The Devil's Good Girl-Chapter 289: Sound of horn

[In my next life, don’t love me.]

Jackson’s eyes slowly dilated as his gaze landed on Fil. She was still asleep, but the voice that rang in his mind sounded so vivid as if it was spoken. With this, he couldn’t help but remember the time those words were spoken to him.

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[FLASHBACK]

The sound of war was loud, yet nothing was ever clear. Everything sounded inaudible, with all the mix of sounds coming from every direction. The only thing that one could discern for sure was the metals clanging against each other, the outcry of soldiers from both sides, and the ringing silence of those fallen.

It has been more than a year since Jackson arrived at the border. He had fought day and night, got wounded, and recovered to fight for another day, just like all the other soldiers who survived only to return to the battlefield.

For the past year, the tension in the border could be considered mild. But with every passing day the enemies couldn’t claim victory, their patience had also run short. Every day, new troops would be sent out and in every passing season they failed, the numbers had grown more significant.

"Your Grace!"

Jackson’s henchman called out when he saw him marching out of his tent. He quickly rushed to Jackson’s side, catching him by the waist and resting Jackson’s arms over his shoulders.

"Your Grace, you shouldn’t get up for now," said the soldier. "Your wounds haven’t healed yet."

One could even see the fresh blood seeping out of his bandages. Jackson barely covered his body with his coat, but with how clumsy it was put on, the display of his physical state was for everyone to see. Although they didn’t need to see his body because his pale complexion said it all.

Three nights ago, another reinforcement from the enemy’s forces arrived while the empire’s reinforcement had met a problem on the way. Hence the delay. Since most of the knights were wounded and exhausted, Jackson marched to the front lines along with a very few abled knights to fight.

Although they managed to survive the threat, many of those who fought with him three nights ago didn’t make it back. And Jackson barely made it alive. Hence, he had been unconscious for the past three nights and had only woken up now. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"I am alright," Jackson reassured under his breath, taking a heavy step forward. "How’s the situation?"

The henchman helped Jackson to the table near the bonfire, where they were currently having a meeting. They could do it in the tent, but with everyone’s condition, they decided to do it where the lights were bright.

The men surrounding the table only cast Jackson a stern look, but they quietly decided not to rush him back to his tent.

"Our reinforcement had already arrived, and the knights were already sent out to defend the other side," said one of the men in the same uniform as those knights in the duke’s brigade.

"Apparently, they met some bandits on the way. The bandits were already arrested and were sent out on the battlefield to die."

"The crown prince also sent out some of his trusted soldiers from the imperial knights to assist. Your Grace, rest assured you can rest for a while now."

The soldiers, although, carried a stern look, also couldn’t hide their concern. Jackson was their source of morale, after all. With him on the battlefield, their morale was high and their chances of winning were bright.

Even at this moment, where hope seems to be bleak, they knew as long as the Duke was alive, the outcome had yet decided.

Jackson glanced up at his soldiers weakly and sighed. "I’ll rest and recover later. For now, how many knights had we lost?"

Getting on the main business, Jackson planted his hands on the surface of the table. Upon hearing the large number of casualties, his face turned sour. This was the biggest casualty they had for the longest time.

"Those guerrillas are vicious. They don’t care if they survive or not, they just keep marching on."

"And when all their front lines fell, everyone behind them would continue without a pause."

"We managed to hold them off during that last attack, but I’m sure they’re preparing for the next big attack."

"It feels like they were multiplying."

Their talks quickly diverted to their concerns and frustrations. Although they would still divert back to the main discussion, this war was unbelievable.

"My guess is correct," said Jackson quietly, making everyone shut their mouths and look at him. "It is not just one or two kingdoms we are facing."

Their faces darkened, but they weren’t at all surprised.

In the first year of this war, they already suspected another powerful force was aiding their enemy. It was the reason Jackson and his knighthood were deployed to aid the soldiers who defended the borders first.

They knew things were bad, but when they arrived, they quickly realized the reports given to them were made to sound light. If not for the duke’s brigade, the borders would’ve been long breached.

But after more than a year of defending the border, they were now sure it wasn’t just one force that was aiding their enemies. The problem was, they were unsure how many, and even if they made a guess, it was a theory that even the imperial family might not want to digest easily.

"Everyone..." Jackson breathed out, gazing at the map and writings on the table regarding the current situation of the battlefield. "All the neighboring kingdoms seemed to have joined hand in hand to take down the empire."

Jackson slowly lifted his eyes to his men before he glanced at the person next to him. "Send another word to the capital. Tell them what I said just now. We’ll need more than just a unit of reinforcement."

"Yes, Your Grace."

The henchman who assisted Jackson bowed and quickly turned around. But just as he took a step, they heard the sound of the horn indicating the borders were breached.