunduk replied.

Before confirming the movements of the missing soldiers, every night was difficult to endure.

Kant sat in his room with his eyes open the whole night. He could not suppress the restlessness in his heart.

Until dawn, the messenger knocked on Kant's door. He handed the list of rescued people to Kant.

Only then did Kant let out a long breath and let the soldier report the news to Bunduk. He went back to his bed to rest.

He slept until the evening.

When Bunduk was hesitating whether to wake him up, Kant opened the door and went to the dining room to have his dinner.

"Your Highness, you are finally awake." Bunduk found a chair beside Kant and sat down, saying to him.

Kant cut a small piece of steak and chewed it. After swallowing it, he replied, "Why are you looking for me?"

"Elf King has contacted the ship company that operates the ships on the island." Bunduk reported. "The people there said that after the crews received the hush money, they went to the dwarf town on the island and squandered freely. They caused some commotion, and now they have been locked down by the shipping company."

"We'll set off for the island tomorrow and let the shipping company monitor this group of people for a while. Tell them don't do anything until we arrive." Kant said calmly. "I really don't know what they're thinking. This group of people still dare to return to the island. Even if we don't look for them, the forces of the dark side on the island will probably come looking for them. I reckon that in the end, they won't even be able to spend their money and lose their lives."

"Your Highness, do you think that the forces on the island will clean them up?" Bunduk asked, puzzled.

"It's one of the possibilities. Whether or not they will take action or not, it depends on how far the people behind the scenes want to go." Kant wiped his mouth with a napkin and replied.

"I see. Since we're leaving tomorrow, I'll go and inform the soldiers to get ready now." Bunduk nodded and replied.

"Yes." Kant nodded and said, "By the way, where is Raphael? Remember to bring him along."

"After he was beaten by me that day, he fell on the bed and refused to get up no matter what." Bunduk frowned and replied, "I will find someone to visit him tonight."

"Don't use force against him. We still need him to do many things in the future." Kant instructed.

"Sigh." Bunduk sighed and said, "No matter what, Raphael is already an enemy in my eyes. Lord Kant, you have your plans, but I can't cross that line in my heart."

Kant turned around and stared at Bunduk for a long time.