Chapter 7: Forming an Alliance

  Right!

  In the crisp sound, Raymond parried his opponent's weapon with one sword and took advantage of the momentum to strike the hilt on his head. As the mercenary fell to the ground with a miserable cry, he bent down like a born-again eye in the back of his head, and at the same time, he saw a sword sweeping across from above his head.

  Without rising, Raymond kept his waist bent and reversed his long sword to stab backwards from under his ribs. With a miserable cry, the mercenary who had ambushed him splashed blood and fell back. Following that, Raymond flipped his wrist and inserted the sword into the ground at his feet, sending the mercenary he had knocked down to meet the god of death.

  "Ah..." He raised his sword and took a deep breath, Raymond wiped the sweat from his forehead.

  Last night was a tumultuous one that lasted almost the entire night, and after dawn broke, I rushed here without stopping, even Raymond felt a bit overwhelmed. However, there's finally only one last enemy left...

  Not far away, Edward, who had just repelled the cat woman's attack with a single "Ice Wind Sword", also saw his own soldiers' defeat.

  "Good grief, these guys are really disappointing." However, he didn't seem to be angry at all, as if the outcome of this battle had nothing to do with him.

  "Meow, young master, this guy is really annoying." Never having tried attacking so many times without success before, Bastet said hatefully: "However, I'll be able to take him down soon."

  "Hold on." Raymond signaled her to slow down, then turned to Edward and said: "You have no chance of winning now, surrender. Tell me, why does the Ravite Federation want to make trouble with the small town of Haidington?"

  "What?" Edward feigned surprise and said: "Don't get it wrong, we're just helping Depero, all of this is being done according to his will."

  It wasn't until he mentioned it that Raymond suddenly realized Depero was nowhere to be found. If they didn't catch this troublesome guy, who knows what would happen next time someone took a shot at Haidinton in his name.

  "Where is Depero?"

  But just as Raymond opened his mouth, Edward gave a faint smile: "Since those guys are all finished, I should be going too."

  "Don't even think about it!" Bastet saw the situation and instantly rushed forward.

  "Bastet, wait, something's off..." Raymond hastily reminded her.

  Just as the words fell, the ground under the cat girl's feet suddenly turned white rapidly, accompanied by a creaking sound like the earth was freezing. Bastet didn't have time to react, her legs were immediately invaded by the cold air, and a layer of frost quickly moved up along the cat girl's legs, soon reaching her knees.

  "Huh, my leg... what's going on?" The cat girl was shocked and lost color, having never suffered from this kind of magical attack before.

  "Damn it!" Raymond shouted in dismay, without thinking much, he flung out the long sword in his hand.

  The long sword was inserted obliquely beside the cat girl, and Raymond rushed up quickly, jumped up and stepped on the sword to avoid the chill of the ground, while grabbing Bastet with one hand and jumping out of the range invaded by the chill.

  "Master, what's wrong with my legs? Why can't I feel anything?" Bastet asked frantically, "Will I never be able to move again?"

  Raymond comforted the terrified cat girl: "Don't worry, it's just frozen, as long as we wait for the magic to wear off, everything will be fine."

  "Ah, he's going to get away!" Bast exclaimed suddenly.

  Raymond hastily turned his head, and saw Edward retreat into the shade cast by a cluster of trees. Then he was like a reflection in rippling water, his body distorted by wave after wave, gradually becoming indistinct.

  "It was truly delightful to cross hands with each of you, farewell for now."

  Just then, a loud whistling sound was heard, and a bolt of blue lightning shot forth, striking Edward just as he was about to disappear.

  In an instant, a large piece of electric current burst out with a humming sound.

  "Magic arrow? How could..." Edward's face changed drastically, and at the same time his body suddenly became clear.

  Opportunity should not be lost. Raymond almost instantly jumped up, grabbed a long spear from the body of a mercenary corpse on the ground and threw it out fiercely.

