Under the glow of a gorgeous sunset, a party was following the south bank of Ben Liu River, heading east with the flow.
They treaded carefully, erasing their tracks as they went along.
"Sael, do you think this could fool the trolls?" Bam asked in a whisper, panting and rubbing his aching back.
"I don't know." Sael responded with impatience and contempt, "That's a question for Knight Colin."
Of course, Bam wouldn't dare to ask. He didn't have the courage of Sael and could never stand up straight when encountering nobles, just like any typical commoner.
"Quickly! Don't slack off!" Sael urged the group.
The west end of the Ben Liu River is connected to Mirror Lake, not broad but flowing swiftly, thus earning its name.
However, Sael was a good swimmer. He gazed at the Ben Liu River in front of him, thinking that crossing it shouldn't pose a big problem.
So, the ambitious young mercenary had a fleeting glint of ruthlessness in his eyes.
...
By the time the moon was aloft, Sael had finally merged his small squad with the main force.
He gave a quiet sigh of relief.
It seemed that Colin hadn't lied to him; he wasn't a pawn to be sacrificed.
However, rather than feeling grateful towards Colin, Sael looked at the knight, who was standing on the bank laughing and talking with Vera, with even more resentment.
In Sael's view, the reason Colin gave him this assignment, if it wasn't to trap him, must be to separate him from Vera.
Dispicable knight!
"Miss Vera, Knight Colin, I have completed the task as you suggested."
"Good job." Colin gave Sael a meaningful glance.
Then he pointed to the Ben Liu River in front of them and asked, "Do you know why the current here is so swift?"
Sael examined the Ben Liu River under the moonlight and suddenly realized that the current indeed seemed faster and harsher than he had observed upstream!
"Why?" An uneasiness began to rise in Sael's heart.
Colin casually traced the shape of the Ben Liu River in the air with his finger, making an inverted "J":
"The river bends largely here, accumulating silt, narrowing the river channel, hence the water flow naturally speeds up."
Colin then pointed downstream and continued, "And, after this sharp bend, there's a waterfall."
"Waterfall?" Sael's voice shrieked, slightly distorted with shock.
"Yes, a waterfall." Colin smiled, a bit enigmatic, "With a drop of about seventy or eighty meters. Not too high, but definitely high enough to kill."
Sael's heart sank.
"So, we cannot cross the river from this section, right?" Vera suddenly felt that she finally understood Colin's intent, and continued enthusiastically:
"On top of that, this river bend is like a pocket, wrapping us all up, with the only way in or out from the south. It's like a dead end!
Just like last time, the trolls definitely won't imagine that we're hiding in such a place, or that we could break out from the north!"
"Smart!" Colin praised with a smile, "The most dangerous place is indeed the safest place."
Vera's eyes curled into crescents when being praised by Colin and she felt as if her military skills had greatly improved.
"But… But if… if the trolls don't fall for it..." Sael's voice trembled.
"That possibility is extremely low!" Colin glanced at Sael meaningfully, "When they find your traces of crossing the river upstream, they will certainly think that's our escape route, and all signs pointing to this river bend will be suspected as a feint."
"Exactly!" Vera began to patiently instruct the little mercenary, "The trolls will definitely think we couldn't possibly be foolish enough to hide in a dead end. So, once they cross the river chasing in the wrong direction, we can safely exit from the river bend and head south!"
Vera was excited, feeling that she had finally grasped the essence of this war. She then looked expectantly at Colin, seeking approval from her "teacher".
Colin suppressed his laughter, and nodded approvingly with a serious face.
Meanwhile, Sael next to them was already as white as a sheet.
Thankfully, it was in the middle of the night, nobody noticed it.
Except Colin.
"Mr. Sael, did you erase all evidence as I instructed on your way downstream?"
"Of course!" Sael announced loudly.
His slightly exaggerated performance, however, seemed dubious to those in the know.
But Colin seemed to believe him: "That's good, as long as we didn't leave any clear trail, we should be able to fool the trolls."
...
That night, Sael tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
He wanted to run away under the cover of night several times, but was afraid that he would run head first into the incoming Trolls.
At times, he cursed Colin, blaming him for the stupid plan.
He regretted trying to be clever by leaving traces when they passed the river.
Of course, most of the time he was obsessed with Vera's graceful figure, hoping he could persuade her to use her magic to help him escape the death trap that lied ahead and then they could live happily ever after...
"Sael, Sael!"
"What happened?" Sael mumbled opening his eyes.
His fantasy about Lady Vera evaporated into thin air, and all that was left was Bam's ugly black face in front of him.
"We're done for. The trolls found us and they're heading in our direction!"
Sael felt cold all over, with his last bit of luck disappearing without a trace.
——————————
Meanwhile, Vera, Blis, and Colin were sitting opposite each other in a tent at the centre of the camp.
"Now, what should we do?" Vera asked, trying to suppress the shakiness in her voice.
The lady mage, who only just felt like she'd grasped the essence of war, was immediately hammered back to reality by the sudden development.
Colin was surprisingly composed: "What exactly did the scout cavalry discover?"
Blis was equally calm: "Two wolf cavalry squads, one heading north crossing the river upstream, and the other heading our way along the riverbank."
"It seems that the enemy is not sure whether we are actually hiding here." Colin chuckled, then asked, "How many wolf cavalry are heading our way?"
"About seven to eight hundred."
"What are we waiting for then?" Colin spread his arms, "Let's fight!"
"But...but..." Vera's eyes were full of terror.
Although their side had more soldiers, even Vera knew that they couldn't match the strength of the incoming Wolf Cavalry.
Even though she had prepared herself to die when she decided not to abandon the fleeing soldiers, Colin's plan had given her hope.
If you know something about psychology, you would know that it is very difficult for a suicidal person to muster the courage to commit suicide again, once they have been temporarily stopped by some factor, even if that obstacle disappears later.
That's what Vera's psychological state was.
She hesitated and felt fear.
Contrarily, Knight Blis, who was a seasoned veteran, remained cold and emotionless. As if nothing in this world could faze him.
Then, he suddenly asked:
"Knight Colin, did you foresee this situation from the start?"