Our Family Has Fallen

Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Adapt to Change_1

”I need to see the captain before I can speak.”

”You bastard! Are you playing us?” a man stood up and shouted angrily at Dismas.

Dismas knew that a single mistake could prevent him from leaving this room, but to complete his mission, he had to be both conciliatory and firm.

”How would I dare to offend you, brothers? It’s just that the situation is really difficult, and I can’t speak unless I see the captain.”

”I heard your whole unit was wiped out?”

A gruff voice sounded, and only then did Dismas see a burly, bearded man emerge from the back. He wasn’t wearing armor, but he was dressed in a military uniform with leather riding boots, and an exquisitely styled military saber hung at his waist.

The man came out, sat down beside the woman, and pulled her into his embrace.

Dismas, knowing that looking too much could spell trouble, quickly lowered his head and respectfully explained, ”Only I was lucky enough to escape.”

The captain regarded Dismas with a curious expression. ”I’m here now. Tell me, who did it?”

”It was those Barbarians,” Dismas blurted out, but his words immediately triggered a strong reaction from several people.

Although there were frictions among them, they generally exercised restraint. The Barbarians had no reason to attack suddenly; if they did, there had to be a reason.

Even the captain, who had been somewhat gloating moments before, now wore a grave expression.

”Last night, I was on lookout in a tree when our camp was suddenly invaded. Before I could get back, I saw our leader being overpowered and killed. The others couldn’t even surrender. Those people didn’t want prisoners; soon, everyone was dead. Only I, hiding in the tree, managed to escape.”

”You’re lying!” the captain suddenly roared. The others immediately drew the pistols from their waists, aiming at Dismas, ready to fire at any moment.

”Do you take me for a fool? If it were those Barbarians, you wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

”Captain, of course I understand the rules,” Dismas said, raising his head to look at the men around him before slowly continuing, ”I wouldn’t dare bother you over a trivial matter. I also saw those people had Extraordinary items.”

Once Dismas uttered these words, everyone in the hall fell silent, their previous reactions shifting entirely. The captain and the others exchanged glances, some with impatient expressions, urging him to continue.

”Hurry up! What did you see?”

Dismas knew they had fallen into the trap, and for a moment, he couldn’t help but admire his Lord’s strategy even more. He went on, ”My brothers were killed by white wolves. All those wolves were under the control of one person, who held something like a pendant. After the battle, I personally saw those people gather all the bodies. Then the wolves circled the corpses as if performing a ritual. Soon after, the pendant glowed, and under its light, the pile of corpses gradually shrank, as if devoured by something, while the wolves howled. Those people were in a great hurry. They left quickly after they were done. I stayed hidden in the tree until dawn before daring to come out. The moment I did, I rushed here to report to you, Captain.”

Dismas relayed the story as his Lord had instructed, keeping the details vague; people would only believe what they pieced together themselves.

”Oh!” The captain managed to remain outwardly composed, but his greedy eyes betrayed his thoughts.

An Extraordinary item capable of controlling white wolves...

”My dear, he’s deceiving you,” the woman beside the captain suddenly interjected, just as they were about to be ensnared. ”If those Barbarians truly possessed such a thing, why would they have waited until now to use it?”

The captain instantly became hesitant.

For the first time, Dismas found a woman so infuriating. His excellent plan was disrupted, which would anger anyone, but he could only begin to defend himself. ”An item that can devour corpses is definitely no ordinary thing. I heard our leader say that those Barbarians offended the Nobility over something, which is why they are in their current state. They likely hid it all this time for fear of discovery.”

Everyone had heard about the Mercenary Corps known as the ”White Wolf’s Claws,” and Dismas’s mention of this seemed to confirm their suspicions about the Barbarians.

The captain fell silent. His reason told him the situation wasn’t that simple. He had seen the Barbarians’ strength, and it was very strange that this fellow had survived.

But... an Extraordinary item...

That was something measurable only in Gold Coins. He had seen those influential figures in the military wield the power of Extraordinary items.

If he could possess one himself...

Dismas sensed his wavering. The situation had already deviated from the plan, so he had to take the initiative. He spoke up, ”My words mean nothing compared to seeing it with your own eyes. Why don’t you, Captain, come with me to see our brothers who died so tragically? If you still think I’m lying then, you can shoot me dead.”

The captain managed to restrain himself, but that didn’t mean his men could. One of them, eager to go, stepped forward to volunteer. ”Big Brother, he doesn’t seem to be lying. Let me take some of our men to see what’s going on?”

His words resonated with the captain, who promptly made a decision. ”Alright, Number Two, you and Laosan take a few brothers and go see if what he’s saying is true or false.”

The captain made his decision on the spot; after all, there was no harm in just taking a look. However, he took precautions against his men trying to take it all for themselves, adding, ”Regardless of whether it’s true or false, I want him brought back to me alive.”

Dismas stood aside, head lowered in silence. The situation was now out of his control; he could only play it by ear.

The two quickly gathered a few men, their equipment marking them as the elite of the Mercenary Corps.

With eight elite troops and two leaders, Dismas could only hope his Lord would adapt to the situation.

Fewer wild beasts roamed during the day than at night, and there was less risk of startling anything, so they quickly reached the campsite.

”Look, this is our camp.” Dismas pointed to the ruins. Inside, apart from the pervasive, lingering stench of blood, not a single body was to be seen.

Logically, there should have been many bodies here, but now the situation was clear: they had vanished.

Unless those people had taken great pains to remove the bodies, everyone understood what this implied.

This development immediately put the two leaders on alert.

Could it be that this is real...

”Go search the surroundings,” one of them ordered. The elite troops scattered while the two leaders kept an eye on Dismas, forcing him to recount the previous night’s events yet again.

Of course, Dismas was crystal clear about what they were interested in, but his words remained vague, claiming he hadn’t seen clearly in the dark.

”Right,” Dismas added, ”when they were collecting the bodies, I overheard some of their conversation—something about preparing a Sacrifice. I think that thing, whatever it is, becomes stronger the more bodies it consumes.”

Dismas remembered his Lord’s instructions, so he kept his words deliberately vague.

”PSSH. A single cannon blast would kill that small group of theirs,” Number Two said disdainfully, while Laosan fell into thought and then pressed on with more questions.

”What else did you hear?” Laosan asked.

”Nothing much,” Dismas shrugged.