Leonard looked at the three Marbran family soldiers who were covered in wounds.
In his eyes, the three soldiers did not deserve to die.
They were merely ordered to spread rumors and did not engage in any further acts of sabotage.
Furthermore, after the scouts reported the rumors from various places, everyone immediately held a short meeting. Sir Gregor made a decisive decision and ordered Maester Assaar to release the ravens to notify the surrounding nobles to block all roads, and even if their people fled into their territories, they must be sent back.
Having already experienced the power of the Mountain, everyone replied that they would cooperate fully. This is why Bernie from Alex Village was stopped by Sir Bancroft's general when he led the villagers away at night.
Until the rumors are dispelled, no matter day or night, those who want to flee with their families have nowhere to go.
*
The foul-mouthed man noticed the hesitation in Leonard's eyes and drew his short sword, handing it to Leonard.
Leonard took the short sword. It was a fine sword; the blade reflected the torchlight on the wall, and the blade cast a shadow of a person, just like a mirror.
Leonard approached the three guards with his short sword in hand, and the three guards immediately knelt down and begged for their lives.
They certainly did not deserve to die.
But they encountered the Demon Mountain.
Leonard said, "You could have been spared death, but you overheard our conversation."
The three guards quickly explained that it wasn't what they wanted to hear, but that they were forced to. They swore they would never tell anyone.
Leonard knew perfectly well that this was Lord Gregor's way of getting people for him to kill!
A kind heart cannot command an army, and a benevolent person cannot be a soldier!
Leonard hardened his heart and said, "Get up. If you're a man, die standing up."
The three guards slowly stood up, their fear and dread replaced by resolute indignation.
Leonard said, "I'm sorry, but it's a military order. I must kill these three." He thrust his sword straight at the heart of the left guard.
The Mountain's voice rang out at the same time: "If the three of you work together and can knock the short sword away or subdue Leonard, you can live. The Mountain is not joking."
The guard on the left had his hands and feet shackled, but the chains of the shackles gave him the freedom to move. In desperation, the guard swung his hands and raised the shackles to parry Leonard's short sword.
call out!
The dagger pierced the guard's arm.
The guard screamed in pain, ignoring his injured arm, and tried to wrap the iron chain around Leonard's neck. Two other guards rushed forward to join the attack; their shackles were too heavy to use their legs, so they swung their iron chains at Leonard.
Leonard stepped back, drawing his short sword to avoid the rattling chains. He took a large step to the left, positioning himself only against the guard whose arm had just been pierced. His right hand lashed out again, this time without mercy, aiming a blow at the abdomen of the immobile guard.
The guard had barely raised his hands when Leonard stabbed him multiple times in the abdomen, blood gushing out. Unable to raise his hands any further, he roared and lunged at Leonard, trying to catch him. Leonard dodged, already pressed against the wall, and the guard collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
The other two guards looked at each other in bewilderment.
They were hampered in their movements, while Leonard was agile, moving freely and quickly.
The Mountain said, "Renaard, I'm very disappointed in your performance. You stabbed a guard with his hands and feet in shackles several times and he still didn't die."
Leonard's hands were covered in blood, and his clothes were splattered with it. His chest heaved as he gasped for breath. The forceful thrust had left his body feeling weak. It wasn't because he lacked stamina, but because he was too tense. The look of rage in his opponent's eyes, filled with gritted teeth and a desire to fight him to the death, was unforgettable. It was a venomous gaze he had never seen before, one that had made his limbs go weak.
A foul mouth let out a soft laugh. His laughter was clear and full of contempt.
The other two guards, resigned to their fate, retreated, leaning against the wall, unable to remain still. Since they were going to die anyway, they figured they might as well stay still; the chains in their hands would be their weapons when Leonard arrived. Charging forward would only give Leonard the opportunity to kill them one by one.
The Mountain continued, "Reinhard, you must kill one of them with a single strike, or I will let them both go back. The leak of our minting secrets is all because of your leniency. You should stop leading troops and become a stable boy."
The foul-mouthed man chuckled again.
This caused Leonard's face to burn with pain. His stomach felt like it was on fire, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Leonard gripped his short sword and slowly approached the two guards leaning against the wall. The two guards glared at him, their hands tightening their grip on their chains. When Leonard was at a suitable distance, the two guards' chains flew towards him, one sweeping across Leonard's waist, the other striking him head from above.
Leonard didn't dodge. He suddenly strode forward, and with a flash of cold light, his sword struck, piercing the neck of a guard with deadly precision.
The two chains that were attacking fiercely missed behind Leonard.
Leonard struck successfully and, without pausing, immediately retreated to the side, pulling the short sword from his neck, blood spurting past him. The guard reached for his throat, trying to stop the gushing blood, but his hands missed his neck by just a fraction, and he collapsed limply.
call!
Another iron chain swept across, and Leonard ducked as it passed over his head, slamming into the stone wall with a loud crack. Leonard rose, leaping to face his opponent, his right hand already gripping the short sword deep in his heart.
He let go, stepped back, and only the hilt of the short sword remained in the other's chest.
The guard glared at Leonard, but Leonard's limbs were no longer weak. He glared back, fearless.
The other person slipped against the wall and fell to the ground, dying instantly.
The Mountain said, "Stiff movements and lack of control over the force you exert are like a brute fighting desperately. Aim for the vital points, but don't use your full strength. Only after you've succeeded will you have the strength to counterattack others. When you're thrusting your full force into someone's heart, if they have helpers on their side, you won't have the strength to make any dodging movements."
Leonard had thought that killing two guards with one sword would earn him Sir Gregor's appreciation, but instead, he received criticism from Sir Gregor.
"If you can pierce someone's heart with three-tenths of your strength, use five-tenths at most, but don't use twelve-tenths," the Mountain said. "That would make you look like a brute."
"Yes, Lord Gregor."
"Clean up the body and blood yourself, and remember, don't call the jailers for help."
"Yes, Lord Gregor."
"You foul mouth, let's go!"
With a smirk that made Leonard ashamed, he walked up to the body and slowly drew his short sword, wiping the blood off the corpse: "Leonard, draw your sword slowly, so the enemy's blood won't splatter on you."
"Yes, you foul mouth!"
"Also, in a group fight, don't use your full strength when stabbing a vital spot; just enough to kill the opponent. Having spare strength allows you to move freely. But in a one-on-one duel, it feels much better to kill the opponent with all your might!"
Leonard said, "Yeah, you foul mouth. But don't laugh at me. Come to the training ground tomorrow morning with your training sword, and I can take you down."
"If we fight with real swords, I will definitely kill you," the foul-mouthed man said. "What do you think, young master Leonard?"
Leonard was taken aback.
He then bit his lip and stopped talking. He took the conical tube from the wall, inserted it into the water outlet, and water flowed out from the more than 20-centimeter-long conical tube, trickling into the wooden basin specifically used to collect water for rinsing the blood.