Novel Full Chapter 510: Caught
Chapter 510: Caught
With the officials and aristocratic leaders detained, Noyam quickly fell into the hands of the Astanian troops.
Some residents protested, but the Astanian troops quickly arrested them.
Later that day, Leighnard summoned the three Venerables to his tent to discuss their next course of action.
“Thank you for coming here, Venerables.”
The crown prince greeted them warmly.
He gestured at them with a smile. “Please take your seats. I asked the servants to bring in some refreshments. If you find it lacking, I hope you forgive my lack of courtesy.”
Upon taking their seats, a group of servants entered the tent to offer them the snacks that were prepared for them.
The food wasn’t fancy. They were just common pastries sold to the public, but this was already considered a good snack especially during wartime.
The Venerables didn’t complain about the food.
After the servants left, Leighnard cleared his throat. “We are pressed for time so I will keep this short. You can eat while you listen.”
He took a short pause to observe their expressions before he continued.
“We have already taken control of four cities so there are only two left from our targets, Zurcath and Nacalub.”
“Conquering Zurcath wouldn’t be difficult. They have close to a hundred thousand warriors, but the city’s defenses are lacking.”
“Zurcath is just a small city like Noyam so the officials didn’t invest much in their military. They also have a bunch of corrupt officials who pocketed the budget that was supposed to be spent on repairing the city’s walls and replacing the old artillery.”
Leighnard turned his head to Lucas.
“Lord Lucas, I want you to lead a hundred thousand warriors to conquer Zurcatch. Can you do it?”
Lucas furrowed his eyebrows. “That wouldn’t be an issue, but why are you only sending a third of our troops?”
Leighnard smiled faintly and replied. “Because the rest of us will head straight to Nacalub and conquer it.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow, while the other two Venerables fell into deep thought.
“If we wait until Veronica sends its army, we will have a hard time conquering Nacalub. We need to take control of the city before they arrive!” Leighnard spoke in a stern voice.
“I see. When do you want me to leave? Lucas asked in a low voice.
With a deep voice, Leighnard responded. “You should march tomorrow before sunrise.”
Lucas let out a deep breath and nodded his head. “Alright. You can leave this to me.”
“Your Highness, if we are sending a third of our troops to Zurcath and the remaining troops to Nacalub, what about Noyam? No one will be left to take care of the situation here.” Dominic frowned.
They had just conquered Noyam so the situation was still unstable. There could be an uprising at any moment.
Hearing this, Leighnard smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. Someone will stay here to clean up the mess.”
The three Venerables furrowed their eyebrows. They all had one question on their minds.
Who is he talking about?
…
Inside a different tent, Giovanni took off his armor.
“That was exhausting. By the way, is the standard armor worn by our soldiers usually this heavy?” He grumbled as he sent a look to Derrek.
The latter smiled awkwardly and replied. “Your Highness, you asked me to quickly find you some armor. The only ones available were the armors worn by our heavy cavalry troops. I got you the lightest one.”
“What?! No wonder it was so heavy! Go and find me another one, something that is much lighter and more flexible. I can barely move around in that big piece of junk!” Giovanni complained with an exasperated look.
Derrek could only helplessly agree. “Yes, Your Highness. I will find one for you right away.”
Just as he was about to leave, a voice suddenly echoed from outside the tent.
“Is there some inside?”
Giovanni was startled and he quickly sent Derrek a questioning look.
The latter shook his head and mouthed the words, ’I don’t know who that is.’
“Go and find out why he is here,” Giovanni instructed in a whispering voice.
Derrek nodded to acknowledge the command.
Did someone recognize us?
He was nervous. They didn’t follow the commands of the crown prince who was the person in charge of this expedition. If they were caught, they would be charged with insubordination.
The second prince would be able to get away with some light punishments, but the same thing couldn’t be said for him and the others.
I hope I’m wro-
When Derrek stepped out of the tent, he saw Leighnard standing next to a warrior.
“Y-Your… Your H-Highness!”
Leighnard chuckled. “Why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost? Do I look that scary?”
Derrek grimaced. “N-Not at all, Your Highness! I’m just surprised, is all.”
Leighnard patted his shoulder and asked with a deep look. “He’s inside, right?”
Derrek wanted to say ’no’, but when he saw the crown prince’s smiling face, he gulped hard.
I’m sorry, Your Highness, but we will all be punished if I lie here…
He let out a sigh and nodded with a defeated expression. “Yes, Your Highness.”
“Good choice, Derrek.” Leighnard beamed at him before he entered the tent.
Derrek could only facepalm himself as he watched the crown prince enter the tent.
I’m done for…
A moment later, Giovanni’s furious voice echoed. “Derrek, you dumbass! Get your ass over here!”
Hearing this, Derrek steeled himself and stepped inside the tent.
Upon entering, he saw Leighnard seated on a chair with a gentle smile on his face. Giovanni was standing in front of him, looking completely annoyed.
“My dear brother, why are you taking it out on him? It’s your fault for not following orders.” The crown prince looked like he was enjoying the situation.
Giovanni snorted.
Rubbing his temples, he grabbed a chair for himself and asked. “What do you want? Just spit it out already.”
Leighnard adjusted his sitting posture and replied. “I will pretend that nothing happened, but you must stay and deal with the matters here in Noyam.”