The General's Wife Wants to Leave
Chapter 68: A friend or a foe

Chapter 68: A friend or a foe

Canillas asked one of his men-at-arms, who returned with him from Seidel, to carry Luca on his back as he was too weak to walk by himself due to blood loss.

When they were about to leave the forest, Fabio asked Canillas, "What should we do to them?" He nudged his head at the bodies of the dead wolves that lay on the pool of bloody ground.

"Leave them here. The owner should take responsibility for their pets," answered Canillas, causing Fabio to look at him with his eyebrows knitted.

"I will tell you later. Not here. Let’s go," Canillas uttered before the confused Fabio inquired further.

Without extending more conversations, they marched to the entrance of the forest.

Canillas made Joanna walk beside him, as it was the condition that he proposed if she wanted him to fulfill the demand, which had persistently been brought up since they arrived at the location where their attendants gathered after they obtained the herbs she needed, to let go of her hand.

When they almost reached the entrance of the forest, he noticed that Joanna had slowed down before ceasing her steps. Halting from his track, which was soon followed by their attendants, he turned his head to look at her, who already had her eyes on him.

"I need to go to the meadow to take the herb that can be used to stop the bleeding of Sir Luca. It can also help to prevent infection and quicken the healing process." Drifting her gaze from the man to the right side of her, Joanna pointed with her index finger before saying, "The meadow is there, about a three-minute walk." With the explanation having been conveyed, she brought her gaze back to the General, waiting for his response.

At the request that weighed concern for his people, Canillas told Fabio to go ahead to the orphanage building with his colleagues so that he could give proper treatment for Luca in advance.

Together with Sir Sylvester, Lucy, and the Barasca knights, Canillas escorted Joanna to the meadow that was not far from the entrance of the forest. Never once did he leave her side, as he knew what was lurking behind her. With the Duke’s knights with him, his worry that pressed his shoulders was slightly lifted up as he knew that they were not ordinary knights with underestimated defensive skills.

He did not know how many of the Tres were prying his wife at the moment, but if they dared to take action to attack, he would just take her to a safe place, as the Barasca knights would be in the front line to block their way to approach the young lady.

He could be on the front lines with the Barasca knights while trusting one or two knights to take her somewhere safe. But he preferred the first option, as he would be relieved if he had her with him, to ensure that he would never allow them to approach her, never letting them lay their fingers on her.

Those tribes might feel thrilled to find such a valuable treasure coming voluntarily to them. How could they not if they were really targeting young noble ladies?

It was not hard to identify her as the precious daughter of the Duke of Barasca just from the insignia of the carriage that brought her here, together with the knights that guarded her.

What made it ironic in this hilarious situation was the timing. How could she and those tribes be in the same place at the same time? However, for such a question, Canillas actually had the answer. It might sound insensible. But who could predict what would happen in the future when life itself was a mystery as deep as ever death could be?

It was also the same answer he could give to the previous question he had silently asked in his mind. Why did, among many places to hide from him, she have to select this mountain?

He was beyond grateful to find her at the right time before those tribes found her. If he had been late by a second, she might not be here with him right now, and he did not know what would have happened to her.

Watching the side profile of the lady who walked beside him, his mind kept wandering about her. Although she was a cold-hearted and hard-headed woman who had lied and been rude to him, he had no doubt that others would consider her to be alluring. Who would be willing to give up such an alluring woman, particularly when she was within one’s reach?

Sending his gaze back to the front, he wondered if he was also one of those people who would not give up such an alluring woman.

If he tracked to the back, he again wondered if what he had done was counted as a part of not giving up such an alluring woman, as he, himself, could not believe what he had passed through in order to protect the woman who had offended him so far.

He left the de Lara mansion with the rest of his men-at-arms at dawn. By the time they arrived at the foot of the mountain, he was welcomed by Barasca knights who camped there.

As one of them was willing to take the lead to show the way toward the Powel Orphanage when he asked them about the route, he could save time to get there. Saving time was important for him, who had no knowledge about West Lane Mountain as he had never visited before, and without the guidance of the Barasca knight, he might have spent more time finding the route by himself.

