CH 118

Gareth took a deep breath in and shouted, “Logan!” His roar traveled through the high, sturdy walls into the castle. “Logan!” he called again, knowing that Logan and Lydia had not accumulated their military power here. In fact, there were only about 140 knights, which was still a great number of men to ordinary people, but this was not the case for Gareth. Having survived through multiple life-or-death situations, 140 knights were nothing to Gareth and his men.

“Logan!” Gareth yelled again, deciding to drag the cowardly man out of his castle. It was Logan and Lydia’s choice whether to cross the drawbridge and make their way to where he was, the place bordering the Townsend territory. Either choice was not beneficial to them; Gareth was going to kill them if they decided to come out, and if they didn’t, it was going to put them at a disadvantage in their goal to usurp the throne, as no soldier would follow a man who could not kill a mere mercenary.

“Logan!” Gareth provoked Logan, hoping he would show up soon. Gareth was confident that Logan was aware of his warmongering behavior. After all, he was mocking Logan in front of his people.

* * *

Lydia watched the pale-faced Logan pacing back and forth in the hall. She had not expected Gareth to show up so soon, and the mercenary’s unexpected appearance complicated her thoughts. Among her many thoughts, the most dominant one was the assumption that maybe Gareth had finally come to join hands with her. However, the Townsend estate had already been destroyed, which meant that there was only a slim chance that her conclusion was accurate. Lydia pressed her forehead, hoping to improve the throbbing headache she was having. ‘If he did come here to side with me, then I would be kicking away a golden opportunity and sabotaging myself,’ she thought.

From the castle, Lydia could see Gareth mocking Logan, turning the lord of this estate into a laughing stock. The commander’s reputation was plummeting to the ground. Word was going to spread like wildfire, and Halbert would soon nod his head, saying that he was right about Logan. Meanwhile, Logan was making a great fuss at her side with a terrified expression, asking her to please call back the soldiers from Viscount Nar’s estate.

‘How did it turn out this way…?’ Lydia pondered.

“Do something, Lydia!” Logan shrieked, interrupting her thoughts.

Lydia turned around to face her cousin, who looked distressed like a trapped rat. ‘The more I leave him like this, the worse he will become. I need to find a way to get through this situation somehow,’ Lydia decided, then she spoke coldly, “Logan, are you that afraid of Gareth? You know that he’s just a human being as well, right? Did you dream of becoming the king of this country without even thinking of triumphing over him, my dear cousin?”

Lydia’s bizarre provocation caused Logan to stop pacing back and forth. He turned around and looked at her.

“Even if you were to take the throne from Halbert, how long do you think you would be able to sit there? Who will take you as king and swear allegiance to you if you don’t defeat Gareth?”

Logan’s face turned ashen when he realized that Lydia was right.

“You have 140 valiant knights with you. Gareth only has 11 mercenaries. What are you so afraid of?” Lydia continued.

Logan grunted, wrapping his hands around his head. He couldn’t refute Lydia’s words since every word she was saying was correct.

“Gareth is only the first crisis you must overcome. And I can assure you, if you triumph over him, you won’t be afraid of anything,” Lydia concluded. She could see Logan’s eyes gradually change. She remained silent, giving him time to brood over her words. It wasn’t long before Logan clenched his fists tightly. Lydia decided to goad him one last time and asked, “Do you want to be the king?”

“Of course,” Logan answered.

“Then go ahead and restore your honor.”

Having made his decision, Logan gathered his knights, opened the gate, and lowered the drawbridge. ‘No matter how strong they are, he only has 11 men. I have over 140.’ Logan showed a vicious smile, thinking about the strong shield he had to protect him. To him, this was a number game he was destined to win.