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"Mengdie... have you thought of something?" After a long pause, Edward couldn't hold back any longer and asked.
"Um..." Hearing Edward's question, Mengdie seemed a bit hesitant. Then, she smiled gently and said, "You're the leader today, so you make the decisions."
Edward's face fell, and he thought for a moment. Then, lifting his head with a look of guilt, he said, "I'm sorry, I... Although I am the leader, I have some confidence in my swordsmanship. But I lack experience in marching and tracking..."
"Ah... that's true." Mengdie bit into her ration. "You said it yourself, this is your first time leading troops. But I'm curious, what about training? Even without warfare, where do you go during regular military training?"
This statement caused the two mages' expressions to turn even more solemn! Looking at Mengdie, their faces were immediately filled with hostility. Edward, however, failed to notice this and sighed, "Actually... I haven't participated in many army training sessions. The army is usually managed by the steward, and when I wanted to join, the steward said that my status was too noble for battle and better suited for planning and strategy. There was a time I wanted to practice swordsmanship, but the steward persuaded my parents... my parents not to let me, fearing I might get hurt. The steward also said that ruling a country relies on wisdom and talent, and brute force cannot make a... um... a good person."
"Oh~~~ Is that so?" Mengdie's voice trailed off meaningfully. The couple's eyes were clearly more unfriendly than before.
"Alright then, since our leader is just a figurehead, how about I, as a subordinate, offer some suggestions?"
"Sure, go ahead."
Mengdie lowered her head to organize her thoughts, took a stick, and began drawing the terrain on the ground, explaining, "Initially, I was happy to find the traps, as it meant we were getting closer to their lair. Being cautious and following their traps, we could surely reach their hideout. However, here, I can't find their traps anymore." Mengdie pointed to the terrain she had drawn. "This shows that the enemy believes if someone can avoid so many traps and track them this far, setting more traps would reveal their location. Instead, they might have set up lookouts around their hideout to spot intruders. If we continue, there's a good chance they'll spot us. That's why we stopped here."
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"So... what should we do next?" Edward had become a devoted listener.
Mengdie smiled slightly and said, "Simple, wait."
"Wait...?"
"Yes. Look at the terrain here. Based on my observation, we're now in a visible area. Any movement in the bushes would be spotted from afar. But as the sun sets, we'll move from visible to shadowed areas, making our movements much easier. I suspect there are two likely hideout locations nearby: one at 10 o'clock, in that hollow on the mountain, and another by the river at 1 o'clock. By evening, we'll know their exact location."
"Evening? Why evening? If it's about shadows, won't two or three hours be enough? Evening... we need to return for the gathering..."
Mengdie slapped her forehead and sighed. Now she knew just how inexperienced their leader was in tracking... and how poor his adaptability was...
"Brother, don't you need to eat? By evening, they'll naturally cook and make fire. Wherever the smoke is, we'll know, right? Even if they try to deceive us with the smoke, there's a river between the two possible points, and food can't be transported across it. Wherever the smoke comes from, if it's on this side of the river, it means they're in the hollow. On the other side, it's by the river. Problem solved."
Mengdie clapped her hands, finished the water in her bowl, climbed a tree, and began observing the mountaintops from behind the leaves.
The group of four settled down to wait. Edward, holding his sword, paced back and forth, looking restless. The couple sat under the tree, meditating while occasionally sneaking glances at Edward.
After about two or three hours, Mengdie remained in the tree without any intention of coming down. Edward, after some thought, couldn't help but ask, "Mengdie, if there's a skirmish... what weapon will you use?"
"Weapon?" Mengdie paused for a moment. Then, touching her chin and thinking, she smiled, "As for weapons, my fists are my weapons. But if possible, I'd like to have a pair of gauntlets."
Seeing Edward's puzzled expression, Mengdie explained, "Ah~~~ Ah, gauntlets are weapons that facilitate unarmed attacks. But I came in a hurry this time and didn't have the money to get one made at a blacksmith. So, I'll probably fight bare-handed."
Understanding nothing else but that Mengdie would be unarmed, Edward immediately took out a short-hilted dagger from his waist and threw it into Mengdie's lap.
"Being unarmed is not good. Mengdie, although this dagger isn't very... that, very valuable, it's still good for self-defense."
Seeing Edward throw the dagger, the two mages jumped as if their tails were stepped on! The male mage was about to speak when his wife quickly covered his mouth and pushed him down, then smiled apologetically at Edward. Mengdie saw this, her lips slightly curling up. She pulled out the dagger to look at it, then threw it back to Edward, saying, "Thanks, but you better pay more attention to your two attendants. If I'm not wrong, they're not ordinary mercenaries, right?"
As soon as she spoke, Edward's face showed shock! Mengdie sighed again – how could he not have noticed? With no insight, no experience, how could he lead a bandit suppression campaign?
"Who are you!" Edward drew his sword, guarding the tree where Mengdie was sitting, looking tense.
The two mages, unable to hide any longer, stood up, letting go of their burden.
"Lord Edward..." they glanced at Mengdie and continued, "Young master, Dubo was worried about you joining the reconnaissance mission alone, so he sent us two to blend in. We are members of the Royal Knights' Magic Department, Sisco and Linda."
Mengdie chuckled. She had guessed right.
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