Berserk: The Prophet

Chapter 309 This is so unlike you, Gambino

Gambino noticed that the scouts had not returned for a long time, and there was not even the chirping of birds in the forest; the silence was terrifying.

"Artillery units, form ranks!"

"Archers, get your spirits up!"

"Soldiers, listen up! Our scouts haven't returned yet, so the enemy must have been lying in ambush for a long time!" Gambino said to the soldiers and Guts beside him with a relaxed expression.

"Although we don't know where the enemy is lurking, now that things have come to this, everyone must charge forward in one go! As soon as the enemy appears, we must fight to the death!!"

"Newcomers, you better get motivated! Whoever is the first to charge into enemy territory will be rewarded with three silver coins." Gambino gave Gus a meaningful look; Donoban's death was far too coincidental.

The naive Guts naturally did not understand the meaning of Gambino's words, nor did he understand why he should obey the general's order to charge before even seeing the enemy.

He only knew that if he performed well, he might gain Gambino's approval, which would give him more opportunities to find his brother in the future.

"Alright! All troops, charge!!"

At Gambino's command, a group of greenhorns and conscripts who had little combat experience rushed into the woods, and even Guts did the same, foolishly charging forward.

Gus, who had run halfway through the race, discovered that not only were Uncle North and several familiar faces missing from the group, but even the footsteps didn't match the usual number of people.

Gus glanced behind him and found Gambino and a group of seasoned mercenaries standing there with mocking expressions.

Gus felt a chill run down his spine; usually, when Gambino showed that kind of smile, nothing good came of it.

Just then, the sound of countless arrows piercing the air rang out from the forest! The dark mass of arrows was aimed at the group of unsuspecting recruits.

"Ugh..." Even Guts' left arm was hit by an arrow. The intense pain made his legs twitch as he was running. Then, the people behind him pushed him forward, and he immediately lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Gambino spotted the enemy's position and ordered the artillerymen to take aim: "Excellent! The enemy is lurking in that grove!"

"fire--!!"

The enemy forces lurking in the jungle were instantly blown apart, their cries of agony filling the air, collapsing without a fight.

Gambino did not rush to pursue, but instead came to the vicinity of the "bait" soldiers he had sent out earlier.

The damage was devastating; it seems no one survived. Ha, that saves us from all the trouble that followed.

"Waaah..." Guts lay on the ground, whimpering in pain. The arrow had almost pierced his humerus, and his left arm had instantly lost its strength. He tried to stand up several times but could not.

"Oh, tsk tsk tsk, still alive."

Gambino looked at Guts, who was lying on the ground groaning in pain, in a very relaxed tone, as if he were a pet owner checking whether his stupid little dog had been run over by a car.

"Well done, the decoy work is excellent."

Gus found it hard to believe that the man who had raised him for nine years would show such a relaxed smile after betraying him once again.

...He almost lost his life.

“Gambino…” Guts’s eyes held a hint of resentment.

"What do you mean by that dissatisfied look?" Gambino continued speaking calmly, as if he wasn't the one who had betrayed Guts.

"This must have been a great experience, right? And you're still alive and well, it's just unbelievable."

As expected of a baby born from a female corpse, it has incredible luck, stubbornly surviving in this world even after all its companions have perished.

“But the comrades who charged ahead… are all dead.” Gus didn’t understand. He only felt a terrible feeling welling up inside him, and his chest felt tight.

“For mercenaries, death is to be expected,” Gambino said casually, as if it were commonplace.

...Although this was a difficult fact for the inexperienced Guts to accept.

“Guts, remember this. If you want to survive on the battlefield, you have to use your brain and your hands to figure things out.” Looking at Guts’s naive and innocent appearance, unaware of the wickedness of human nature, Gambino said these heartfelt words.

"Don't surrender yourself to others. People are capable of any dirty thing for their own ambition and life."

"A place where those things are mixed together is a battlefield. Those who only know how to meekly follow others and be manipulated will only face death."

"Heh, this is the advice I'm giving you as your adoptive father."

"However, if it's on the battlefield, you shouldn't trust even me."

Gus: "......"

Gus's memories were pulled away from that battle; the arrow wound in his left arm had almost healed, and the bones had slowly closed up, but the wound in his heart never began to heal.

Gambino...

Guts stared at Gambino in silence, touching the wound on his nose, as if the memory of Gambino giving him the medicine was still fresh in his mind, and his brother...

Now that he was certain his brother was still alive, Guts didn't know whether he should hate Gambino now...

From now on, Gambino will probably never be able to make a living on the battlefield again.

“...Wait...wait…” Gambino suddenly murmured in his sleep, his right hand seemingly trying to grasp something in the air.

Gus was taken aback. Was Gambino talking in his sleep?

"Don't die... Sis."

"I'll be right back..."

As Gambino murmured in his sleep, Guts froze on the spot, suddenly flustered and at a loss, but in the end he gently grasped Gambino's rough right hand, which seemed to want to touch something.

A wave of sorrow washed over Gerston, and he vaguely recalled the moment his adoptive mother passed away.

"...This doesn't seem like you."

Guts's tears silently slid down, dripping onto Gambino's hand. He had never imagined that this seemingly cold and ruthless man could be so vulnerable in his dreams, and could also have tender and regretful thoughts.

"...This isn't like you, Gambino, you're like this..."

Guts pressed his forehead against Gambino's rough right hand, his eyes brimming with tears. He hadn't cried so freely in a long time...

.........

With everything ready, the caravan assembled by Green, led by Leont, was ready to depart.

"Bon Voyage."

Leont turned around and gave Green a confident smile: "Don't worry, with so many excellent guards, I will safely bring the caravan to its destination."

Having said that, he led the caravan slowly on its way.

"Keep up the good work, Loran!"

"Yes, I will, young master. Take care."

Loran and the caravan gradually disappeared into the distance. The caravan consisted of ten Silver Mist Rangers, twenty camp guards, a cook, and a groom.

"It's finally over. Let's get ready to set off, Jacob." Green stretched. With Dui as his own eyes and ears with the caravan, he wasn't worried about Lighton running off with the money.

"Yes, Master."

From Dui's perspective, Green also learned about Lighton's background: his caravan was robbed, his brother went missing, and he was a Baldian merchant who had ended up in Juda.

Due to the heavy taxes and natural disasters in Baldian, many caravans went bankrupt because of banditry. Although the Kingdom of Baldian did its best to suppress bandits, peasant uprisings still broke out in many places.

Many criminals who were not let to die were exiled to the most desolate and mining areas, where natural disasters were most severe. Baldin was currently experiencing a shortage of supplies, and food was entirely imported from Midland and Juda.

This is why many caravans transporting grain were robbed by bandits. As for things like gold and silver, apart from nobles, in the eyes of starving people, nothing was more precious than grain.