Chapter 72: Duke Stamp, Outplayed
“If your words are lies, I’ll have your limbs severed,” Hilna declared, her gaze fixed on Kailun.
She had no need to hide her animosity now.
“My, my, how cruel! Threatening to dismember me? I’m terrified!” Kailun feigned fear, relishing her frustration.
“Oh, look! Duke Stamp has arrived!” He smiled, his eyes gleaming as he watched the dust billowing from the final entrance.
Stamp led a mixed legion, comprising knights, mages, and warriors, totaling over thirty thousand men.
Hilna’s heart pounded as she saw the vanguard appear. What if Kailun was telling the truth?
“Well, well, is everyone waiting for me? I thought the battle had already begun!” Stamp boomed, his laughter echoing through the valley. He seemed confident of victory.
He noticed Hilna’s anxious expression and quickly bowed. “Forgive my tardiness, Your Highness. I’ve come to your aid.”
Her worries dissipated. “Your arrival is all that matters. Kailun tried to sow discord between us, claiming you had betrayed me.”
“That little scoundrel! Daring to slander me? I’ll crush him under my heel and cut off his ears! Let’s see him be arrogant then!” Stamp, understanding her implication, pointed at Kailun and roared, reaffirming his loyalty.
“Kailun’s finished,” Lodis declared, watching Stamp’s arrival.
Hilna had over twenty thousand soldiers, and Stamp had over thirty thousand. Fifty thousand against twenty thousand? It wasn’t even a contest.
“I want to see him die!” Paul hissed, his gaze fixed on Kailun.
“Give it up. He’ll be captured alive. Hilna wouldn’t dare kill him.” Harry shook his head. He, too, saw no hope for Kailun.
…
“Can I kill him now?” Afra, her eyes fixed on Stamp, asked coldly.
“No need. He’s a dying dog,” Kailun replied dismissively.
He had vivid memories of Stamp’s role in aiding Hilna in his past life.
“Duke Stamp, you’re quite the vigorous old man! Traveling all this way to offer your support? One might think your entire family had been slaughtered. Oh, wait. They’re about to be. In about half an hour, I’d say. You did strip your defenses bare for this little expedition, didn’t you?” A cruel smile spread across his face.
“What do you mean?” Stamp frowned, sensing something was amiss.
Wasn’t Kailun supposed to be a cowardly fool? Why was he smiling in the face of certain defeat?
“Surely you’re aware that your stronghold is under attack? In half an hour, it’ll be a bloodbath. You seem awfully calm about it.” Kailun helpfully shared this information, hoping Stamp would express his gratitude later.
Stamp: “？？?”
“Your Grace! Disaster! Our stronghold is under attack by the Grand Duke’s knights! We’re about to be overrun!” A messenger, clutching a magical letter, knelt before him.
“What?!”
Stamp’s eyes bulged. He snatched the letter and scanned its contents.
The message was brief: their stronghold was under attack, the enemy had breached their defenses and were slaughtering his men, their forces were routed, they could only hold out for another half hour.
“You bastard! You did this! I’ll kill you!” He roared, drawing his sword and charging towards Kailun.
Kailun calmly raised a hand. “Don’t be hasty. Think of your family. Your rash actions might just wipe out your entire lineage.”
“Father, Grandfather and our brothers are still at home! What’s the point of living if they’re all dead?” Barr, his son, grabbed his arm, restraining him.
“I hate this! I hate this!” Stamp’s heart filled with regret. Why had he gotten involved in this power struggle?
He had gained nothing, and now his family was about to be wiped out.
He pointed at his army. “Call off your men! Or I’ll drag you down with me!”
“Is that how you beg? Shouldn’t you be on your knees, groveling?” Kailun ignored his threat. He knew Stamp’s weakness: his family.
His family was his everything. Destroy his foundation, and his legacy would crumble.
“Shouldn’t he be exposing his stomach?” Shirley muttered.
Thankfully, Hilna, consumed by her own anxieties, didn’t hear her. Her heart pounded in her chest.
She didn’t understand how Kailun had orchestrated this, but things were spiraling out of control. If she didn’t act quickly, Stamp might actually switch sides.
“Duke Stamp, don’t listen to his lies! He’s a devil! He’s just trying to humiliate you! Let’s join forces and capture him! The Grand Duke won’t dare retaliate then!” Her voice was hoarse with desperation.
She couldn’t afford another loss. Failure meant losing everything.
“Clap, clap, clap!” Kailun applauded. “What a brilliant plan! It’s easy to be ruthless when it’s not your family on the line, isn’t it?”
He turned to Stamp. “Think carefully. By the time your men kill my knights, your stronghold will be a graveyard. Shall we have a race? The only winner will be Hilna.”
Stamp glanced at Hilna, his eyes filled with regret.
He couldn’t act rashly. His family’s lives were at stake.
“I’ll pay you ten thousand gold coins to withdraw. Let’s pretend this never happened.”
Kailun considered his offer. “Agreed. But you’ll have to wait half an hour.”
Stamp: “…”
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