Berserk: The Prophet

Chapter 307 Trap

"My lord, did you call me?" Loran quickly ran up after being announced by the guard.

The boy's complexion was much rosier than when he was in the village. The food in Green's team wasn't bad. It wasn't particularly delicious or plentiful, but at least they had two pieces of meat with every meal.

“Leiton, I want Loran to learn business skills from you. Please mentor him. He is literate, and I hope he can support himself in the future.”

Lighton nodded slightly, looking at Loran with gentle eyes. "Rest assured, my lord, I will teach you everything I know. Loran, starting tomorrow, you will learn bookkeeping and business dealings from me. Don't underestimate this profession."

Loran straightened his back, his eyes lighting up immediately: "Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will definitely study hard!"

Green nodded in satisfaction and waved for the two to leave.

Once only he and Corribo were left in the room, Green unfolded the map and gestured with his finger. "With these shops, we can stock up on more goods for trading. It looks like we need to buy more sea salt from the Baldin salt merchants so we can almost monopolize the salt price in this town. Looks like we'll have to make a few more trips, Corribo."

"For your great cause, we are willing to die a thousand deaths!!"

.........

—In the jungle east of the fortress south of Dordore—

Gambino's Fierce Bear Regiment won two consecutive victories, boosting their morale. It was as if they had completely forgotten about the previous attack on their camp. Scouts received news that a group of defeated soldiers had been discovered in the east, carrying some supplies.

"Haha, this is a favor delivered right to our doorstep!" Gambino laughed, his eyes filled with greed.

"Pass down the order: all troops must attack and capture this remnant force, and seize all their supplies!"

Upon hearing that there were spoils to be had, the soldiers of the Fierce Bear Regiment were immediately in high spirits and quickly assembled, heading east. They swiftly traversed the jungle and soon approached their target.

A group of defeated soldiers were seen scrambling along the dirt road, seemingly heading towards a castle for refuge. Wagons, baggage trains, and wounded soldiers in various straits, their armor worn and stained with blood, lay scattered about, unattended even as some lay dead by the roadside.

"They really have a lot of men," joked one of Gambino's lieutenants. Anyone could see that this force was utterly vulnerable.

"Don't be afraid! They're just a bunch of demoralized, defeated soldiers!"

"Listen up! Our sponsors say that in order to prevent them from making a comeback, we must utterly crush them!!" Gambino, as always, delivered his pre-battle declaration, inspiring his soldiers.

"Of course, what they're loading also belongs to us! As usual, first come, first served!" Gambino's lips curled into a greedy smile, and he waved his hand, "Charge! Kill them all and take all the supplies!"

The soldiers of the Fierce Bear Regiment roared as they charged out of the jungle, rushing towards the defeated troops like wolves and tigers.

"kill--!!"

They went all out with their act; these soldiers were indeed a bunch of demoralized remnants. Apart from the disabled ones, they offered almost no resistance to the sudden attack by Gambino's cavalry and fled the main force, escaping into the jungle.

Gus killed a deserter, blood splattering on his face, as if it were nothing new to him. On this battlefield, mercenaries like him only needed to swing their swords!

With Guts holding the reins in his left hand and a sword in his right, the boy, not yet ten years old, had already learned in just one year how to drive his warhorse on the battlefield and how to strike the enemy's vulnerable throat, gaps in armor, and ribs.

The remaining troops quickly fled, and Guss rode after them, heading straight into the depths of the jungle. The other cavalrymen of the Fierce Bear Regiment did the same, spreading out to pursue them.

It wasn't until a distant cannon shot pulled Guss back from his thoughts that he reined in his horse and looked back at the road he had come from. He hadn't realized how far he had traveled.

...Cannon fire, Gambino?

"Giddy up!!" Gus immediately turned his horse around and galloped away.

Although Guts was quite certain that the man had betrayed him, he still refused to believe it unless Gambino himself admitted that he had betrayed him!

He preferred to believe Gambino's evasive words that day, he preferred to believe that Gambino was unaware of the situation, he preferred...

Guts was always concerned about Gambino's safety; after all, he had saved Gambino's life.

However, Gambino did encounter a problem.

It was an army encampment that suddenly appeared before us, unlike a hastily erected camp. A low stone wall surrounded the high ground, with chevaux-de-frise, arrow shields, makeshift stables, ample supplies, and even artillery already in place.

However, as mercenaries like Gambino were on the downhill slope, they naturally couldn't observe the entire situation. The group of defeated soldiers were fleeing into what Gambino considered to be a makeshift enclosure.

"Gambino, something's wrong!" Lieutenant North gripped his longsword, his Adam's apple bobbing nervously. "The scouts clearly explored this area, how could an enemy camp suddenly appear!?"

Gambino's heart tightened, but he was now in a bind; his soldiers had already charged out. "Dismount and continue the attack! Don't lose your composure; the enemy is just a bunch of defeated remnants!" he ordered through gritted teeth.

Just as the soldiers of the Fierce Bear Regiment approached the camp, the soldiers at the front were instantly blown away by artillery fire, followed immediately by a second blast!

Gambino's face turned ashen; he realized he might have been ambushed. However, he remembered that the scouts hadn't mentioned any large-scale army being sent, and from here, the temporary encampment didn't seem to have much defense; the vanguard had already captured the outermost stone wall.

Smoke and debris billowed into the air, crushing Gambino's roar amidst the deafening explosions. The severed limbs of the front-line soldiers fell like rain, staining the muddy ground beneath the low wall red.

"Order a retreat immediately! This could very well be a carefully laid trap by the enemy!" A bad feeling welled up in North's heart. He felt it was better to wait for his conscripts and artillerymen to assemble before making a further decision.

Gambino's pupils contracted violently with fear, but the arrow was already on the bowstring, half released; if he ran away, wouldn't he lose face in the army?

Gambino roared in frustration, "We can't retreat! As long as we take the camp..."

Before he could finish speaking, a third cannonball grazed his shoulder, the scorching blast knocking over three cavalrymen behind him. In the distance, shadows flickered behind the stone wall, and the sound of crossbowmen pulling triggers was like the whisper of death. A few arrows whistled through the air, nearly grazing Gambino's head.

"You sons of bitches, give them a good beating! There aren't many soldiers left to fight in their camp, charge up there!!" This completely ignited Gambino's anger, and without thinking twice, he prepared to join the battle.

However, to his surprise, his mercenary career was about to end there...