Seeing John’s expression, Roland’s heart sank.

He pondered for a moment before slowly asking.

"Could it be... Captain John, were you defeated by the Kobolds?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Roland felt the guess was unrealistic.

Based on his past experience, ordinary Kobolds posed no threat to the regular army.

If they could actually defeat the regular army, it would mean there was more than one Mutant Dogman.

But if that were really the case...

It wasn’t that Roland looked down on John, but he felt that if they had truly encountered such a situation, the old veteran before him would have had a hard time escaping unscathed.

"Sigh..."

Hearing Roland’s question, John heaved another heavy sigh.

He poured the last of the liquor down his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed.

After casually wiping the booze from his beard, he continued speaking.

"It would have been better if we’d actually fought those bastards, but the reality is..."

John slumped back against his chair, his rough fingers unconsciously caressing the empty cup. He looked utterly dejected.

"We didn’t even see a shadow of them!"

"Those brutes, I don’t know what method they used, but they always manage to slip past our lines without a trace, only attacking villages in the dead of night..."

At this point, John’s voice choked.

His calloused fists clenched unconsciously, the knuckles turning white from the force. The veins on the back of his hands bulged, clearly visible.

The blood-soaked thatched huts, the mangled corpses, and the heart-wrenching cries of orphans—the images still haunted his mind.

"By the time we heard the news and rushed over, they were long gone without a trace, as cunning as rats in a hole... Those damned brutes!"

BANG!

John’s fist slammed down hard on the oak table, making the cup jump.

His bloodshot eyes burned with the flames of anger, yet they were also filled with a deep sense of powerlessness.

"What’s even more infuriating is that while we were tracking them, we discovered that the Kobold pack was actually mixed with goblins!"

"Goblins?"

Roland frowned, an image of a short, green-skinned humanoid creature immediately appearing in his mind.

"That’s right!"

John said, grinding his teeth.

"You might not know this, but those Green Skin bastards have always been timid cowards. In the past, the most they’d do is gather in groups to steal some cattle or sheep, but now..."

His voice trembled with rage.

"They actually dare to pick up weapons and follow the Kobolds to slaughter humans!"

The old soldier trembled with anger. He opened his mouth to curse again, but found that no vile word could possibly describe the indignation in his heart. In the end, it all came out as a sigh filled with frustration.

Roland watched the furious John in silence, wisely choosing to say nothing.

Not until the old veteran’s breathing had calmed did he pick up the liquor jug.

Amber liquid slowly poured into the cup.

"So... what happened then, Captain John?"

Roland asked softly, pushing the cup toward him.

"What happened then? Ha..."

John waved his hand, a bitter smile twisting his lips.

"Afterward, the commander had no choice but to request aid from the Lord Baron. He sent us a few military horses, and we formed a cavalry scout unit with our most elite soldiers. We patrolled day and night, and that’s how we barely managed to curb the brutes’ attacks."

He lifted the cup and drained it in one gulp. As his Adam’s apple bobbed, he didn’t even notice the liquor trickling down from the corner of his mouth.

"Seeing they couldn’t gain any advantage, those bastards quieted down for a while, but..."

John suddenly lowered his voice, his knuckles tapping unconsciously on the table.

"The last report from the Scouts said they’re moving toward the Black Pine Forest."

At this, John suddenly snorted, a flash of contempt in his eyes.

"Hmph! Lord Beckham is stationed in the Black Pine Forest. These filthy brutes alone won’t be able to stir up any trouble!"

The thought of the Knight’s Power, far beyond that of any ordinary person, seemed to put John’s mind at ease. He leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

"Whoa! Look at the time!"

The old soldier clicked his tongue and stood up from his chair.

"Alright, kid. I have to go on patrol soon, so I can’t chat any longer. I’ll come find you tomorrow afternoon and teach you how to use a bow and arrow!"

"Okay. I’ll be counting on you, Captain John."

"I already told you, no need for formalities!"

John clapped Roland on the shoulder, slightly displeased, then swayed unsteadily toward the door.

After seeing John off, Roland closed the door, returned to the table, and sat down, his brow furrowed.

’Black Pine Forest...’

Roland repeated the familiar place name in a low voice, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of his cup.

For some reason, a strange sense of unease began to spread through his heart.

In the past, upon hearing such news, Roland might not have given it much thought.

But ever since hearing Bronson’s theory about the revival of Magic Elements, these unusual phenomena had forced him to think more deeply. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

First, the Demons in the Black Pine Forest had started to riot, and then the neighboring Chenxi Territory also experienced Demon unrest.

And now, all these Demons were converging on the Black Pine Forest as if by common consent...

With all these signs piling up, a terrible suspicion arose in Roland’s mind.

’Could there be something deep in the Black Pine Forest that’s attracting the Demons?’

However, the information he had was too limited. No matter how he tried to reason it out, he couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

’Forget it...’

Roland rubbed his throbbing temples.