Chapter 85: Confrontation
Yam and Akar continued deeper toward the direction of the Eaglehead Mountains, following the traces.
With a force of over a hundred people, the trail was not difficult to follow. Moreover, this unit from the Western Wind Territory had not intended to conceal their movements from the beginning.
As a result, their marching path was extremely obvious, making it effortless for Yam and Akar to track them.
The two pursued from behind the entire way. However, as a full day passed, both Yam and Akar began to sense that something was off.
“Brother, this unit doesn’t seem to be preparing for an ambush.”
Since entering the mountains yesterday afternoon, the two had barely paused. After tracking through one night and a full day without once seeing the unit, Akar finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up.
After all, compared to the speed of a large unit, just the two of them moved far faster. Especially since they were following from the rear, they didn’t need to worry about any hidden dangers,.those had already been cleared out by the enemy.
So, after only one day of swift pursuit, unless the gap between them was massive, it shouldn’t have taken Yam and Akar nearly two full days without catching up.
According to the typical logic of marching behavior, once a force exceeds a hundred people, the larger the unit, the slower their movement.
Especially within treacherous mountain paths, the force would definitely rest after nightfall.
But now, since they still hadn’t caught up to the unit, there was only one explanation.
This unit was marching at forced speed.
“They’re on a forced march,” Yam recalled some of the military knowledge he had studied from books and then responded, “They must have another strategic target. One that not only has high priority, but also is extremely urgent, which is why they’re rushing.”
“They’re planning to intercept someone in the mountains!” Akar proposed a theory.
Yam immediately realized the implication. “Father and the Lord!”
“They’ve already broken through the blockade and are trying to cross the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains to return to the White Mountain Territory. And these people’s goal is to stop them from returning.”
The full name of the Eaglehead Mountains was actually the Demonic Eagle Mountain Range. It was the foremost mountain range in the Southern Region of the Tyrella Kingdom and one of the three major ranges within the kingdom.
It spanned five large territories: the Marquisate of Red Eagle, the County of Fertile Plains, the County of the Bay, the Marquisate of Gondas, and the Inner Bay Territory held by the Golden Lion Family.
The Demonic Eagle Mountain Range was divided into Eagle Head, Eagle Wing, and Eagle Tail sections according to its formation.
The Eaglehead Mountains were further divided into the Greater Eaglehead Mountains and the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains due to the shape of the terrain, most people in the Southern Region of Tyrella referred to it as the Twin-Headed Eagle Mountain Range.
The Greater Eaglehead Mountains flanked the Eaglehead Territory, home to the Kasein Family within the Marquisate of Red Eagle, this was, in fact, the origin of the Eaglehead Territory's name.
The range then extended across the County of the Bay. From the upper end of the Greater Eaglehead Mountains, another main ridge stretched out: the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains, running from the southwest to the northwest, cutting through two regions within the Fertile Territory.
One of these was the Eastern Mountain Territory, the mountains of the Eastern Mountain Territory referred specifically to the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains.
Unlike the continuous and majestic terrain of the Greater Eaglehead Mountains, the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains were steep and rugged, with a far greater climbing difficulty.
If the same mountain section in the Greater Eaglehead Mountains could be crossed in a day, it would take two to three days or more in the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains.
The steep terrain drained physical strength, and climbers often needed extra time to locate viable climbing and crossing points.
One careless step could lead to a fatal fall.
Previously, when war broke out, the soldiers of the Eastern Mountain Territory didn’t choose to cross the mountains to directly invade the interior of the White Mountain Territory because the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains were too steep and treacherous.
The risk was far too high, making a direct border crossing a more cost-effective option.
However, considering the current perilous situation of Baron Ster, this roundabout return through the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains had become the only possible breakthrough.
“We must catch up to them as quickly as possible!”
“But what can we do once we catch up?” Yam was less impulsive than Akar. He remained calm.
“The Blood Knight and Nail Spencer are both Third-Tier Bloodline Users. If we also count the Lords of the Spring Breeze Territory and the Eastern Mountain Territory, then our enemies number at least four Third-Tier Bloodline Users. With just the two of us, even if we manage to regroup with the Baron and Father, we won't be a match.”
“Then what should we do!?” Akar's eyes instantly turned red. “Are we just going to ignore it?”
Yam frowned deeply.
He couldn’t think of a solution.
Logically, the best option now would be to bring this information back immediately. Once reinforcements arrived, all the other lords’ forces in the Red Eagle Territory could coordinate and strike together.
