assistirfilmes Chapter 297: Chapter 296: Not Yet the Time (2)
Chapter 297: Chapter 296: Not Yet the Time (2)
Chapter 297: Chapter 296: Not Yet the Time (2)
When Belinda launched her attack, not everyone was asleep like Bernaph.
Amelia's advisor, Conrad, the leader of Actium Merchants Guild, was also staying awake, reviewing and organizing various matters.
Adjusting his monocle, he flipped through documents, muttering to himself.
"It's fortunate the young lady stocked up on food. I thought we'd suffer losses, but things are turning out much better than expected."
Conrad smiled in satisfaction.
The lady he served, Amelia, was truly extraordinary. Her vast knowledge was one thing, but her ability to apply it strategically and her mastery of diplomacy were so impressive even seasoned men marveled.
And there was more. Amelia possessed a unique intuition. Her actions, sometimes driven by instinct, often yielded surprising results.
The decision to buy food in bulk during the recent drought was one such example.
As Conrad smiled, his expression suddenly hardened, and his hand moved to the rapier at his hip.
"Hmm...."
A strange sensation crawled up his neck, as if an insect were skittering across it. But it wasn't a real insect.
It was bloodlust.
Clang!
With lightning speed, Conrad drew his rapier and thrust it into a shadowed corner of the tent. At the same moment, a figure emerged from the darkness within the tent.
"Tch."
Conrad clicked his tongue. He had aimed for the intruder's face, but they had evaded skillfully. However, they hadn't avoided the strike completely-a thin line of blood trickled from their cheek where their mask had been grazed.
Seeing the assassin's emotionless face, Conrad tilted his head slightly. The face looked familiar.
After a brief moment of recollection, he smirked with scorn and spoke.
"You... aren't you the escort of the 'Bribe King'?"
The assassin targeting Conrad was Wendy, formerly an escort to Claude.
Due to the sensitive nature of this mission, she had been forced to participate in the operation.
Conrad had seen her before when he visited Fenris to oversee the first trade deal.
Still smirking, Conrad continued.
"Your presence here means Count Fenris considers us his enemies as well, doesn't it?"
Wendy remained expressionless as she replied.
"I was never here. So, please don't pretend to know me later."
With that, she threw a series of daggers.
Swish, swish, swish.
Conrad deftly dodged the flying blades, countering with a thrust of his rapier. However, Wendy seemed to have no intention of engaging further, retreating while pulling something from her pouch.
Clack.
The sound of metal locking into place was followed by a burst of sparks. Realizing her intent, Conrad frowned.
Wendy retrieved an oil-soaked cloth, lit it, and threw it onto a pile of documents.
Whoosh!
Conrad quickly released a burst of mana, using his rapier to snatch the cloth and extinguish the flames. But Wendy had thrown more than one.
She set fires in multiple spots before darting out of the tent, and soon flames began rising across the Rayfold camp.
"Damn it! What's going on? Who are these bastards?"
Vulcan stormed out of his tent, swinging his club in rage, shouting loud enough to shake the ground. Caleb, grinding his teeth, stomped on the corpse of a masked assassin.
As the leader of the Wildcat Smugglers and an assassin himself, Caleb seemed deeply offended to have been targeted by other assassins.
Both Vulcan and Caleb dealt with their attackers with ease, but not everyone in the camp was as skilled as they were.
Several officers in the Rayfold army were caught off guard and killed, plunging the camp into chaos.
"The commander of the 4th Infantry Company is dead!"
"Catch them! What are you doing?"
"They've vanished! The enemy's gone!"
Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, the camp was in complete disarray. Soldiers scrambled to capture the assassins, but Belinda and her team were already retreating.
As she fled, Belinda glanced back at the Rayfold camp, her gaze tinged with regret.
"It's not as easy as I thought."
As Ghislain had predicted, the Rayfold forces had been moving quickly and weren't maintaining a high level of vigilance. Even so, she hadn't managed to kill as many as she'd
hoped.
In fact, many of her assassins had suffered losses. Clicking her tongue, Belinda muttered to
herself bitterly.
"These agents were painstakingly trained..."
Ghislain and Belinda had been quietly building an assassination squad for some time. Talented individuals had been carefully selected and trained, living undercover as ordinary
servants within the territory.
Their existence was a closely guarded secret, known only to Ghislain's most trusted aides.
