Ace in the hole

Berg warned Chris on the way back to the refugee camp. "Please be careful my Lord; the sword is covered in Kunall blood."

"Of course, that's why I asked for yours!" Said Chris as he checked out the bloody sword.

"... That blood most likely still contains quite a bit of the red hornet poison." Reminded Berg.

"Urk." Grimaced Chris. "I'll be careful."

The mood was completely different this time. Nowhere were seen the suspicious and afraid gazes. The whole camp was crowded in front of the gates now that the danger was gone.

People were smiling, shouting and pushing each other to stand in front. The hunters could hear cheering coming from all over.

"Do you hear that everyone? Now that's a welcome for heroes! Let's answer them!" Said Chris.

"Everyone! This sword beheaded their leader!" Shouted Chris loudly as he raised Berg's sword high in the air, drops of blood were still dripping from it.

The crowd suddenly burst in even louder cheers! They chanted: "HERO! HERO! HERO!"

Berg finally understood his King's intention. Just as he looked at him to complain, he noticed his King's lips moving, he could hear a very soft, almost inaudible sound coming from his mouth: 'hero, hero, hero.'

"..." and then he thought: [So shameless.]

Chris noticed Berg's expression and said: "Come on, don't be mad Bergy! I am selling a product here: "us"! It will make things easier later on."

Chris felt pretty good. The crowd made way for him and his men. Many were still chanting, and the air was filled with energy.

Mia was waiting with Catherine on her side in the center of the camp. As always her gaze was clear and calm as she stared right at him.

[The knight comes back to the princess on his white steed. Huhu. Should I make a dramatic speech?] Thought Chris. [No no, silent indifferent attitude, that's what's hot right now.]

[God she is cute... Hm?] Chris noticed something weird. [Isn't she taller than before? I was taller than her before, and she is at eye level now...]

He also noticed that some of the cheers were turning a bit weird.

[Strange...]

But then a sudden noise reminded him of something. "Pfrrt!"

"AH!" Shouted Chris. "Damnit Dalahan! You are ruining my moment!"

"Prrrt." Delahan ignored him and continued to shake his head at the crowd on both sides of the street.

"And don't act so smugly, they are not cheering for you!"

[Gah! To hell with it! As if this is enough to take me down. I'll show them how shameless I can be!] Thought Chris, but he couldn't hide his pinkish cheeks.

The ride was long, Chris almost couldn't take it when he heard people calling him the "Donkey Knight" affectionately and when they started throwing food for Dalahan. But he made it, even if the ride felt like an eternity.

He stopped in front of Mia. Her piercing blue eyes were still looking straight at his face. It's was as if she didn't want to look down. She had her usual professional demeanor, but her expression was a little stiff.

Catherine seemed to enjoy herself and didn't bother to hide her smirk.

[It's game time.] He thought.

A pure smile suddenly appeared on his face as he said "We meet again, my ladies. I trust you are uninjured?" Dalahan was so small that Chris was basically face to face with Catherine and Mia. His feet were brushing the ground, and he was fighting with Dalahan, as one wanted to stay in place and the other wanted to go back to the crowd for some more food.

"..."

"... ..."

"Pfffft" Even Mia couldn't hold on anymore. But she tried her best.

"It seems... pff, we need to thank... haaa... to thank you for your help, as well as your m-mount for your timely arrival... L-let's go to my tent, to d-discuss this more privately." She barely managed to finish her sentence and left for her tent without saying anything.

Cat had just one thing to say "Huhu... Follow us, mighty Donkey Knight" and followed Mia.

Chris finally lost it. "Damnit Bergy! Let's raze this place! I can't show my face here anymore! This is too embarrassing! Let's leave no witness!" said Chris while tearing up.

"My Lord, let's endure a little more! I think miss Mia even opened up a bit to you!" consoled Berg.

"Really?" Chris instantaneity calmed down "I guess I do look rather heroic with my sword."

"Yes, yes! Wasn't her smile pretty? Wouldn't it be great if she worked for you?" Berg chose to ignore the sword part as he felt he was coaxing a little kid.

Mia managed to calm her laughter inside the tent, and it was easier when Chris wasn't riding a donkey.

This time Chris was accompanied by his three adjutants.

"We meet again. I trust you remember Berg and Titus? They accompanied me last time." Re-introduced Chris.

Mia and Catherine both nodded.

"This is Ferlin Mabel. He is in charge of our hunters."

The meeting continued with some banter.

... ...

"And then I took down three Kunalls with my sword and finished their leader." Bragged Chris as he raised the bloody sword.

"I just did it like this 'shwaaa' and 'kwap' and they just fell down!" he mimicked and finished his demonstration by standing on one leg and taking a pose.

"Oh impressive," said Mia in a lifeless voice.

[So embarrassing...] Thought Berg, Titus, and Ferlin as they looked down at their feet.

After a while, Mia couldn't take it anymore and coughed to signal they should start the real meeting. "Thank you, Lord Chris, for your timely help. Without you, there would not be many of us left today."

Chris scratched his head and looked embarrassed for once. Which surprised Cat and Mia.

"You are welcome, truly. But I must confess. We knew of the Kunall patrol ahead of time, and my men were lying in ambush on their paths even before your messenger reached us. But I can see you already guessed as much and know of our motivations." Said Chris with an embarrassed smile.

"But do not doubt that message or not, those Kunalls would not have reached your camp."

Chris went for the truth. Mia and Cat were smart people, and the Kunalls reached the ambush spot too fast. There was no way to explain how his troops geared up and were on site so quickly after the messenger had left.

"The red hornets, that was you?" Asked Mia.

"Yes, you had to be alerted before it was too late." Said Chris with a smile.

"All of this, the fake hunt, camping very close to us, the hornets to alert us, fighting off the Kunalls. It was your strange way to try and recruit us, wasn't it?" She continued.

"Yes. I wish to build a new kingdom and push back the Kunall invaders." Then he looked straight at her and said: "Please join us."

"But shouldn't you learn from our mistakes? Look at us, we tried to build once again, and we almost died for it. Even complete barricades would be nothing more than scrap wood in front of them. What can you do that we can't? Why should we risk joining up with you?"

"Your approach was not wrong, my Lady! You only lacked two things to succeed!" He said proudly.

"Please tell." Said Mia.

"The first is a talented group of subordinates gifted in tactics and war! The first thing my subordinates did two years ago was to organize scouts to check on the Kunall patrols." Berg, Titus, and Ferlin felt warm at how proud Chris was of their achievements.

Chris' voice raised in intensity: "We know where they are, how many of them there are and where they are going to patrol! That's how we knew they were coming here! And that's how we saved you! If you know all this, you have nothing to fear!"

Mia agreed: "This mess would not have happened, had we known this was on their patrol route."

"Exactly, but that is not enough." Said Chris. "To build a city, you need to settle down, and the Kunalls will eventually find you. So the second thing you need..." Chris' voice turned mysterious, and he picked up a bundle Ferlin handed him. "Is this!" This was his ace in the hole!