But in that case, Baron Ster and the others would surely die. This was a pincer maneuver, by the time Baron Ster and the rest exhausted themselves crossing the Lesser Eaglehead Mountains, they would be facing the fully prepared Western Wind Territory army. And their commander was none other than the renowned Blood Knight, Molly Karco.
“You take this intel back immediately.” Yam took a deep breath, then grabbed Akar’s shoulder and said in a low voice,
“Listen to me!”
Yam gripped Akar’s shoulder tightly with his right hand, not allowing any resistance, his expression grave as he spoke. “Right now, it’s just you and me. We came here to gather intelligence, and now that we’ve discovered such an important piece of information, someone has to bring it back.”
“Based on our earlier estimations, Giggs should have already reached White Mountain City by now. Baron Hess of the Gem Territory is also expected to arrive today. Perhaps by the time you return, he’ll already be in White Mountain City. So once this intel is delivered, we’ll at least have one Third-Tier Bloodline User and over four hundred soldiers.”
“You bring them to Mountain Ridge Village to establish defenses. Given Baron Hess’s current circumstances, he definitely wouldn’t recklessly enter the Eaglehead Mountains. So, if I manage to survive, I’ll head to Mountain Ridge Village with Baron Ster and Father. If you see my signal then, come and assist us. If not…”
Yam lightly patted Akar on the shoulder.
“Then wait until the reinforcements are sufficient in both number and strength before entering the mountains to search.”
“Then why can’t you be the one to bring the intel back?” Akar clearly disagreed with Yam’s plan. “I can attack from a distance, and I’m better than you at tracking and searching for trails. It should be me who takes on this responsibility.”
“But you don’t have this.” Yam raised the Demonic Sword. “Is your swordsmanship better than mine?… If the Blood Knight and Nail Spencer split up, I might be able to kill one of them. But if you’re discovered, even if it’s just one opponent, the one who dies will be you, do you understand?… Moreover, if I die, and even Father dies, then the secret of this sword will rest with you alone. At that time, you’ll bear the duty of retrieving the sword.”
“Brother…”
“Akar!” Yam shouted in a low voice. “Before, Father and I were both around, so you could be a little willful, act recklessly, it didn’t matter. But now it’s different, do you understand? Our surname ‘Soderbell’ is built upon the foundation of possessing this Demonic Sword. You could say it is the true meaning of our family’s existence, it is the foundation of our heritage. Do you understand?”
“I can die.”
“Father can die.”
“Even you can die!”
“But this sword alone, it cannot be lost!” Yam said resolutely. “As long as it exists, we will always be the Soderbell Family, even if you’re the last one remaining. But if we lose even this sword, do you think we can still be a Bloodline User family?”
Akar clenched his fists, his eyes filled with deep unwillingness.
He glanced at the black longsword tightly gripped in Yam’s hand, and finally lowered his head in resignation. “I understand.”
“You’ve grown up. You’re no longer that child you once were.” Yam said gravely.
“You liked Anna. You followed her and left the White Mountain Territory. Father was disappointed, but he didn’t say anything in the end. He couldn’t stop your pursuit. Back then, he made all the decisions for our eldest brother, had him join a mercenary group, which ultimately led to his death. Later, when we fled to the White Mountain Territory, Mother’s greatest hope was that our family would live in peace. But Father didn’t do that, and when Mother died, he always believed it was his decision that ruined them.”
“All of that made him feel constant guilt.”
“And from then on, he stopped interfering in our choices.”
“Whether it was me choosing to swear fealty to Giggs and marrying Lily, or you leaving with Anna later, Father saw these as choices made by you and me, decisions made of our own will. Not something he imposed on us… So he would feel disappointment and regret, but he would never stop us.”
Akar silently lowered his head.
He knew it himself.
From swearing fealty to Anna up to now, he had many opportunities to return to the White Mountain Territory. Anna certainly wouldn’t have stopped him from visiting home.
But he never did, because he didn’t know how to face his father. In fact, he was afraid to see the disappointment in his father’s eyes.
Until Anna became pregnant with his child.
He knew then that he could no longer run away.
Yet he still hadn’t chosen to return home right away. Instead, he went to Yam first. Deep down, wasn’t he hoping to persuade their father together with his older brother to agree to give him the “Bloodline of Burton”?
Until this moment.
Akar took a deep breath, then looked at Yam. “Brother. If there’s really no hope, Father would never let you go and die.”
“I know.” Yam nodded. “But some things, you have to try your best for, don’t you?… If there’s truly no chance, I know what I have to do. Don’t worry about me. The reason I’m telling you all this is just as a contingency plan.”