Naturally, the best among them were veterans Belinda had been training personally, like
Wendy.
"When I get back, I'll need to train more agents."
While their individual skills were not lacking, their numbers were still insufficient.
This was especially true when dealing with high-level targets, as in this operation. The low-
level assassins had neither succeeded in their missions nor escaped safely.
Still, the fires and chaos they caused achieved their objective, buying time.
After the assassins retreated, Amelia surveyed the camp, her fury boiling over. She couldn't
contain her rage and shouted at the top of her lungs.
"Ghislain! Ghislain! That bastard dared to attack me!"
Flames roared all around, and horses ran amok. The sudden assault had turned the camp into
utter pandemonium.
Once again, she had fallen victim to Ghislain. To be outplayed in such an unexpected manner
was unbearable.
toward Desmond. It was now a race against time. They had to move faster.
Grit.
Even as she marched, Amelia ground her teeth.
'Ghislain, Ghislain... that damned bastard...'
The humiliation of being bested yet again refused to subside. Had she simply stayed still, she
wouldn't have suffered this disgrace.
Just as she expected, the fastest route was littered with fallen cavalry. Most had died after falling into spike-filled pits. Those who avoided the traps were thrown
off their horses by wooden stakes placed cleverly at just the right height to trip the animals.
Injured soldiers lay groaning on the ground, while the few unscathed cavalrymen tended to
the wounded, unable to push forward.
The soldiers brought one of the stakes to Amelia.
Carved into the wood were the words:
[Made with love by the Great Blacksmith and friends.]
"Those wretches..."
Amelia's eyes burned with fury. Not only had they blocked the path, but they'd also left such
an infuriating
taunt.
From the inscription alone, she could tell who was responsible. It was clearly the dwarves
residing in Fenris.
Her resolve to capture and kill them intensified.
As they tended to the wounded, cavalry from another route returned.
"What happened?"
"There were obstacles."
"Obstacles?"
"At the narrowest point of the canyon, they had piled wood and stones to create a barricade.
We had no choice but to turn back and take a different route. We brought back something we
found there."
The cavalry leader handed over a wooden stake.
[Made with love by the Great Blacksmith and friends.]
|| ||
Amelia had heard rumors of the peculiarities in Fenris territory. Seeing the handiwork
firsthand, she was left speechless.
It was too late to take a detour. The Rayfold forces worked quickly to clear the traps and
resumed their march.
When they finally approached their first target, a nearby fortress, the cavalry that had taken
the longest route rejoined the main force.
"Apologies, my lady. The enemy has already occupied the fortress."
||||
How could they have moved so quickly? To capture a frontline fortress right after the battle
ended?
It wasn't a case of betrayal; no one could have leaked her plans, as she hadn't shared them with anyone.
Without a word, Amelia maintained a cold expression. She led her forces closer to the fortress.
Sure enough, the flag of Fenris fluttered atop Desmond's frontline fortress.
""
Amelia stared silently at the flag. Bernaph quietly stepped back, aware of how dangerous she
became in her moments of deepest rage.
'I told her not to get involved with that man. Taking Rayfold was already enough. She could've been
satisfied with half the north.'
Bernaph internally lamented, unable to voice his thoughts. Amelia's ambitions were far
beyond what he could comprehend or follow.
'If only she could set aside her greed, we could live happily together.'
He had always dreamed of a simple life, one of peaceful happiness with her. Despite her lofty
ambitions, his desires were humble.
Amelia's silence made it impossible for her aides to speak. They knew that provoking her now would bring dire consequences.
As the Rayfold forces stood staring at the fortress, its gates suddenly creaked open.
Creaaak...
Out rode Ghislain on a black horse, flanked by knights, slowly approaching the Rayfold army.
Seeing this, Amelia also mounted her horse and advanced at a steady pace. Bernaph and her
knights surrounded her protectively.
Ghislain, still bloodied from battle, and Amelia, pristine as ever, stopped at a respectful distance.
Ghislain was the first to speak.
"It's been a while, Amelia."
Amelia, tilting her chin slightly, responded with an arrogant smile.
"It has indeed, Ghislain."
The two gazed at each other, smiling.
Their eyes, however, were filled with pure hostility.
Before the smiles could fade, Amelia's hand twitched ever so slightly, and simultaneously,
mana began to gather at Ghislain's spear.