  This time Edward was unable to dodge, the long spear pierced his chest and went straight through, piercing his body from side to side.

  It seemed impossible to believe that he would actually die here, Edward stared blankly at the spear handle embedded in his chest, then smiled wryly at Raymond: "Well done." and fell backwards.

  "Great job, young master, you finally took him down." Bast immediately cheered up.

  Raymond couldn't be as happy as Bastier, Depéro was nowhere to be found, this guy died again, and it's still unclear what Laviotte had in mind for Haidington, would this inexplicable fight continue?

  "Unbelievable! I helped you take down that guy and you don't even have a word of thanks?" Just then, an indignant Shilnis walked over.

  "Hmm, I was just thinking..." Raymond was about to explain. Suddenly he seemed to have figured something out, turned around and grabbed Hillnis' shoulder, laughing loudly: "Haha, who cares so much, at least we won."

  "Hey, what's wrong..." Hillis was puzzled by Raymond's sudden action. Hearing this, he also let out a long sigh: "Yeah, finally won that damn thing."

  As they spoke, the two men's gazes swept across the entire battlefield. The cavalry was still chasing and killing the fleeing enemy troops, and amidst the sound of horseshoes, cries of agony continued to ring out. Some wounded soldiers on the ground who had not yet died were also moaning unconsciously.

  From the mountain slope top still emitting thick smoke of the camp, to the lower side of this piece of open land, both sides of the enemy and our troops were killed, thousands of corpses flowed out of blood almost dyed the land into red.

  What a tragic battle it was! Both of them couldn't help but feel the same sense of sorrow.

  "Hey, young master, my legs can't move anymore, have you forgotten about me?"

  At noon that day, after the last enemy soldier had fled into the forest, this fierce battle around Heidingsfeld finally came to an end.

  It was a great feat, 2,000 mercenaries hired by De Péro were almost annihilated except for a few who escaped. For a small town with only a few hundred defenders, the outcome was glorious.

  However, Raymond's side also paid a heavy price. Firstly, they bore the brunt of the enemy's Blue Wolf Mercenary Corps, almost annihilating them. The commander, Rubens, was severely injured, and 600 members lost two-thirds of their strength, with less than 200 surviving, all of whom were wounded.

  On the other hand, Haidington's guard team was also severely reduced in strength, with about half of its 200 men killed or wounded. The Guard Regiment under Raymond suffered casualties of around one-third, which was relatively the best.

  The loss of Auston's guard was mainly in last night's prison battle, plus the cavalry that followed Hillnis to participate in the annihilation war later, and the casualty rate was also about half.

  In other words, although they successfully annihilated an enemy force twice their size, the defensive strength of these two towns was almost exhausted. If more enemy troops were to come again, they would be powerless to fight back.

  After a simple sweep of the battlefield, those who could still move supported those who couldn't, the lightly wounded supported the seriously wounded, and the living soldiers left the battlefield.

  However, no one noticed that Edward's body had disappeared after being killed by Raymond...

  In a forest about two kilometers away from the battlefield.

  "What's going on, what's going on, why has it become like this?" De Piro anxiously paced back and forth: "Can't we even take down Haidinton like this?"

  "No way, I have to go back and take a look, how is the battle going?" With one step, Debro stepped out of the forest.

  That mercenary named Hoss blocked his way: "Mr. Depero, please stay here, Mr. Edward ordered me to ensure your safety."

  "But what if we lose?" Depero couldn't help but ask.

  "Win or lose, Mr. Edward will come looking for us, and you'll know it when the time comes." said Hoss.

  Depero could only dispel his thoughts and kept looking out of the forest, as if he could see the battle situation through the heavy hills.

  Suddenly, the leaves in the forest rustled and made a loud noise. Hoss immediately jumped up alertly: "Who's there?"

  "Hey, hey, don't be nervous, it's me." Edward slowly walked out as he spoke.

  He's still alive!?!

