Late at night, all was silent.
Vieya switched off the lantern inside the room, pulled a chair over, and sat behind the window sill. The cold moonlight fell upon her like a layer of elegant white gauze.
Maybe Aurora truly was exhausted today, or maybe having Vieya personally take the night watch gave her enough sense of safety—whichever the case, she fell asleep very quickly.
Jasmine had a faint objection, but when she saw how tired Aurora looked, she didn’t speak up.
She only lay quietly on her side on the small bed, her gaze directed toward her mother.
“Sleep. I’m right here.” Vieya said softly to her daughter who was looking at her.
Jasmine blinked, like nodding in acceptance. In truth, she felt her mother had sothing on her mind—the lowered gaze, the distracted look. But she was obedient; she closed her eyes and slept soon enough, still facing her mother, like a sunflower keeping watch over the sun.
Vieya didn’t say anything. She had always known Jasmine depended on her—not materially, but spiritually.
Material dependence was just finding a long-term al ticket. Vieya suspected that dead cat fit that category. But spiritual dependence ant handing the key of one’s soul to another for safekeeping... sothing Vieya did not approve of Jasmine doing.
Jasmine thought she was a baby who couldn’t live without her mother. But she could already walk—it was just that she didn’t dare put her foot on the ground and try.
Sigh...
Vieya let out a light breath. She suddenly felt like blaming Flaviel, but... blaming a ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) dead dragon?
There was no sense in that.
The sli girl could only bla herself.
She didn’t know how long it had been when rustling footsteps sounded outside, accompanied by intermittent voices.
What the hell is going on?
Vieya frowned and first rose to look out the window. The night was thick, the light not very good—but she still saw the figures standing in the darkness at a glance.
These people wore thick leather armor, their equipnt refined. One look and you’d know they were well-trained soldiers. But they weren’t from the Church, nor the Demon-Hunting Order, nor the knightly corps of the Royal Capital.
These were elite soldiers of the Western Plateau. Many years ago, when Vieya had been received by the Great Lord of the Western Plateau and discussed strategies to slay the Demon King in his command tent, she had seen guards dressed like this in the military camp.
They were the Great Lord’s personal guards.
Vieya’s mind already guessed as much, but at the sa ti a new question arose—why were people under the Great Lord appearing here?
Ever since arriving in the Western Plateau, Vieya had only slept once, then spent the whole ti riding in the carriage. She didn’t feel she had done anything illegal or disorderly that would draw the Great Lord’s attention.
Then there was only one possibility left.
They had been under watch all this ti.
“We didn’t get Aislin’s reception... and instead got their gaze first?”
Vieya sat back down on the chair. Based on what she knew, the Great Lord’s attention should be fully occupied with the coming Grand Election, not focused on them, a group of passing travelers.
The Grand Election—an important ceremony that determined the next ruler of the Western Plateau.
A thousand-year-old tradition of the Western Plateau, recognized and revered by countless nomadic tribes.
Vieya sat there silently thinking. She remained quietly in her chair, not intending to take the initiative to go out and draw attention.
If they really ca for her, they would take the initiative to approach her.
Mm. Act according to circumstances.
The sli girl reached a decision and began waiting in silence.
...
The next day.
Vieya stood before the window. She had waited the whole night, yet no one ca to knock, nor did any strangers approach. It almost made her doubt her own judgnt.
Could it be that we aren’t their target?
No.
This small town had already been taken over by the Great Lord’s personal guards. Especially around the inn where they stayed—it was sealed completely.
Any adventurer who stepped out of the inn door without knowing what was going on was imdiately stopped by a squad of soldiers and then taken away.
That skinny monkey who handled their lodging last night was now trailing behind a soldier dressed as a commander, nodding and bowing nervously.
“Captain, was there anything unusual last night?”
On the bed, Aurora stretched lazily, letting out a big yawn. Squinting, she said, “Haven’t slept that well in ages... thank you, Captain... But what are you standing at the window for? Did sothing happen outside?”
