Lord of the Oasis

The stout warhorses galloped on the southern side of the Nahrin Desert.

The expeditionary team from the Dukedom of Leo rode across the dune at high speeds.

"The oasis should be in front of us."

Rowan rode on his horse at the front. His gaze stayed on the horizon before him. He breathed a sigh of relief deep down. "If things go well, we should be able to reach the Oasis Lookout in half an hour."

He had finished the early stage of his mission as a guide.

Rowan sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His eyes were filled with exasperation.

Is the job done as soon as we reach the Oasis Lookout?

Pfft, please!

Getting to the Oasis Lookout was but the first stage of the expedition.

There was a second stage.

After that, there was a third and probably more to come.

All of that included venturing deep into the desert to seek out unknown, strange regions. It meant that they would likely have to venture deep into parts that had never been explored by the forces sent out by the dukedom 10 years ago.

Sh*t, this is just great!

Rowan rolled his eyes as he thought about how unlucky he was.

When he turned around and saw those elite-looking retainer knights sporting deadpan faces, Rowan knew enough to hide all the negative signs from showing on his face.

He was not able to afford to get on the bad side of any of those people.

Rowan was just the captain of a small platoon of knights. Those retainer knights, on the other hand, were members of the Knights Corps.

The difference in status between him and them was too great.

That was especially so in the case of Sir Hobson, who rode right in front of the carriage. That man was a knight through and through, as well as a noble. There were less than 300 knights like him in the entire dukedom.

Such a knight was riding not far away from Rowan, which made him feel extra pressure to do things right.

Then again, all of that had little to do with him.

As the guide, Rowan only needed to pay attention to his job and lead the way.

A retainer knight approached him while he was still having those chaotic thoughts running in his head. The knight said in a dull voice, "Sir Hobson wants to have a word with you to discuss the route."

That retainer knight behaved without any sense of decorum, but Rowan was used to it.

Rowan cursed deep down, Damn you! However, he wore a smile on his face and nodded as he replied, "Understood."

He turned his head to look behind him. Sir Hobson was looking at him. Sir Hobson nodded, so Rowan pulled his reins. He turned his horse around and respectfully asked, "How can I be of service, Sir?"

"How long will it take to reach the Oasis Lookout from here?"

Hobson spoke in a plain tone instead of a haughty one.

Besides, the man was a knight.

One of the basics of being from among the nobles was to have a sense of decorum.

"That, umm, will probably take about half an hour."

Rowan quickly added, "We'll be there soon."

"Half an hour?"

Hobson nodded as he gazed forward. He looked somewhat relieved.

The journey through the Nahrin Desert had been very tiring, even for a man like him.

"Relax, Sir Hobson. If we can find anything on this expedition, we'll be getting an extremely great reward when we return."

A rather croaky and old voice was heard from the carriage.

Scholar Hank lifted the blinds on the carriage. His eyes were gleaming as he said, "Trust me."

"Of course, Scholar Hank. Your knowledge shines like a pearl in the Dukedom of Leo."

Sir Hobson nodded since that was the reason he had been willing to follow the scholar all the way out there.

The lost city.

The name itself symbolized untold amounts of treasure.

In fact, he was also there due to his status in the dukedom.

He was a member of the nobility.

"Hold on."

Hobson's expression looked somewhat severe. He raised his right arm and said, "Something is out there!"

Shiingg!

The sound of longswords being drawn was heard throughout their caravan.

Rowan drew his sword before he even realized it. He quietly gulped. The glimmer of shining metal was seen everywhere. The retainer knights had drawn their swords and stopped their horses to vigilantly look around.

They all knew that the Nahrin Desert was filled with many dangers.

Hobson gazed around the land before him with a rather severe expression. He slowly said, "Squad One, Squad Two, fan out and scout the flanks!"

"Understood!"

The 20 retainer knights at the flanks immediately responded.

They soon fanned out with their horses, whooshing away at the dunes to their flanks. They spread out further in pairs, forming scouting parties of greater effectiveness.

They were efficient because they were a standard Knights Corps.

