A faint bird silhouette swept across the sky.
Under Ottmann's forced-march order, more than 150 captives were eventually executed, leaving fewer than fifty alive.
The bandit group also arrived smoothly by noon, now less than five kilometers from Nohr Village.
An excited mounted scout galloped in from afar. Ottmann lifted his right hand, and the procession halted.
"Report."
"Boss, Nohr Village hasn't noticed us. The villagers are just cooking — calm and peaceful. I've already sent the others around to the back of the village. No one will escape our hands!"
"Did you capture anyone entering or leaving the village?"
"Nope. It's midday — who would be wandering around?"
"No one at all?"
"No one…"
"Boss? Should we just charge in?"
The big-headed bandit scratched the back of his bald skull, a bloodthirsty grin forming.
But Ottmann shook his head. After a moment of thought, he spoke to Zac beside him.
"Zac, take two hundred men and raid the village. I'll wait outside with the rest in case it's a trap."
"A trap? Boss, the brothers scouted it. How could there be a trap?"
The scout looked confused.
Ottmann's expression turned serious.
"During the raid on North Nohr Village — did we capture anyone entering or leaving?"
"Yeah. Near dusk, we caught several woodcutters and hunters coming down from the mountain."
"And this time? Anyone entering or leaving the village?"
The scout shook his head.
"No. We watched for a while. No one came or went."
Ottmann turned to the western Grellwood Mountains, frowning.
"That's not normal. Villagers in the Grellwood range always rise early and return late. Hunters carry their own food, light fires on the mountain, roast whatever they catch. Yet the mountains are completely empty — no smoke, no people.
"And in a village of hundreds, no one is coming or going at noon? That's too much of a coincidence."
"Ottmann, I think you're right. It's possible Noxians already learned of our southward movement and stationed people inside Nohr Village to ambush us."
"What? Impossible! We've been moving secretly — left no survivors. And the Immortal Bastion is far from here. There's no way they'd reinforce this fast."
The big-headed bandit was baffled.
"Maybe we overlooked something. Or maybe the Moss-Targ brutes leaked our information. Either way, we can't be careless.
"Zac, take the cavalry and two hundred men. Enter the village slowly. If there's an ambush, pull out immediately. We'll cover you."
"Understood, boss."
Watching Zac and the others leave, Ottmann frowned. Something still felt wrong, but he couldn't pinpoint what.
"Maybe I'm overthinking. But better safe than sorry…"
—
Inside Nohr Village, Lester was completing the final review of the simplified terrain map drawn on the ground.
"Lord Lester, since you knew stopping all movement in and out would alert the bandits… why not use the elderly to deceive them? Lure them in and kill them once they step inside?"
After hesitating, Meredith finally asked.
Without turning around, Lester drew a new line near the village entrance.
"Lady Meredith, the bandits number at least four hundred. Well-armed, armored. Without counting you five and the elders, we have barely two hundred young villagers — untrained, barely able to hold a weapon. We lack armor and proper arms. Do you know what that means?"
"Um… we can't win?"
Meredith thought for several seconds but still couldn't imagine a winning plan if she were the commander.
"It means we are at an absolute disadvantage."
Lester stood up and straightened his collar.
"No strategy or ambush can fully cover such a gap. Even if we let them enter and gain a small advantage, we'd fall into a desperate melee and eventually be overrun. A flock of lambs — horns barely grown — cannot defeat twice their number of fanged tigers."
"And what does that have to do with you deliberately exposing a flaw? By your logic, we can't possibly win—"
Before she could finish, Sahn-Uzal's crystal orb glowed. The sorceress fell silent.
A few seconds later, as the light faded, Sahn-Uzal opened her eyes.
"Lord Lester, Cernos reports that his illusory raven saw the bandits splitting up. Besides the cavalry surrounding the village, nearly two hundred men are marching inward. The rest are hiding to the north."
"Tell Cernos to keep watching."
"Yes, my lord."
Seeing Meredith's expression shift to sudden understanding, Lester smiled.
"Now you understand?"
"Compared to you, my lord, I'm truly dull."
Meredith performed a formal mage's salute — one she usually reserved only for Lady Lissandra. Her eyes glimmered with respect.
"My lord deliberately displayed strange behavior so the cautious bandit chief would split his forces first. That way, their overwhelming advantage is broken. With our preparations and surprise tactic, we can destroy the first wave and seize the chance to win…
"My lord, you're brilliant."
Hearing her explanation, the thirteen young recruits behind Lester finally understood. Their admiration grew.
Even Allsop — who previously harbored doubts after being "forced" to kill what seemed like innocent villagers — had to admit:
If he were to swear loyalty to the Noxian legions, this was the kind of officer he wanted.
Far better than the reckless captain Nockmirch.
"Lord Lester!"
Standing in the front position was Margaret.