  Wasn't this person killed by Raymond's spear? Why is he appearing here? He was seen to have only a hole in his chest, but his body was intact, without even a drop of blood, it was really strange.

  As soon as he saw him, Depero immediately stepped forward and said: "Mr. Edward, that battle..."

  "Oh." It seemed he just remembered, Edward said casually: "Unfortunately, we lost."

  "What?" Depero could hardly believe his ears: "How...what am I supposed to do?"

  "Aren't you still alive? What's there to worry about?" Edward said in surprise.

  De Péro exclaimed anxiously: "But... but even with so many people, we can't beat them, and all the money is spent. What else can I do?"

  "Please don't worry about this, the parliament will not let go of your grievances. Those guys may have won, but they also suffered heavy losses and can't afford another battle. But you are different, with the entire Lavierte Federation behind you, you can make a comeback."

  "I can guarantee that when the time comes, victory will be yours."

  His unique soft voice seemed to have a strange sense of calmness. Upon hearing this, the anxious and uneasy Depero let out a long sigh: "So that's how it is, I can finally be at ease now. Your generosity has left me speechless."

  "Anywhere." Edward's pale face broke into a strange smile: "After you retake Headington, there will naturally be many places to repay us."

  "For now, let those guys be happy for a while. We need to head back to Sonari and report the outcome of this battle to the council."

  "Alright, let's hurry then." Depero, who was bursting with excitement, didn't catch the implication in Edward's words and started walking towards the forest first.

  Edward left as well, taking two steps before turning his head back to look in the direction of the battlefield: "But even I didn't think we'd lose. What an unexpected bunch."

  He gazed regretfully at the holes in his clothes: "What a pity. If only Master Cliff hadn't forbidden me from using necromancy, otherwise..."

  "Never mind, Haidington, I'll be back soon..."

  Edward then turned around and quietly left the forest.

  Victory brought little joy to Haidington, apart from the heavy casualties, various aftermath works were also quite troublesome.

  Treating the wounded, comforting the families of the deceased defenders, these two tasks alone were enough to keep Charlotte busy. Not to mention dealing with the corpses of the dead enemies to prevent the spread of disease, and calming the people, etc.

  The only consolation is that the battle never spilled over into Haddington town, there were no civilian casualties and no damage was done to the town.

  As for Raymond, things were much simpler. The former robbers who followed him to Haidington were all rascals, and if they died, it was just a matter of dying, with no one needing to be compensated. On the contrary, the living were more important, and the rewards after the war had cost Raymond a lot of money.

  But there are also things to be happy about. Firstly, in the battle of Auston City, Raymond captured a large amount of enemy supplies. It has to be said that Derek is really a very generous person. Not long after the battle ended, he sent someone to deliver Raymond's share. Of course, as one of the participating parties, Auston City also took a portion, but what was given to Raymond was absolutely the largest share, allowing him to make a good profit and temporarily alleviate the financial crisis caused by only spending without earning.

  When checking out those spoils of war, Raymond had heard Rickett's laughter more than once.

  The second is that Raymond's expensive intelligence system has finally paid off. In fact, during the rebellion of Depero and others, Raymond had benefited from it before, and he was very calm in formulating a countermeasure after receiving the news in advance.

  However, in comparison, the intelligence system played a much greater role in this battle. Especially Osen, he played a crucial role from the initial transmission of intelligence to probing enemy information and contacting Hiltinis and others, contributing to the success of Raymond's surprise attack on Auston. Therefore, after the war, Raymond heavily rewarded him, and this person is probably one of the greatest gains in this battle.

  Freddie, who was particular about his character, didn't think much of this small achievement and was even more dissatisfied with the rough intelligence work in this battle. He immediately asked Raymond for more funds to make improvements. Of course, no one would say anything else this time.

  Time slipped away in sorrow, joy and busyness, a week later, Haidington finally held the long overdue celebration for this victory.

  In addition to Raymond and others, Rubens and Javier, there were two special guests, namely the mayor of Derick from Oston, and the coarse elf Hilnis.

