Chapter 363: The Trail of the Jackal (Ⅰ)

The knights and the Asa mercenaries complement each other perfectly in terms of actual combat experience and tactical functions. Moreover, the two sides fought side by side when the town of Delin was rescued, and the cooperation was pleasant. In addition, the Asa commander Magni Bova Tan and George Vasa, the spiritual leader of the Knights, are also close friends, and it is reasonable to cooperate to participate in the southward battle this time.

The coalition forces marched south along the Delin River, heading towards the Huangtong Pass.

Judging from the map, the marching distance is only two hundred miles, but on the way, you need to cross the rugged river valley and climb over the bushy hills. The bad road conditions slow down the marching speed. It is already very hard to drive an average of 20 miles a day. up.

The first half of the journey went smoothly.

From August 21st to 25th, the troops advanced almost hundreds of miles.

Halfway through the journey, there was still no sign of a wolf man. On the way, he wiped out two nests of goblins and expelled a group of hyenas.

What kind of "record" is this? It's not like going on an outing.

Even Joan couldn't help being disappointed by this too dull and boring military career.

Every day from morning to night, he rode on the road, took time to study spells when camping, and had nothing else to do.

If the next days are still so boring, and I just arrived at the Brass Mountain Pass so smoothly, I can't find a chance to use my spellcasting ability. Wouldn't it be a waste of a thousand gold Dujia commission? Colonel Mon Harrison proving his worth?

There seems to be a Goddess of Destiny listening to Joan's heart. Just when he was bored with doing nothing these days, on the morning of August 26, the Asa scout who was in charge of exploring the way for the large army sent back a major message. Information—three miles ahead, we found the ruins of a village that was ransacked by jackals not long ago!

After hearing the news, Colonel Harrison, Major Vasa, and ordinary soldiers in the army were very excited to discover the traces of the Wolf Man. Joan also had a premonition that he would soon have an opportunity to show his talents.

Colonel Harrison gave an order, and the officers and men under his command, together with the Asa mercenaries, hurried on their horses, and soon arrived at the ruins of the village discovered by the scouts. The dire and dilapidated scene shocked all the recruits, including Joan.

There are about thirty households in the small village located on the river valley plain. Most of the local residents make a living from farming, fishing and hunting. The farmland around the village is only half harvested, and there is still a ridge of mature wheat that has not yet been harvested. The heavy ears of wheat The straw is bent and swayed by the wind like a golden ocean.

The village on the opposite side of the wheat field has been burned to the ground, and the burned houses are only the dilapidated walls made of mud bricks, blackened by soot.

Bloodstains and rusty ironware can be seen faintly among the broken walls, which shows that the villagers spontaneously organized and tried their best to resist when they were attacked by bandits.

It's a pity that compared with the roaring bandits, the villagers' strength was too weak, and they failed to keep their homes in the end, and those villagers who died heroically did not even survive a complete body.

Colonel Harrison rode his horse around the ruins, which were more desolate than the cemetery. After confirming that there were no survivors, he waved and called Vasa, Green, and Magny to gather in front of him to discuss the next marching arrangements.

Joan walked into the ruins and stopped in front of a burned two-story building with only its frame left.

Judging from the architectural relics, it is not difficult for him to imagine that this house was once quite tall and magnificent, either as the residence of the village office or as a church.

The thick stone walls have survived the fire, showing that the building also served as a shelter.

This architectural style is prevalent in the remote rural areas of Alfheim. Whenever it is attacked by bandits, the most magnificent and sturdy building in the village will open its doors to accommodate the villagers to take refuge and resist the siege of bandits.

It would be best if the people in the refuge could hold on until the bandits evacuated. In case the refuge would eventually be captured, such as the building in front of you, the villagers hiding inside would also die.

The clicking sound from under his feet interrupted Joan's thinking, as if he had stepped on a foreign object.

He bent down and squatted down, waved his sleeves to wipe off the thin layer of soot covering the ground, and a slender bone rod came into view.

The education Joan received at Leiden College, including the compulsory course of human anatomy, recognized at a glance that it was a human tibia. Judging from the size, it should be the remains of an eight or nine-year-old child. Clean, not a trace of flesh and blood left.

Qiao An felt a slight shudder in his heart, collected himself, and waved his hands to perform a "magic trick" to attract a gust of wind to blow away the dust on the surface.

Broken bones can be seen everywhere among the rubble covered by soot, and traces of fangs and sharp teeth can be faintly seen on the surface of the white bones.

The remote village of Alfheim is often harassed by bandits. Growing up in such an environment, Joan knows that survival is not easy.

His hometown, Delin Town, is often attacked by bandits, and he himself has participated in the battle against bandits to defend his homeland, and has witnessed his compatriots fall under the enemy's butcher's knife more than once.

However, seeing the remains of the villagers who were ravaged by fangs instead of swords, Joan still couldn't help being horrified. He really felt that the gnolls who ransacked the village were more cruel and crazy than the gangsters he had encountered before. Unreasonable.

Joan recalled the descriptions of the "Wolf Man" in the "Wares Monster Illustrated Book". Compared with the cruel scene of violence in front of him, the text and illustrations in the book seemed too pale.

Gnolls are included in the ranks of "humanoids (subhumans)" by the author of the dictionary.

It is true that there are academic bases such as whether there is "reproductive isolation", but in Joan's view, this savage bloodthirsty creature is closer to a real jackal than a human.

In the world of jackals, there is no moral code.

There is not even a trace of conscience in their hearts, and the only law they believe in is the law of the jungle.

Even those old, sick, or disabled wolf men in the group are regarded as spare food by their own kind. Compared with them, cannibalism is nothing.

"Joan, come here!" Roger called from behind, "Mr. Vasa invites you to attend the temporary combat meeting."

"Combat meeting?" Joan was full of surprise, "This is a senior officer's business, what does it have to do with me?"

"Who knows!" Roger shrugged, leaned close to him and said in a low voice, "Major Vassar and Colonel Harrison just had a heated argument for some reason, and Major Vassar called you over, probably to invite you As a professional mage, to argue that his plan is more realistic than Colonel Harrison's plan, you'd better be prepared."