Return of the General's Daughter
Chapter 102: Battle of Wits

Chapter 102: Battle of Wits

Bener tried to remember, but he could not. Reya was, after all, a common name in Northem.

No sooner had Lara fallen asleep when there was a commotion outside. The four people crowding the tent went out to check what happened.

Coming out of the gate of the walled Sentro, were the elderlies, women, and children. Their numbers have doubled.

People were also coming from the eastern outskirts of the fortified town center. They must have come from the villages.

Alarc’s sharp gaze swept over the citizens of Northem and he estimated them to be over a thousand.

"Damn it!" General Odin cursed. "Whoever behind this scheme is such a coward."

"What do we do, your highness?" General Odin, out of respect, asked Prince Alaric.

"Father, Berlin and Kellan with two more soldiers, sneaked inside the walls last night and they learned that people’s houses were looted and some even got hurt because they managed to catch the thieves. Those thieves confessed they were soldiers from this army and were forced to gather provisions.

"Damn it! They are blaming us?" Marlon Norse emerged from his tent and bowed slightly to show respect to Prince Alaric.

"Whoever is behind this, is very cunning. He knew that we would not attack the townspeople, so they are manipulating and brainwashing them to think that we’re the ’bad’ and the Estalis soldiers are the ’good!’" Alaric shared his thoughts.

"We do nothing for now. Let us wait. Let us see what they will do tomorrow."

Curse you soldiers of Northem?

You are not here to protect us. You are here to steal from us!

Go home. We don’t need you. We are okay as we are now.

A little boy who was about eight years old, moved forward. At first his steps were shaky and hesitant but as the people shouted with encouragement and rallied behind him, the little boy’s confidence soared.

His steps hastened and when he was near enough, he placed his basket on the ground and started hurling rotten eggs and vegetables toward the Northem soldiers who put on their shieds to block the attacks.

Soon a few more children joined. The soldiers were helpless. Even the generals were at a loss of what to do.

Lara stepped out of the tent. Awakened by the noise, her expression clouded with annoyance. The early morning light filtered through the trees, casting dappled patterns on her furrowed brow. Disheveled hair framed her face, and her eyes, slightly squinting against the brightness, betrayed the irritation of being jolted from a deep sleep.

She gestured to Aramis, but Aramis paused, his gaze shifting first to Alaric, as if seeking his unspoken permission. When he nodded, Aramis handed him a basket of longan.

Alaric was speechless. Jethru, who was held up because he wanted to watch the show, frowned. What was she doing?

The generals and the commanders of the army were looking at her bewildered.

Lara carried her basket and went ahead at the frontline. She grabbed one of the soldier’s shields on the way.

"Hmp. These brats. You are so young and you already have nasty mouths." She spoke in a loud and clear voice.

A boy hurled a rotten egg toward her. Lara remained still. When the time was right, she kicked the egg and it hit the boy in his chest, where the egg exploded, a disgusting smell filled the air.

"You, you, crazy man. Evil soldier, what have you done?" The boy shouted curses at Lara and her ears tingled.

She picked up a piece of Longan and threw it toward the boy using just a slight force. When the boy opened his mouth to hurl more curses, something hit the corner of his mouth and he felt pain.

"Wah...wah... wah..." he wailed. Mother, it hurts!" He turned around and ran back to the group of people behind him, who automatically parted as if he were royalty being given a pathway. In fact, he smelled disgusting, and people were afraid of touching him.

"What are you still wailing there. Go home and take a bath. You stink." A woman in her mid-twenties, must be his mother, scolded him as she retreated a few steps back, scared the boy would pounce at her.

Someone shouted from the crowd. It was indistinct that Lara missed the words. Suddenly, rotten eggs and vegetables were raining like torrents toward her.

"Shit!" She muttered. She only had one shield.

But before the trash could reach her, she was shielded by five towering figures: Alaric, Odin, Bener, Aramis, and Jethru.

They followed Lara’s action earlier. The rotten vegetables and eggs were thrown back to whoever threw them.

Soon the plains of Gwamuros were filled with the deafening cries of the children who looked miserable, filthy and smelly.

"You evil creature. You did not even spare the children. How could you do that to them?"

Lara escaped from her towering shields and faced the woman who just spoke.

"And what do you want us to do? Just stand here and let those filthy things fall on us? These people are the mighty warriors of Northem, the ones who are willing to sacrifice their lives just to make sure that you are enjoying a peaceful life. How could you dishonor them with your dirty schemes?" Lara shouted angrily.

"To think that you would use even small children for this... what a cowardly act." Lara continued, her face flushed with anger.

"It is only because you soldiers burned our Town Hall. It was the symbol of Carles. It is just like you trampled our dignity, and you are even calling yourselves our protector? Hah!" The woman was livid.

Lara chuckled.

"Think carefully. Someone uses you to do their dirty tricks, and you fall so easily. You are placing your hatred on the wrong people. How could the soldiers of Northem set your town hall on fire, when they were inside it? The arrows came from the outside."

The woman who looked like the leader of the group paused. A look of hesitation crossed her eyes.

"The soldiers of Estalis wanted to trap those inside the town hall, so they set it to fire. But the five hundred strong soldiers of Northem escaped easily because the Estalis soldiers were busy shooting arrows at their fellow soldiers whom they had mistaken as Nords escaping from the fire."

Silence. Then the air was filled with tension.

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