  In this battle, the two towns became sworn allies, and their already friendly relationship deepened even further. Thus, Derek and Hillnis were invited to attend, which was a natural consequence.

  As the banquet began, Charlotte raised her glass and said: "First of all, I would like to thank Mayor Derek, and at the same time, apologize to him."

  "Thanks to the long-term support and care of Haidington, if it weren't for you, we would have been unable to hold on until today. Your kindness will never be forgotten."

  "And as for the apology, it's to express regret over this incident involving Auston. If it weren't for us, Auston wouldn't have been occupied by the enemy, and you almost lost your life too."

  "Hehe, Charlotte is too polite." The chubby Derick chuckled: "I haven't even had a chance to thank you, and even when the enemy army was pressing in, I didn't forget to save this old man. Moreover, if it weren't for Mr. Raymond, how could we have eliminated those invaders?"

  Morini said apologetically, "Although it's said that way, the Ravierte Federation is after all only targeting us. Auston was just innocently implicated due to previous aid and geographical location."

  Derek sighed: "Don't mention being implicated again. This time's incident has made me thoroughly see the true face of the Ravite Federation. These small towns on the outskirts, in their eyes, are not worth mentioning at all. As long as they want to, they can recklessly send troops to occupy us at any time, without considering so-called 'alliances'. This time it's your Haydington, who can guarantee that next time won't be our Auston?"

  "So this time in Haidington, apart from being invited to attend the celebration, I have another purpose."

  "What is it?" Charlotte asked hastily: "If there's anything that any of the Haidtons can do, pray speak."

  Derek smiled and waved his hand: "Hehe, Charlotte, you misunderstood. This time I came indeed with a request, but it's not for something, it's for an agreement."

  "An agreement?" Charlotte and Morini exchanged a curious glance: "Please go on."

  "From today on, Auston officially withdraws from the Federation of Ravelt and forms an alliance with Haidington." Dierick, who had been smiling all along, put on a serious expression and said slowly, "From now on, our two cities will advance and retreat together."

  "What!?" As soon as this was said, everyone was shocked.

  "Charlotte exclaimed in disbelief: 'Mayor Derick, are you serious?'"

  Derek smiled and retorted, "Of course, I wouldn't joke about this kind of thing. What, aren't you welcoming?"

  "No..." Charlotte hastily shook her head: "It's just that, we're the ones who had a falling out with Lavert, Auston is different. Although they were implicated this time, there must still be room for reconciliation. You have to understand, for a small town like ours, being enemies with a huge enemy like the Lavert Federation is no different from seeking death ourselves. So unless absolutely necessary..."

  "Please think thrice before acting."

  Derek sighed, "I've thought it through countless times before, but as I said earlier, whether actively or passively, Austin is already implicated in this matter. Think about it, after participating in this battle, can Austin still remain uninvolved?"

  "Rather than entrusting our fate to those who view us as nothing and spend their days in suspense, waiting for them to bestow a little mercy on us. It's better to take matters into our own hands, we Austonians will control our own destiny!"

  In the end, Derek's chubby face was full of determination. It was really hard to see that this smiling old man had such decisiveness.

  "Also, this decision was not made by me alone. The people of Auston also agree with my decision, so this time I am actually representing the entire Auston to propose an alliance request to you."

  "That's right." At this time, Hillnis slammed his fist on the table: "Those bastards occupy our town, detain our mayor, all residents are very angry, we will never let this go, sooner or later those high-and-mighty guys will pay the price!"

  The sprite's irascible temper startled everyone, but he also clearly conveyed Auston's determination.

  "So..." Charlotte glanced at Raymond, who nodded to her, and then she stretched out her hand to Derek: "Haidington accepts Auston's alliance. From now on, our two cities will advance and retreat together. No matter what danger, we will never betray each other."

  "No matter what happens, we will never go back on our word." Dirk's large hand was clasped tightly with Charlotte's.