The strength behind the attack was overwhelming. Although Francisco had some physical conditioning from his time in New Granada, it was only enough for long walks and carrying weight—not for resisting a sudden assault. He was thrown to the ground.

When he opened his eyes to see what had knocked him down, he found Catalina clinging to him like a wild animal, crying as she pressed her face against his chest. Beside her stood a group of Francisco's servants.

"Young master, are you alright?" they asked anxiously, surrounding him.

"Wait… if you're the ones attacking the camp, shouldn't we be escaping?" Francisco asked, confused.

Catalina shook her head. "Karl found us before we entered the forest. He decided to use this attack as an opportunity to train the rest of the troops bound for New Granada."

Francisco sighed in relief. Then he looked down at the furious woman who was holding him so tightly he couldn't even stand up.

"So… when are you planning to let me get up?" he asked, trying to sound serious—though his smile betrayed him.

Catalina shook her head. "Not yet. I worked too hard to save you. Now you owe me time together."

Francisco was speechless. "Alright, I promise—but really, let me get up. I think the blow you gave me broke something."

Alarmed, Catalina immediately stood and began examining him. Francisco added helplessly, "Sorry… I was exaggerating a little. There's no need to act like this."

"I'm the one with medical knowledge," Catalina replied firmly. "Only I can say whether you're injured or not."

She began checking his entire body, removing his shirt in the process. She discovered several bruises and minor wounds—marks left by the kidnappers during the abduction.

Once the servants were satisfied that Francisco could stand and walk on his own, they returned to the camp. Inside, a group of Prussian soldiers had surrounded the surviving captors, muskets leveled. Karl stood at the front, observing each prisoner in silence.

Francisco approached him. "Karl, I'm glad to see you."

Karl's serious expression softened. "Sir, I'm glad you're safe."

He turned to one of his soldiers. "Go and tell the Scharfrichter to stop the torture. Mr. Gómez has been recovered."

Francisco quickly intervened. "Wait. Continue the questioning—but this time focus on Director Lichtenberg. The man in charge of the Cabinet of Physical Apparatus. He was involved in my project."

Karl frowned, surprised. He hadn't expected the conspiracy to involve someone so important to Germany. Worry crept into his mind; given the significance of the people targeted, he was certain the highest levels of government were involved. After this incident, he might no longer be allowed to recruit or train additional troops. Worse still, he could be forced to send those already prepared to New Granada immediately.

The soldier nodded and left to carry out the order.

Meanwhile, Francisco spoke quietly with Karl. After hearing the officer's concerns, Francisco nodded helplessly.

"It seems you're right," Francisco said at last. "After this attack, even I may have to move into the university with Catalina. As long as I remain a student under its protection, the British Empire wouldn't dare interfere again."

He paused, then looked at Karl with a serious expression.

"But for you, it's better to leave immediately. Head toward the Low Countries and find a way from there to New Granada. After what happened today, I'm certain the British will never allow me to train more troops on their territory."

Karl nodded solemnly. "You're right. It seems I have no other choice." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "But are you sure you want to stay without additional troops?"

After everything that had happened, the concern was understandable.

Francisco nodded slowly. His grandfather had left Karl to train soldiers not because they urgently needed an army, but because he wanted someone capable of protecting him. Now the situation had changed. The British would never tolerate the presence of a new armed force after this incident.

"I understand your concern," Francisco replied, "but I still have my servants. They may not be as well trained as European troops, but you've seen them fight in forests. They're not ineffective in that kind of terrain."

Karl considered this. He had seen it with his own eyes—those men were devastating in difficult ground. Such terrain was uncommon in modern warfare, but it was still better than nothing.

"Very well, sir," Karl said at last. "We'll leave once we finish here. All I ask is that you protect yourself and remain cautious. Europe is starting to fracture in many ways."

Francisco nodded gravely.

A short while later, the executioner approached and spoke quietly. "Sir, we discovered that Lichtenberg is scheduled to be transported from Göttingen in the morning."

Francisco let out a breath of relief. If they planned to move him at dawn, there was a chance to ambush the convoy and rescue him. Once Lichtenberg was safe, Göttingen would become openly hostile toward Hanover—an outcome that would indirectly protect Francisco. Everyone already knew who was responsible for the kidnapping; even if it was impossible to formally accuse them, it was certainly possible to make their position uncomfortable.

Francisco frowned and looked over the bodies scattered around the camp, then at the prisoners.

"Did you see a nobleman?" he asked Karl. "Fair-skinned, expensive clothes, jewelry—what you'd expect from a typical aristocrat."

Karl frowned and shook his head. "No, sir. I didn't see anyone like that."

He turned to his men. "Did any of you see a nobleman?"

The soldiers shook their heads, but Karl remained unconvinced. He knew that, despite their discipline, many of them were still mercenaries—men who survived by the sword.

"Be honest," Karl said firmly. "We don't care about his gold or jewels. We just need to know if he's dead."

The soldiers exchanged glances. Then one of them slowly raised his hand.

"Sir," the soldier said, "we saw a group of five men fleeing toward the Low Countries. When we entered the camp, we searched the house they were using and found expensive clothes and a purse filled with gold."

Karl's face darkened. "Why didn't you tell us?" he demanded.

The soldier swallowed nervously. "You didn't ask, sir. And we were busy securing the remaining prisoners… we were also afraid of losing the loot."

Karl was about to reprimand him, but Francisco raised a hand to stop him.

"This isn't the time," Francisco said calmly. "We need to be ready. Send scouts around Göttingen immediately. If they plan to bring Lichtenberg here, we'll intercept them. And if they take another road, we'll know in time to pursue."

Karl frowned, understanding dawning on him. "You're worried the nobleman might warn the group sent after the director."

Francisco nodded. "Exactly."

Karl began issuing orders at once, dispatching scouts to monitor the roads leading out of Göttingen and ensure that Lichtenberg had not yet been taken.

Meanwhile, in the lowlands beyond the frontier, the nobleman Francisco feared was fleeing for his life. After crossing the border, he finally slowed his horse, convinced the savages from the forest were no longer on his trail. The four men riding with him were guards his father had assigned for his protection.

Once certain they were safe, the nobleman let out a long breath of relief.

One of the guards ventured, "Young master, shouldn't we warn the men sent after Lichtenberg? If we don't, they may fall into the hands of those people."

The nobleman snapped back sharply. "No. We don't have the manpower for that. Right now, I need to think about how I'm going to avoid my father's punishment."

The guard hesitated before speaking again. "Sir… there are some troubling details. They found the camp far too quickly. That only makes sense if someone revealed its location—perhaps someone betrayed us."

The nobleman's eyes lit up. "That's good—very good. Then we'll say we were betrayed. We'll claim the camp collapsed into internal fighting, a civil struggle between the intelligent officers and the mercenaries hired for the mission. We fought bravely, but they outnumbered us. I was forced by the circumstances—wounded in spirit and honor—to flee."He paused, then added coldly, "And you will say it was you who urged me to escape."

The guard was left speechless. He had raised the issue hoping to fix a mistake, to prevent further disaster. Instead, the young master saw only an opportunity—to shift blame, and even to craft a dramatic tale around it.

the frustration of serving such a man burned deep in his chest.

"Once we reach Bremen, we'll rest properly," the nobleman continued with disdain. "Make sure there are women prepared for my stay. And arrange passage home. I don't want to spend another moment in this land of barbarians."

The guard nodded mechanically. Inside, he wondered how long his future as a bodyguard would last. If only he had been assigned to the heir instead—everything would have been different.

Lost in their silent complaints, the guards rode on as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

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