Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 217

As the morning sun barely began to rise, Marquis Daniel, accompanied by his bodyguard, headed straight towards the Armenian camp. There, he saw unfamiliar faces unpacking their belongings.

“…Armor made of black iron?”

Marquis Daniel squinted at the sight of their gear. Weapons made of black iron were considered luxury items in the empire, difficult to procure even for the heads of noble families. Yet, these individuals were equipped with not only swords but also full suits of black iron armor.

‘They say the Armenian merchant guild is raking in imperial money, and it seems they’ve really splurged.’

If that money had been used to support high-ranking political nobles, the returns would have been far greater than investing in a mere knight order. It seems Yan, lacking experience, is too straightforward.

Just as Marquis Daniel clicked his tongue and attempted to enter Yan’s tent, the Armenian knights, who were unpacking nearby, drew their swords.

“Who dares block my path?! Do you not know who I am?!”

“Should I?”

“You insolent fool! I am Marquis Daniel. Move aside at once! How dare a mere knight obstruct a noble!”

The knights surrounding him chuckled at his outburst.

“Did you hear that? He called us mere knights.”

“Maybe he needs a lesson from these ‘mere knights’ to come to his senses.”

To them, it was a joke, but to Marquis Daniel, it was a clear threat. He glared at his bodyguard, signaling him to clear the way. However, the bodyguard hesitated.

“To remove him, we would need to fight to the death. And dealing with all the knights here is beyond my ability.”

Marquis Daniel’s face turned red with anger. He was already frustrated, and now everyone seemed to be mocking him.

“Do you know how much money I’ve spent on you?! If you can’t even handle these lowly knights, why did I hire you?!”

The bodyguard’s face hardened at the rebuke.

“Master, these men…”

“Enough! Get out of my sight!”

Marquis Daniel shoved the bodyguard aside and stepped forward to face the bandit-like knight.

“Do you know who I am?! I am one of the twelve marquises of the empire! I can have you killed at any moment!”

“Calm down.”

Roman shook his head at the marquis’s tantrum. He wanted to beat him up and throw him out, but he couldn’t treat a noble so recklessly. He turned and called out.

“If you don’t come out, I’ll handle this my way. So, come out and deal with it.”

Marquis Daniel frowned at the unexpected words. Just then, Yan emerged from the tent, drying his wet hair with a towel.

“What’s all the fuss about?”

Marquis Daniel’s interest wasn’t in Yan’s appearance but in the fact that a mere baron had kept him waiting and insulted him through his knights.

“You insolent wretch!”

The Armenian knights clicked their tongues at the marquis’s outburst.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Why is he causing a scene so early in the morning?”

“If Cruel were here, this would be entertaining.”

“Hey, Cruel only goes crazy on commoners. He wouldn’t dare make a sound against a noble higher than him.”

The knights murmured among themselves, while Yan frowned at the marquis’s shouting.

“Why are you suddenly cursing?”

“Can’t you see how your men are behaving?!”

“I’m not blind. I see it well.”

Marquis Daniel’s fists trembled at Yan’s indifferent gesture.

“And you have nothing to say about it?”

“You came unannounced, Marquis Daniel. Should I be angry that my knights didn’t let in an uninvited guest?”

“You…!”

Yan raised his hand to stop the marquis’s words.

“But if you came all this way, you must have something to ask of me, right?”

Marquis Daniel quickly shut his mouth. He needed to send Yan to the coordinates given by the white-haired middle-aged man, and fighting with him wouldn’t help. He glared at Roman, who was watching their argument.

‘If it weren’t for him…!’

If Roman had been respectful and stepped aside, this conversation wouldn’t have started this way.

“Hmm.”

Marquis Daniel suppressed his rising anger and looked at Yan.

“Can we talk privately for a moment?”

“Just say it here. There’s no need for privacy.”

Marquis Daniel’s frustration grew as Yan refused to give him an opening. He needed to send Yan to the desired location, but discussing it in front of so many people would surely lead to rumors. If the higher-ups heard he had lured Yan to harm him…

‘Damn it.’

He didn’t even want to think about it. He had to speak with Yan privately. Marquis Daniel urgently grabbed Yan’s sleeve.

“It’s a confidential matter.”

“Can’t you just say it here? My knights won’t spread it around.”