He just wanted to see his wife as soon as possible. He wanted to make sure that she was fine. He also wanted to prevent the terrifying things that were revealed by the Terran soldiers from happening to her, although he was not sure whether those tribes were really there and targeted her. But it was always better to take precautionary measures than live with regret later.

When he managed to arrive at the Powel Orphanage, the Barasca knight, who escorted him, went inside the building to ask about the whereabouts of the young lady. The answer that the knight received and soon passed to him made him immediately run at the speed of light to the location mentioned by the knight.

The young lady was in the forest behind the orphanage building. It was the information that he heard.

If the Tres really existed, as informed by the Terran soldiers, the forest might become their hiding place.

Under such a worrying situation, he was not even aware that his men and the Barasca knight followed behind, as his thoughts were only pulsating at the well-being of his cold-hearted wife. While he was running, every piece of information relayed by the Terran soldiers about the condition of one of the victims played like a turbulent sea in his mind.

Once he stepped into the forest, he did not see the figure of the woman he wanted to see. He did not even know with whom she entered the forest, but he was certain that Fabio and Luca were with her, as they would not dare neglect his order.

Wandering around the unfamiliar woods for a few minutes that felt like hours, he felt frustrated when he had not found her.

In the middle of frustration, when he was about to turn to the other side of the woods that he had not inspected yet, a clear sound of someone screaming was suddenly heard, blending with the sound of his rough breath.

Anxiety washed over him when he perceived it was the sound of a woman.

Soon, he took a turn in the opposite direction from where he was going to head, towards the source where the sound was coming from.

Running as fast as he could, jumping over plank root after plank root, he was halted by a shocking scene that welcomed his sight as he found Fabio and bleeding Luca fighting fiercely against wolves. Not humans, but wolves!

From the appearances of the wolves, Canillas could tell that they were a rare species of wolf, as they were more robust and were equipped with very thick, long fur and larger teeth compared to a regular wolf.

If he was not wrong, based on the knowledge he obtained during his expedition, their cohabitation was supposed to be not in the south but in the western region of the Maldiva continent. Hence, Canillas guessed that they were lured here by none other than the western tribes that were teamed up in the Tres, and that meant that those tribes were here, in the West Lane Mountain.

Looking around, he still did not catch sight of the woman he had expected to see at the moment. He only found a crying and screaming woman, and from her attire, he could tell that she was the lady’s maid.

The maid was standing with a trembling body and a disheveled look under a tree that was quite distant from the fighting area.

Canillas then ordered his men to help Fabio and Luca while he approached the lady’s maid.

"Where is Lady Joanna?" asked Canillas to the trembling maid.

Startled, it took a few seconds for Lucy to recognize a man who suddenly appeared and questioned her. When she was able to gather her fuzzy mind to recognize who the man was, as she had seen him a few days ago in the de Lara mansion, she cried heavily.

"Lady Joanna ran over there." Lucy pointed with her shaking hand. "Please find her, sir." She cried loudly, begging for the husband of her young lady to find and protect her.

Giving a nod, Canillas rushed toward the direction that was pointed out by the maid. However, before he could go far, he stopped and retreated in the direction of the maid, pulling out his sword.

Watching such a dreadful action that was committed by the so-called great General, Lucy, who had already been conquered by fear, trembled more to the point where she almost passed out, while her mind was pondering whether the husband of the young lady was a friend or a foe.

But she had revealed the direction of the young lady to him. Lucy turned panicky before covering her face with her hands and closing her eyes tightly together with a deafening scream when the sword was swung in front of her. Soon, she flopped down on the ground.

"I owe you this. Thank you." At the words she heard, the muddled sobbing Lucy slowly opened her teary eyes, peeking through her fingers, only to find the back of the General already quite far from the spot where she almost passed out.

But it was still in the distance that she was able to catch sight of a piece of fabric that was swaying on the side of the General although her vision was blurry by her tears.

Looking down, Lucy’s breath hitched when she found the front part of the first layer of her skirt was torn.