Chapter 130. Conspiracy, Slackness
“Yes,” Irene answered and departed at once.
Keli remained alone above the fortress. The night wind stirred her robes, yet the unease in her heart did not fade. If anything, it only grew heavier.
She kept feeling as though she had overlooked sothing.
At that very mont, inside the Silver Oakleaf main tent, Prince Miller was speaking in a low voice to a black crystal.
“Proceed according to the plan. Do not let Kroll’s people notice anything unusual. Once all their reinforcents have arrived, it will be ti for the Hydras to awaken.”
The voice coming from the other side of the black crystal was thick with barely restrained excitent.
“Do not worry, Your Highness Prince Miller. The seal will shatter with only a slight magical-energy impact. When that ti cos... the entire Eastern Frontier will beco a living hell.”
“With this achievent, will I be promoted to the rank of Marquis?”
“Naturally.”
Prince Miller leaned back in his chair, his tone casual, as though he were bestowing a favor.
“You are already a Count of our kingdom. If you accomplish a deed of this magnitude, your promotion to Marquis will be a certainty.”
He paused, then added, “Those Serpent Breath Potions I gave you—once the seal breaks, drink them imdiately or smash them around you. Once the Hydras catch the scent, they will treat you as one of their own and will not harm you.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I guarantee I will complete the task.”
The voice from the crystal grew even more respectful before falling silent.
Prince Miller put the crystal away, satisfaction spreading across his face. Then he looked at the Silver Oakleaf prince.
“Everything is ready. All that remains is for Kroll’s people to walk into the trap.”
anwhile, deep within the royal palace in the Kroll Royal Capital, Kroll II was holding the secret letter Keli had sent, his brows tightly furrowed.
Keli was one of the kingdom’s most senior Archmages and never made mistakes. Her intuition was often more reliable than even the most precise detection spell.
“It seems Silver Oakleaf has hidden sothing significant beneath Magic Serpent Fortress.”
Kroll II held the secret letter over the candle fla and lit it. The ashes drifted away with the current of air.
“Keli said she sensed an abyssal aura. Could it be... an ancient magical beast?”
Without hesitation, he turned to Prince Kande beside him and gave the order.
“Pass down my command. Dispatch ten Legendary Combatants to Magic Serpent Fortress imdiately. Also have the Alchemists’ Guild send twenty n along with them. Make sure they are experts skilled in locating traps and breaking seals.”
“Your Majesty, would ten Legendary Combatants be too many?”
Prince Kande hesitated. This was nearly all the royal family’s retained Legends and the Legendary Combatants left behind to guard the Royal Capital.
“Not too many.”
Kroll II’s gaze was sharp.
“Anything that can make Keli wary, and that Silver Oakleaf has hidden this deeply, is no ordinary trouble.”
“If it truly is an ancient magical beast, then forget ten Legendary Combatants. Even twice that number might not be enough to suppress it.”
He walked over to the map and pressed a finger hard against the spot marked Magic Serpent Fortress.
“I want to see exactly what kind of ga Silver Oakleaf is trying to play.”
“Tell the people at the front line to hold the fortress at all costs until the reinforcents arrive. Under no circumstances can anyone be allowed to approach the underground magic energy reserve.”
“Yes.” Prince Kande accepted the order and left.
Very soon, ten figures radiating powerful auras rose into the air from the Royal Capital and sped toward the border.
Behind them followed twenty Professionals carrying scrolls and toolboxes, who boarded the teleportation array bound for Magic Serpent Fortress at the frontier.
A few days later, high above the skies of Magic Serpent Fortress, Keli was staring toward the underground reserve when she suddenly sensed a familiar fluctuation coming from afar. The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
The reinforcents had arrived.
At the sa ti, in the Training Grounds outside the Royal Capital, armor clanged sharply as two Knight Orders stood in neat formation, their plate armor reflecting a cold tallic gleam under the sunlight.
William stood upon the raised platform, his gaze sweeping over the ranks as his brows gradually drew together.
Resources had been poured in like flowing water, yet only one-third of the knights had truly broken through to Gold Rank. The rest were still stuck at Peak Silver Rank, unable to advance no matter what they tried.
“A'gu. Aila.” William’s voice carried suppressed anger as it rang down from the raised platform.
The two Knight Order commanders strode forward and dropped to one knee.
A'gu was clad in dark black-iron heavy armor, his face weathered by hardship.
“Your Highness.” Aila, anwhile, wore silver armor, her long hair tied behind her head, though traces of anxiety were visible in her eyes.
“I have poured in that many resources, from magic energy ore to body-tempering potions. Which one of them was not the best available?”
William’s gaze settled on the two of them.
“And the result? Two-thirds of them are still wandering around at Silver Rank. Tell , if this is not a waste, then what is?”
A'gu lowered his head. “Your Highness, this subordinate has already tripled their training ti, but they... simply cannot find the opportunity to break through. It is as though an invisible wall stands before them. No matter what they do, they cannot pierce it.”
William turned to Aila, and his tone softened slightly. “What about Hand of Courage?”
Aila bit her lip. “Replying to Your Highness, this subordinate has tried every thod. I even asked the Sky Knight of the Ninth Legion to guide them, but it is as though sothing is tripping them up. They are clearly only one step away, yet they just cannot cross it.”
William fell silent for a mont, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
“It seems the pressure is still not great enough.”
“You cannot raise fierce tigers in a greenhouse. Training in the drill field alone will never produce true Gold Knights.”
He lifted his eyes to the two of them, his tone decisive.
“From today onward, take your Knight Orders and go suppress the bandits within the kingdom. Those hardened outlaws who have entrenched themselves for years will serve as perfect whetstones for you.”
“Originally, I intended to send you to Magic Serpent Fortress for tempering.”
William looked toward the flags at the far end of the drill field, and his tone eased sowhat.
“But the battle over there is deadlocked, and there will not be a real fight for a while. It would be better for you to suppress the bandits first. If that still does not work, then you can go to Magic Serpent Fortress for further tempering.”
A'gu and Aila bowed once more, their voices ringing like steel.
“Yes, Your Highness. This subordinate will not fail your expectations.”
William nodded, then shifted his gaze toward Tos, who was counting weapons in the distance, and called out, “Tos, co here.”
Hearing his na, Tos imdiately put down what he was doing, ran over at once, and dropped to one knee.
“Your Highness.”
“You will go with them as well,” William said. “As you pass through the nobles’ territories along the way, you will handle the negotiations. Make those lords cooperate with the Knight Orders’ operation.”
“Food supplies, provisions, intelligence support—not a single one may be lacking. Tell them this is the royal family’s command. Anyone who dares drag their feet will be punished under Military Law.”
Tos raised his head, a flash of excitent crossing his eyes.
“Yes, this subordinate understands. I will make sure those nobles cooperate obediently.”
Over the past few years, he had been handling all sorts of affairs between the prince and the nobles, so he knew better than anyone which lords liked to cut corners. With the words “punished under Military Law,” his work would be much easier.
William waved a hand.
“Go make your preparations. Set out as early as possible.”
“Yes.” The three of them answered in unison before turning and departing.
User Comments
0 comments from readers