NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 130: Company of the Cat’s Retreat
In just a few minutes, the old captain led the Windblown to cut off the Lys army’s retreat, completing the encirclement with Tyrosh's forces. Toland knew this was his moment. If he joined the battle now, they might push through and take Dragon’s Flame Fortress in a single decisive blow. Without hesitation, he donned his armor and charged into battle with his personal guard. The sight of their commander joining the fray electrified the Tyrosh soldiers, boosting their morale. The Lys soldiers, once the hunters, quickly found themselves the hunted, with the tide of battle turning against them.
Amid the chaos, Bloodbeard made a critical decision: he chose to flee. As a sellsword, self-preservation was more important, and with the battlefield in disarray, he believed he could escape with his hundred-strong entourage. But as soon as they broke away from the main fight, they were spotted by Viserys.
Viserys was resting at the time. After several hard-fought engagements, his cavalry was exhausted; at least a third of the horses were foaming at the mouth, on the verge of collapse. But Viserys wasn’t about to let such an opportunity slip away.
“Bloodbeard is fleeing. Everyone, with me!” he shouted, grabbing his horse’s mane and spurring it towards Bloodbeard. Remarkably, his men didn’t hesitate. They put their helmets back on and followed him at once.
This was the most exhilarating battle they had ever fought. With their small force, they had dramatically shifted the course of the entire battle. It was the stuff of legends, an epic victory in the making. If they could kill the enemy commander, they would have tales to tell for generations.
Spider Webber, in particular, was eager to kill Bloodbeard. He drove his dagger into his horse’s flank, urging it to sprint alongside Viserys. Jorah, too, was fueled by dreams of vengeance against Lys for stealing his wife. They both charged forward with renewed determination.
Soon, Viserys and his men spotted a group of well-equipped riders leaving the battlefield—clearly the elite of the Company of the Cat. The Cat’s soldiers noticed their pursuers as well.
“Boss! They’re after us!” one of Bloodbeard’s men shouted. Bloodbeard glanced back and recognized the cavalry. He didn’t know who their commander was, but he knew they were formidable. In a desperate bid to increase his chances of escape, he split his men into two groups. But just then, the shrill whistle sounded again, cutting through the air like a death knell. The cavalry didn’t bother to divide; they came straight for him.
‘No, how do they know exactly where I am? Is it my beard?’ Bloodbeard’s panic deepened, and for the first time, he cursed his distinctive red beard.
Suddenly, the bodyguard beside him screamed as his horse collapsed, pinning him to the ground. The man’s waist was twisted at an unnatural angle; he wouldn’t survive long.
“There’s a marksman among them!” another shouted.
Bloodbeard felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He ducked low, trying to shield himself, but the relentless screams of his men told him the marksman wasn’t targeting them—he was going for the horses.
Viserys’s dragonbone bow was powerful, but its arrows couldn’t pierce armor. Instead, he aimed for the horses, specifically their legs. With Jorah and Webber watching in awe, Viserys nocked three arrows at once. The arrows flew true, and three more of the Company of the Cat’s riders fell.
At this point, no one dared to get close to Bloodbeard.
At this point, Bloodbeard finally recognized who was chasing him. Although the rider's face was hidden by a helmet, the golden dragon emblem on the armor immediately told him it was Viserys. However, Bloodbeard also noticed that Viserys was now riding with only a handful of men. The grueling chase had left many of his cavalry either lagging behind or engaged in skirmishes with the remnants of the Lys forces.
Sensing an opportunity, Bloodbeard decided to turn and confront Viserys directly. He thought, 'What if he’s a tournament champion? This is a battlefield, not a joust—I might still have a chance!'
With his men looking on, Bloodbeard gripped his cavalry spear tightly and charged at Viserys.
Seeing his opponent charging, Viserys smiled coldly. He sheathed his dragonbone bow, mounted his horse, and drew his halberd, ready to meet Bloodbeard's challenge head-on.
Regis, who had witnessed Viserys's earlier victories and been trained by him, silently began to mourn for Bloodbeard.
The two warriors charged at each other, their faces becoming clearer with each passing second. With a resounding clang, Viserys knocked Bloodbeard's spear aside. Leaning back to avoid the attack, he deftly used the hook of his halberd to catch Bloodbeard’s armor. Bloodbeard felt a tremendous force yank him from his horse, and before he could recover from the disorienting fall, he found himself tumbling to the ground.
As he struggled to regain his bearings, Bloodbeard's eyes fixed on a headless corpse gushing blood like a fountain. A jolt of realization hit him—the corpse looked disturbingly familiar.
‘That’s…’ was Bloodbeard’s final thought before darkness swallowed him.
With Bloodbeard’s death, the Company of the Cat crumbled. Viserys picked up Bloodbeard’s severed head and led his troops back to the battlefield. When the remaining mercenaries of the Company of the Cat saw their leader’s head, their morale shattered completely. Toland quickly seized the opportunity, leading his troops in a decisive assault on Dragon’s Flame Fortress. Thousands of Lys soldiers, seeing the futility of resistance, laid down their weapons and surrendered.
To Viserys’s surprise, some of the captives included Unsullied. Although only a small number of the Unsullied had surrendered—less than 300 out of a force of about 1,500—it was still remarkable given their reputation for unwavering loyalty. This realization made Viserys understand that even if he acquired a large number of Unsullied like the Mother of Dragons, he couldn’t treat them merely as unfeeling tools. Over time, he would need to pay attention to their emotions, for the Unsullied were still human, despite their harsh conditioning.
While the battle had resulted in heavy casualties among the ordinary soldiers, Rovi and the other Lys nobles had long since vanished, leaving their mission unfulfilled.
“Long live General Toland!”
“Long live General Toland!”
“Long live General Toland!”
The cheers echoed throughout Dragon’s Flame Fortress. Toland, ever the cunning strategist, allowed his subordinates to lead the celebrations, making it appear as though he had been the key to victory. But in the end, none of that mattered—as long as he delivered on his promises, neither Viserys nor the Tattered Prince would care. Payment would settle all accounts.