"Sir Hobson."

With a rather serious expression, Scholar Hank asked, "Have you found something?"

Rowan gulped and listened.

"I heard the sounds of horses galloping. There were not many of them, but they were nimble."

Hobson nodded. His eyes looked serious as he scanned around the dunes. He quickly frowned and said, "They are moving about in the dunes. They are likely light cavalry units."

"Light cavalry?"

Scholar Hank frowned and looked around in disbelief. "How could there be light cavalry around these parts?"

Hobson frowned slightly and replied, "That is what intrigues me as well."

After all, the Nahrin Desert was a barren place.

Cavalry?

That was absurd!

It was worth noting that it was even difficult for people to survive in the desert, let alone warhorses, which were expensive and required great care. They would not have been able to survive in such a place.

Besides, not every horse out there was worthy of becoming a warhorse.

Gallop, gallop, gallop...

While they were steeped in thought, hasty galloping sounds were heard at the dune before them.

The 10 retainer knights behind Hobson headed forward with their swords drawn. All of them looked fierce. However, given that they had been trained as formal knights at a young age, there was no fear seen on their faces.

A light cavalry unit emerged from behind the dune on a horse.

Six retainer knights were seen closely following behind that light cavalry unit.

It seemed that due to being chased by the retainer knights, the light cavalry unit had run in desperation right into them.

Hobson subtly frowned.

He found the light cavalry unit to be rather ill-equipped, both in terms of armor and weapons. However, the lightly armed man was able to travel at remarkably high speeds, even causing the retainer knights to have trouble following him. It seemed that the distance between both sides was actually being widened.

If it had not been for them being around, the light cavalry unit would have probably escaped somewhere in the dunes.

"Look out, Sir!"

The retainer knights had their swords drawn as they kicked their horses' bellies to hasten them. All of them sported cold expressions. They were prepared for battle.

Hobson raised his arm and frowned, saying, "Halt." He said to the rider in front of him, "Strange rider, we are from the Dukedom of Leo, and we mean no harm."

He seemed to have suddenly recalled something and quickly added, "We know Baron Kant."

That line seemed to have broken the ice between both parties.

The retainer knights, who had been pursuing that light cavalry unit, also slowed down.

Yet, all of them maintained a barricade formation. They securely surrounded the nimble light cavalry unit in the middle.

They made it extremely difficult for the rider to run.

That rider apparently knew that as well.

He slightly pulled the reins of his warhorse. He frowned as he gazed at Sir Hobson, who was apparently someone of high status, before asking, "What is the relation between you all and Lord Kant?"

"Baron Kant is the son of Duke Cameron, and I'm a knight who was personally knighted by the duke of the dukedom."

Sir Hobson calmly replied, taking the initiative to introduce himself.

However, his revered status of a noble knight back in the dukedom hardly had any effect on the rider. The other man did not even immediately lower his head.

The rider from the Sultanate of Sarrand was loyal only to Kant.

He was none other than a Desert Bandit.

"Why are you all here?"

The Desert Bandit questioned them in an interrogative tone. "This is the fief of Lord Kant, and your presence is now trampling on the sovereign rights of Lord Kant. I hope you will be able to give a reasonable explanation."

"Umm..."

Hobson was slightly startled. He had not expected the rider to talk to him in such a manner.

When he turned around and saw the sea of sand around him, he instead came to wear a bitter smile.

The rider was right.

The Dukedom of Leo had conferred the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert to Kant when he was made a baron. He had brought a huge entourage to the Nahrin Desert and never told to Kant about their situation. That action was enough to start a war back in the dukedom.

It was a matter of reputation.

No noble would have tolerated forces of unknown origins trampling their fief.

Then again, that just made the situation more awkward for Hobson.

Where are we now?

The Nahrin Desert.

A place without civilization.

A barren place.

If there were to be no need for it, no one would have even thought of coming here.

Seeing how serious and proper the rider behaved, he shook his head in exasperation and did not give any further explanations. "Take us to the Oasis Lookout. The old scholar in the carriage and I are acquaintances of Baron Kant."