Marquis Daniel gritted his teeth as Yan continued to act oblivious.

How does this translation work for you?

* * *

Yan might have seemed clueless in front of the Marquis Daniel, but in reality, he was reading him like an open book.

‘He must be feeling the heat.’

Yan had already figured out that the Marquis was plotting against him with some unknown accomplice. And the fact that he came to talk at this ungodly hour?

‘Must mean he’s desperate.’

Yan decided to play along with the Marquis’s schemes after teasing him a bit more.

“Since the Marquis insists, I have no choice. Please, come inside.”

As soon as Yan agreed, the Marquis’s face lit up noticeably. He quickly led Yan into his tent.

Once he confirmed they were alone, the Marquis got straight to the point.

“You mentioned in yesterday’s meeting that you would join the search operation, right?”

Yan chuckled inwardly at the Marquis’s bluntness. He didn’t expect him to be so transparent about his intentions. But for the sake of his plan, Yan decided to play along.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Have you decided where you’ll be searching?”

Yan shook his head at the Marquis’s subtle inquiry.

“I haven’t thought deeply about it yet. But I plan to avoid overlapping with others’ routes.”

“Hmm, in that case, may I make a suggestion?”

“A suggestion?”

Yan tilted his head, curious.

“I’ll decide after hearing it.”

The Marquis smiled broadly and hurried over to the table, beckoning Yan to follow. He pointed to a map spread out on the table.

“Take a look at this.”

The place the Marquis pointed to was a terrain Yan knew well. It had been mentioned during the meeting.

‘The Wind Valley.’

A place where strong winds constantly blew, making it impossible to attack from below with arrows or explosives. The only option was a frontal assault. The Southern Empire had initially planned to set up an outpost there, but reports of the revolutionaries occupying the area had forced them to abandon the plan. Moving troops there and getting ambushed would result in heavy losses.

So, pointing to such a place meant…

“Are you asking me to search this area?”

“No, of course not. I wouldn’t send a commander like you into such danger. I’m talking about the plains leading to it.”

The Marquis’s finger traced the path from the outpost to the Wind Valley.

“As you know, fighting on the plains would result in heavy casualties, even if we win. But if we can secure the Wind Valley, the situation would change drastically. We could break their morale early on.”

In other words, the Marquis wanted Yan to scout the area between the outpost and the Wind Valley. If there were no revolutionaries nearby, they could move troops to the Wind Valley immediately.

It wasn’t an unreasonable request. If the route was safe, they could push troops into the Wind Valley at any time.

Yan smiled and nodded.

“Understood. You want me to check if there are any enemies hiding on the path to the Wind Valley, right?”

“Exactly. And since it might be dangerous, I’ll accompany you. How about we leave tomorrow?”

Yan smiled at the Marquis’s eager eyes.

“Yes, let’s prepare and depart by tomorrow.”

“Great. Let’s meet at the outpost entrance tomorrow.”

The Marquis clenched his fist in triumph as the deal was sealed without much friction. He wanted to shout for joy right there but held back.

‘Not yet. I’ll celebrate after seeing him fall miserably tomorrow.’

The Marquis left the tent, smiling inwardly.

* * *

Marquis Daniel marched out of the tent with a confident stride, leading his soldiers and knights.

Step! Step!

Behind him, ten knights and fifty soldiers followed in perfect formation. It was an excessive force for a mere reconnaissance mission, but he needed to show Yan that he meant business.

When they arrived at the agreed meeting point, Marquis Daniel blinked in surprise at the sight before him.

“Just you?”

“You’re here?”

Yan stood alone at the entrance of the outpost. Marquis Daniel looked around, expecting to see more troops or at least the bandit-like knight from the previous day, but there was no one else.

“Are you planning to scout alone?”

Yan smiled and nodded.

“I find it easier to scout alone. Besides, I’ve assigned other tasks to my men.”

“Is that so?”

Marquis Daniel’s face lit up. If Yan was alone, the chances of the middle-aged man succeeding in his plan to eliminate him would increase exponentially. Suppressing a laugh, Marquis Daniel wrapped an arm around Yan’s shoulder.

“You’re full of spirit, as expected from someone young. Let’s get this done quickly and return to rest.”

With a sly grin, Marquis Daniel led Yan towards the Wind Valley.