1462 The Enemy We Know
Fall back?
Everyone stared at each other with a subtle look in their eyes.
Their master, his majesty, didn't need to say much for them to understand the gravity of the situation.
Subconsciously tightening their grip on their reins, some hurried in front, whole others moved in different directions, and some only pulled their horses to a halt, guarding their monarch.
Their eyes still darting around magically, many that went ahead and around began breaking into the many parts of the forest looking for a suitable campsite.
In a flash, things had changed.
But what exactly was it that caused this heavy feeling in the atmosphere?
Henry's aides, Dan and Elroy, read the note with firm faces. And the more they read, the more distorted their expressions.
How bold!!!
Bam!
Dan smashed his fist on the table with trembling hands.
"Your majesty, these bastards are getting too much!"
Dan's chest raised and lowered numerously all in this single moment.
If not for their sharp scouts, who noticed something wrong far up ahead, wouldn't they just be walking into a trap before thinking about everything in the city?
Dan squinted his eyes murderously.
One doesn't need to be spoon-fed to know the truth.
Though calmer and more composed than his colleague, Elroy's eyes still flickered with a dangerous light.
"Your majesty, our plans and actions have been leaked."
"I know," Henry stated. "It seems we have traitors in our midst."
Taking a sip of hot tea, the composed Elroy only looked outside the window as though peering into a far-off horizon.
"Your majesty, the enemy is prepared and has territorial advantage over us." Turning his attention back to Henry, Elroy's gaze was even more unfathomable than before.
"Your majesty, forgive this one for not realizing how mad these people are."
Who would've thought the opposition had such alarming plans, acting completely different from what they imagined?
Though the opposition was against them 'publicly,' in through, they had never stood face to face against Henry and his forces.
Rather, they would want for opportunity moments before stepping out of the shadows and making their moves.
This was the first time the opposition had decided to take such a bold step in the face of Henry and his forces.
.
According to their initial path of action and behavioral methods, these people should still stay in the shadows, not wanting to feed any spies with more information than was already available.
Yes!
Though a majority of Whitepold city was more or less under the control of these forces, it can be said that the people there were still not aware of this fact.
The various council and opposition members acted on the policy of not pooping where they ate.
They did begin the crusade of forcing many to adhere to Deiferus' Old ways. But all this chaos happened out of Whitepold city.
The peasants were still left in the dark, fearing the enemy they didn't know was right under their noses.
Their ignorance was also advantageous to the enemy since Peasants were the most likely to wag their tongues innocently.
In the pubs, taverns, and even on the streets, the peasants gossiped to pass the time. And they spoke about anything they saw... Even an interesting butterfly would be gossiped about by them.
Thus, the enemy would quickly gather info about many that come into the city.
Having these people live in fear would only make these peasants too frightened to speak in public.
As one could see, the benefits of allowing these peasants to live blindly were immeasurable - though the downside was that even they, his majesty's forces, might be able to benefit from this too.
Everything depended on how the enemy controlled the situation.
And just like Henry's side had predicted, in all working establishments in the city, there should be 2 or more spies acting like ordinary people.
The man in the tavern wiping off the used jugs, the market seller pulling a cart of tomatoes, the farmer tilling the soil... All around the bound people of Whitepold city, there were forces watching their every move.
And if not for the quick witnesses and a few Baymardian skills the scouts had picked up, they would've been caught by the enemy.
.
In Deiferus and Pyno as a whole, these scouting skills were more or less the same for many who started with training from powerful forces or assassin guilds.
Of course, the degree to which one could master a skill would set them apart from the rest. Additionally, though assassins, killers, and trained scouts developed their own unique skills, its level in Pyno was still limited, maybe because their vision was also limited too.
With time, many stole other people's moves or got inspired after witnessing them, causing a variety of skills to spread out like wildfire.
And one shouldn't also forget that now and then, Pyno killers would compete to know who was the strongest.
It was pride to get to the top out of tens and hundreds of thousands.
As general knowledge, more than 80% of Pyno skills were known to all in this dark profession.
Even back on earth, common skills had circulated the entire world. One could look up duo skills, martial arts, and even military skills.
What differed was how they used this said public knowledge. Even with the same training, some emerged stronger than others.
But the downside of both forces belonging to Deiferus and knowing 80% of their skills was that both sides could most likely pick out the flaws or scouts that dared to walk into their territory in disguise.
If a scout was successful, it only meant they had a higher mastery than the enemy.
And sure enough, it was thanks to 1 or 2 lessons from Baymard that canceled the enemy's suspicions, thinking the scouts to be ordinary.
After all, in such a vast city, ordinary everyday folks came in and out regularly.
.
Elroy folded the note and handed it back to Henry.
"Your majesty, we need to make camp fast!"
