Bounty Mercenary Group

After scoping out the situation within the camp, Kars casually grabbed a blade of grass, chewed onto it and released the bitter juice in his mouth.

The bitter taste spread in his mouth, he carefully retreated from the edge of the camp and straightened his clothes.

"It seems that this is the Bronze Shield's main base." He said to Violet.

Embracing himself, Kars with a stern face, explained the well-known reputation of the Bronze Shield to Violet.

"You can't possibly be intending to kick their ass! Listen, the Bronze Shield is not easy to mess with."

He wasn't lying. If you owed money to a town mayor, if forced, one can cut and run, at worst fleeing to enemy territories.

But if you offended a large mercenary group like the Bronze Shield, you could end up being hunted relentlessly to the ends of the earth.

However, would Violet easily give up the easy pickings within her grasp?

She looked up at Black Crow Castle. In her eyes, Black Crow Castle was not just a castle; it was an abandoned castle perfectly prepared for her.

If she wanted to conquer territories and expand her dominance, she needed a secure stronghold to attract people!

The location of this castle was remote and lacked mineral resources and fertile farmland, but it would always be better than nothing!

Ignoring Kars's advice, she snapped her fingers. Standing still and waiting for orders, the skeleton monster sprinted forward as soon as it heard the snapping sound.

Without a plan, without any preparation, it simply rushed in. After rushing through the bushes, it jumped into the camp.

Then, almost the moment it jumped in, exclamations rang out.

The mercenaries left in the camp never expected such a bizarre occurrence.

Although the Bronze Shield is a large mercenary group, only a third of its total number can maintain their fighting capacity throughout the year.

The remaining two-thirds are mainly family members or apprentices.

They come here to learn the ways of the warriors. They sometimes follow the fighters into the forest, participating in inevitable slaughter.

However, their actual duties are often nothing more than gathering resources, setting up camp, or taking care of injured soldiers.

Genuine fighting is left to the experienced mercenaries.

These people only need to observe some bloodshed; they don't actually participate in the real fight.

The conquest of Black Crow Castle is the same.

Even though a small number of soldiers remain for camp security and to guard against magical beasts' ambush, not many are there.

The real elite soldiers have already followed the head of the group, rushing into the castle.

During the day, large dangerous magical beasts are at rest, so smaller beasts do not pose a fatal threat to the camp.

Most large magical beasts are active at night. The reason is simple; their massive builds, if exposed under the sun during the day.

Even the densest forests can't hide their enormous sizes.

Therefore, if they want to capture prey, these magical beasts can only choose to be active during the night.

The mercenaries who were on guard the previous night were mostly asleep in their tents, waiting for the night to fall.

One could say that, although it's the best time of day, it's also when the whole camp is most relaxed.

So when the skeleton monster rushed into the camp, there were many screams of panic.

In their haste, they were unable to defend against the sudden monster. Of course, they might have some back-up plans, but those were exactly what Violet had anticipated.

She casually sent out a skeleton she controlled, stood in place, and listened to the sounds of battle coming from the camp.

Since it was the main base of the enemy to be attacked, then why not fight? What was there to hesitate about? Did she expect the enemy to voluntarily surrender everything to her?

She'd rather attack them by surprise, then sit down and talk things through.

The Bronze Shield didn't know that they would be the first victims under Violet's hands, and in the future, many more mercenary groups and even Imperial armies would fall under such attacks, unable to fight back.

Yes, this was a blatant sneak attack. Even with semi-divine strength, Violet chose a cautious and prudent approach to prevent a crisis.

Open warfare would inevitably lead to gruesome battles, with the war eventually spiralling out of control and the cost of the aftermath being unaffordable for Violet.

This is why kingdoms on this continent maintain a fragile balance, and why Violet managed to maintain world peace over the years.

As surprising as the reason might be, it is that simple.

All empires on this continent bizarrely adhere to a strange chivalric code. When a kingdom goes to war, its king will kindly inform the neighbouring countries not to worry.

Those who receive this message will believe it, and the king who does not receive such a message becomes the target of attack.

The outcome is two large forces setting up formations against each other on the plains, using lives and blood to fertilise the soil.

If the battle becomes a one-sided massacre, then Violet will appear on the battlefield, collecting every soldier's divine weapon no matter which side they're on.

After the battle ends and the victor is decided, the kings continue friendly communications as if they are family.

In the most central regions of the continent, where war is most intense, this is the case.

Some kings may only be lords of a small castle, but they dare to self-proclaim themselves as the eldest son of the Sun God, the heaven-ordained king.

Among these 'kings', princesses are treated like cheap gifts, passed around, and their blood relations are unbearably complicated.