thefictionvixens Chapter 571:Deserter
Chapter 571:Deserter
The aged man slowly raised his head, and his brows furrowed slightly as he shifted his attention away from the large map spread across the table.
"Who?" he asked in a calm but tired voice.
"My Lord… It is Marquise Blanks, the one who is quite popular among maidens," the guard replied respectfully while lowering his head slightly.
The man paused for a brief moment, and then recognition appeared in his eyes as he leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Ah," he muttered softly.
He had heard of him before, and the name was not unfamiliar to him at all.
A young noble, and a talented one at that.
Promising, yet recently surrounded by trouble from all sides, and the reports regarding him had not been pleasant lately.
A faint sigh escaped from his lips, and a trace of regret quietly passed through his eyes.
"What a pity!" he murmured quietly while rubbing his forehead lightly.
No matter the reason, if he had returned at a time like this, then the outcome waiting for him would definitely not be kind, and that much was already clear.
Still, he could not simply turn him away.
"Let him in," he said calmly.
"Understood, My Lord," the guard replied before quickly stepping out.
Moments later, the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard outside the tent, and a white-haired man slowly entered while his steps carried slight instability.
The aged man lifted his gaze toward him, and the moment his eyes landed on Ethan, his expression changed slightly.
The man walking toward him did not look well at all.
His steps were shallow and uneven while his face looked pale and haggard, and a faint look of pain lingered deep in his eyes as if he was barely holding himself together.
He looked exhausted.
More than that, he looked broken.
Ethan slowly stepped forward and stopped at a proper distance. Then he firmly grabbed the box in his hand and gave a respectful salute despite his condition.
"Grand Commander, I hope you are doing well," he said, and although his voice remained calm, it sounded weak and strained. "Marquise Ethan Blanks is reporting to the Grand Commander."
Rodrick's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Ethan carefully, and a hint of concern quietly appeared in his eyes.
"I am doing quite good, but you don't look fine."
He frowned slightly before asking again in a heavier tone,
"Marquise Ethan… what happened to you?"
Ethan lowered his head slightly, and his expression turned heavy while his shoulders seemed to carry visible exhaustion and guilt.
"Sir Rodrick, I apologise for being incompetent and leading to the loss of several armies, but believe me, I was just helpless," he said slowly.
His voice carried strain, and every word sounded genuine.
"Our troops were besieged by five Divine Knights."
Rodrick froze the moment he heard that, and his eyes widened with clear shock.
"…Five Divine Knights?" he repeated slowly while disbelief flashed across his face as he stared at Ethan again.
Five Divine Knights against a single force was not even a proper battle.
It was closer to an execution than anything else.
"How did you survive?" he asked immediately while narrowing his eyes slightly.
Ethan took a slow breath, and his chest rose weakly before he spoke again.
"Sir, at the last moment, I used a secret technique to burn my lifespan," he said quietly.
As he spoke, he slowly extended his hand and carefully placed the box forward.
"It contains the head of the Divine Knight I slayed at the last moment before escaping. However, this injured me badly, and it damaged my foundation, and my realm has fallen back to Emperor Knight, but I can hardly exert King stage power."
Rodrick's gaze immediately turned sharp after hearing that, and his body moved without hesitation.
His figure blurred for a moment before suddenly appearing right in front of Ethan.
He firmly grabbed Ethan's wrist, and his expression turned serious as he carefully examined him.
Ethan did not resist at all and simply allowed him to check.
Rodrick slowly closed his eyes for a brief moment, and what he sensed inside Ethan's body gradually changed his expression.
Everything inside Ethan felt like a tangled mess.
His energy flow was unstable, and his foundation felt badly damaged as if something had been forcefully shattered beyond repair.
A look of pity quietly flashed through Rodrick's eyes.
Reaching the Mythic stage in one's fifties was already rare enough, and a talent like Ethan being reduced to this state truly felt like a waste that could not be easily accepted.
"Damn it…" Rodrick muttered quietly under his breath.
His grip slowly loosened before he stepped back again.
Knowing that his act had worked and that Rodrick's sympathy had already been drawn in, Ethan continued speaking in a low and steady voice.
"I was badly injured and was knocked unconscious, and then a group of elven merchants found me, and I travelled with them and eventually reached here," he said.
He paused briefly before adding quietly,
"I request you to plead guilty for me to the Emperor."
Rodrick slowly stepped back, and his expression gradually turned serious again as he regained his composure.
"I will send a message to the Emperor," he said calmly.
Then he looked directly at Ethan.
"However, until we receive a reply, you need to stay in the camp, and you do not need to engage anymore, so just go and recuperate."
Ethan straightened himself slightly despite his weakened condition, and he gave a proper salute.
"Yes, sir," he said respectfully.
Then he slowly turned around and walked out while maintaining his composure, and his figure soon disappeared beyond the tent flap while the tension inside the room still lingered heavily in the air.
Rodrick remained standing there silently for a few moments, and his gaze slowly returned toward the large map spread across the table.
But this time, his thoughts were no longer fully focused on the battlefield.
Because now, there was one more thing weighing heavily on his mind, and it did not sit well with him at all.
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