“Mm.” Vieya nodded. “The Great Lord’s guards from the Western Plateau have surrounded the entire town. Their target is probably us.”
“...Hm?”
Aurora’s muddled mind snapped awake instantly. She threw on a coat and ca barefoot to Vieya’s side. Lifting her gaze to the window, her pupils shrank.
“...It really is the Great Lord’s personal guard. I can’t believe they blocked us this quickly. Our actions along the way were simple and clean—we barely contacted anyone at all. For them to locate us this fast, they must have been prepared in advance. Once they knew we appeared on the Western Coast, they imdiately began moving.”
While speaking, she turned her head toward the sli girl and asked cautiously, “Captain, what do you think?”
“It’s fine.” Vieya said calmly. “This is their territory. Since he wants to see us, then we’ll see him. No matter what, my identity is there—they wouldn’t dare make reckless moves.”
Even though the nomadic tribes of the Western Plateau always looked down on other humans, they still understood how to weigh gains and losses. Otherwise, back then they wouldn’t have knelt under the Empress’s sword and joined the Alliance.
“Wake Jasmine and get ready. Since they waited outside the whole night, they’ll probably wait until we go out this morning before inviting us for a talk. Of course, it could also be sothing unpleasant. In any case—prepare yourselves.”
After pausing, Vieya added,
“Judging by the number of personal guards deployed, the Great Lord himself has likely co. While I knew him in the past, it’s been many years—we haven’t t since then. He definitely won’t recognize . Better stay cautious.”
...
Vieya’s guess was right.
At exactly eight in the morning, the neighing of horses ca from outside the town, followed by the deep call of bronze horns and the thunderous beat of war drums.
Horns and drums were ceremonial instrunts of the Western Plateau tribes—the horns for celebrations, the drums for war.
But for both to sound together—it only happened in grand events.
The last ti both sounded was more than a decade ago, when the Great Lord welcod the Chief Hero to jointly crusade against the Ocean Demon King. That day, horns and drums resounded for a hundred li in celebration.
The strict formation of soldiers standing at the inn entrance suddenly split down the middle, opening a two-ter-wide straight path. A pitch-black warhorse stepped out slowly, followed by black-armored knights carrying halberds, and then long silence.
Down the main street that cut through the entire town, soone was slowly riding forward.
The skinny monkey suddenly grew excited and tried to squeeze out of the crowd, but everyone was craning their necks, the place packed tight. He could only turn anxiously in circles.
“Our Great Lord of the Western Plateau is here!”
Soone said it, and the crowd stirred briefly before falling quiet again. The locals of the town, as well as the skinny monkey and his companions whom Vieya saw the previous night, all swallowed nervously.
Throughout the whole town, aside from the three people appearing at the inn entrance—Vieya, Aurora, Jasmine—everyone else placed a hand over their chest and bowed their heads in salute.
The street was utterly silent. The figure riding the crimson horse on the main road drew close. The horn players blew harder.
The skinny monkey and the others trembled. As the crimson horse passed them, they didn’t dare lift their heads at all.
Until the hoofbeats stopped, and all drums and music fell silent.
Only then did Vieya see clearly the person riding the great horse. He wore white leather armor from head to toe—boots, gloves, everything white. Though his face looked like a man past forty, the aura from his body was heavy as a mountain, imposing without anger.
Without a doubt, he was the fad Great Lord of the Western Plateau, supre commander of thousands of tribes, the human with the highest authority in the entire region.
“Great Lord, these are the ones who ca from the Southern Lands. The white-haired child in the center is the new Swordmaster. And the green-haired girl on the left is the assassin who followed beside the Chief Hero in those years.” The knight commander hesitated slightly and lowered his voice.
As for Jasmine, they simply ignored her.
After those words fell, disappointnt—undisguised—appeared on the Great Lord’s face.
Vieya frowned slightly and asked calmly, “May I know why you have intercepted us here? Along the road, we should not have violated any rules of your Western Plateau, have we?”
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