Chapter 24: The Massacre at Rat Camp

"What is your leader's name?" Kana asked.

"Boss, the boss is just called Boss." The sharp-eared rat-man replied while wincing in pain.

Kana felt a bit helpless upon hearing this. "How tall is he?"

"That tall!" The rat made an exaggerated gesture.

Kana pressed down with his foot.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

"This tall! This tall!"

After a loud shriek, the rat pointed to the level of Kana's shoulder.

"Does he have any markings on his tail?"

"Markings?"

*Sigh, I overestimated your culture.*

"Patterns, are there any patterns?"

The rat nodded hurriedly. "Like this."

It stretched out its thin, long fingers and crossed them to form an 'X' shape.

Looking at this pattern, Kana couldn't help but ponder for a moment.

He changed his approach and asked, "How many are there? How many rats are there?"

The rat gestured with its fingers a few times, then shook its head in fear and panic. "Too many to count, too many to count!"

Kana could understand this, so he showed some mercy and didn't press further.

Instead, he asked about what they were currently doing, and after several more questions, he lifted his foot.

The rat immediately clutched its tail, blowing on it and rubbing it frantically.

"Alright, you can go."

Hearing this, the sharp-eared rat-man scrambled onto all fours and scurried away, with no intention of lingering. It didn't even seem surprised that Kana had actually let it go.

The few hunters and soldiers cast a glance at Kana.

*He actually let the enemy go...*

In their hearts, they cursed Kana for being stupid and naive.

Unexpectedly, Kana remained expressionless and waved his hand forward.

"Let's go, we're following him."

Upon hearing this, the soldiers and hunters paused slightly, realizing the situation.

*His Highness the Prince is truly clever.*

They hurriedly moved forward, trailing behind the rat from a distance.

"Follow the path he took. Do not wander around, and do not spread out," Kana ordered.

Black couldn't help but speak up: "Your Highness, staying clustered in the forest makes us easy targets for an ambush."

"Listen to my orders. Now, move quickly, don't lose him."

Seeing Kana's insistence, Black could only sigh helplessly, bracing himself with full alertness to prevent any accidents.

The group had only gone a few hundred meters when George instinctively wanted to spread out to scout the surroundings.

Just as he took two steps away, Kana, who was walking behind him, pulled him back forcefully.

Under George's bewildered and panicked gaze, Kana scolded, "You idiot, didn't you hear my order? Have you never played 'Eagle Catches the Chick'? If you don't listen to the commander's orders, then..."

Kana suddenly shut his mouth.

He had subconsciously projected his state of mind from leading raids into reality.

Too lazy to argue with these people, he picked up a stone from the side and tossed it in the direction George was about to walk, just two or three steps away from where he stood.

As the stone landed, a primitive trap was instantly triggered.

It caught a leg, but the pit was lined with wooden spikes smeared with filth.

Had he stepped there, even if he hadn't been crippled on the spot, that leg would have been ruined.

Witnessing this, George's eyes widened, and the others gasped in shock.

Black saw this and immediately understood the reason for Kana's earlier order.

He quickly turned to Kana and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Your Highness. I questioned your orders just now."

George also hurriedly knelt on one knee. "Thank you for saving my life, Your Highness. I..."

Kana cut them off. "We can talk about this later; we're about to lose his trail."

The group came to their senses, quickly reformed their line, and hurried to follow the rat's tracks in the distance.

Kana lagged slightly, walking beside Black, and said, "I don't blame you for what happened. You acted as a knight should by offering your counsel. Next time I lead, I hope you'll have more faith in me. I'm not as bad as you think, am I?"

With a smile, Kana patted his shoulder and picked up his pace.

Black stood slightly stunned, falling behind to the back of the group.

Recovering, a look of guilt mixed with a smile appeared on his face as he watched Kana's back and hurried to catch up.

Alirys glanced at Black and silently followed by Kana's side.

...

Inside the rat-man camp.

The rats were still busy with their tasks, digging up dirt to build the camp; they intended to turn this place into a rat nest.

Many rats were even preparing food.

Their nest was nearly finished, and they had a female captive. Although her hair and ears were different, it didn't matter. They didn't care about that; breeding offspring to strengthen their colony was their top priority.

There was also a human.

Tonight would be the rats' grand feast.

A feast and the completion of their nest—it was a double celebration.

The festive atmosphere in the rat camp had lasted for quite a while.

Suddenly, a rat darted in rapidly from the outside.

This rat had friction marks on its tail—it was clearly the one Kana had interrogated.

"Boss! There are humans, and iron-humans! They're very strong!"

The rat's voice instantly alerted the entire camp.

The large rat-man known as the Boss grabbed the rat in front of him.

"Speak slowly! Speak clearly!" His voice was shrill, with a hint of uncontrollable panic.

*Whoosh!*

Before the rat could continue, an arrow flew from the distance, piercing it and killing it on the spot.

The large rat, who was just about to speak to it, dissipated into a puff of black smoke right where he stood.

"Dead rat! Dead rat!"

"Run! Run!"

"The... the big-guy army is here!"

The rats' cries became increasingly hysterical, throwing the entire camp into a panic.

The camp fell into complete chaos.

Kana led his men and charged in.

"Attack! Watch out for the shadows, kill all these rats! Be ruthless! These rats deserve to die; they are all cowardly trash!"

The soldiers charged out with their weapons, accompanied by roars and shouts—tactics Kana had just taught them.

It worked perfectly. The sudden attack left the rats completely panicked.

The soldiers felt a surge of joy; His Highness the Prince was truly capable.

They thrust their spears.

There were so many scurrying rats that a random thrust would pierce one.

For a moment, there was no resistance at all; it became a one-sided slaughter.

"You rat-spawn! Pick up your weapons and kill them! We have more numbers!"

A shrill voice echoed from somewhere, steadying some of the panicked rats.

"Yes, yes, we have more numbers."

"Grab your blades! Grab your blades!"

That is how rat-men are; they are easily influenced by the emotions and words of their peers.