Chapter 87
All animals possess the emotion known as fear.
Unlike shame, which only humans feel—and even then only through education—fear is a primal emotion shared by all living creatures.
Just like love, hatred, and anger, fear is one of the most instinctive emotions in nature.
So what is the cause of fear? It is the “unknown”—not knowing.
“Th-then… where exactly are they?!”
The cowardly scout stammered as he spoke. In contrast, the more observant one remained relatively calm.
“It’s simple. They could still be nearby. For all we know, they might even be listening to this very conversation right now. And… I think I can sense something ominous.”
“U-uhh…”
The partner, unnerved by the words, slowly drew his short sword from its sheath. His arm trembled.
Meanwhile, Aiorin, who was eavesdropping from very close by while remaining invisible, struggled to hold back a laugh.
Not that she needed to try too hard. These two weren’t hard to take down even if it came to that.
And even if she did burst into laughter, she could simply mute the sound using a Wind Spirit.
‘Still, this guy… he’s got pretty good instincts. Can’t believe he picked up on my presence. But that other one—how can someone that scared even be called a scout? Seriously.’
The two scouts stood back to back, staying alert for a while, but of course, they found nothing.
Though the space around Aiorin rippled slightly when she moved, she always kept to their blind spots.
Whenever they turned their heads, she would stop completely.
It wasn’t her first time doing this. Back in her adventuring days, she had mastered these maneuvers to perfection.
There wasn’t a single gap in her movements.
From the scouts’ perspective, Aiorin was always off to their flank.
They kept sensing something from the side—but when they turned, there was no one there.
The good instincts of one scout only ended up invoking fear.
Though he wasn’t a coward by nature, he started trembling too as his partner shook like a leaf.
Still, he steeled himself and decided to throw a bold, life-risking bluff.
“We should probably head back and report this.”
“Y-yeah… right?”
The cowardly scout took his words at face value and began to retreat slowly.
But in reality, his statement was a provocation to any potential hidden enemies who might be watching.
‘Alright, we’re going to report now. This is your last chance—attack us if you dare.’
Of course, he could only wish that his partner had understood that nuance. He didn’t.
Gripping his dagger tightly, he braced himself for a surprise attack.
The tension in his hands and jaws was so intense it was almost painful.
But no matter how long he waited, no enemy appeared.
“Kh…!”
“W-what? I thought we were heading back?”
“It’s nothing. Yeah, let’s go.”
With that, the scout finally loosened his grip on his sword slightly and began retracing his steps.
His partner matched his pace, slowly retreating with him.
Meanwhile, Aiorin continued to suppress her laughter.
She found it hilarious how she hadn’t done anything, yet they were frightening themselves silly.
Of course, from her point of view, it didn’t matter whether they left or not.
She didn’t even know who they were—probably soldiers, judging by their scouting role.
But having never cared much for politics even during her days as queen, the uniforms meant nothing to her.
All she cared about was returning to the Fey Forest with her grandchildren.
“Haah… we’re safe.”
“Captain! We’ve got urgent intel to report!”
Meanwhile, the two scouts who had safely returned to their unit immediately reported what had happened.
The experienced and calm lead scout’s words were taken seriously by the scouting commander.
The commander increased the scout team size from two to five for future patrols, bolstering them with more combat-capable members.
The goal was to complete reconnaissance missions thoroughly without exposing themselves.
They intended to monitor when the Livia forces would begin advancing toward the capital and follow from a safe distance.
If they could catch the Livia army after it had exhausted itself battling the Capital Defense Force, they could crush them easily.
However, they didn’t know the truth—that Livia had only dispatched a handful of scouts here.
The vanguard and main force had already begun marching toward the capital, with supply units following behind.
A small rear guard was bringing up the tail—but they were essentially unprotected.
It might sound like a foolish strategy, but from Livia’s perspective, it made perfect sense.
Their plan was to dash straight to the capital, occupy it, and settle in.
An all-in strategy. Abandon Livia and take the capital.
With almost no real defense forces left in the capital, and no fortifications beyond the Royal Palace, it was a tempting prize.
In the early days of nation-building, all the budget had gone into economic and social policies.
Back then, the Capital Defense Force had still been strong under the brilliant commander Hadwin.
There were no signs of rebellion at the time, so they had saved money by not constructing outer walls for the capital.
They figured it wouldn’t be a big problem to build them later once the country had stabilized.
However, after Eldric inherited the kingdom, the opportunity never came.
Even when they tried to build walls later, there was no budget left. It had all vanished somewhere.
After seizing the capital, they could either negotiate with the Valterre forces and send them back—or fight them.
The road leading from Livia to the capital was narrow and rugged, so they were confident in holding a defensive position.
Besides, compared to the Livia army who knew the terrain well, the Valterre forces would clearly advance slower.
If they blocked Valterre’s supply route and set fire to the forest, it would likely result in an easy victory.
The Valterre scout commander snapped irritably.
“Damn it. We can’t afford any information leaks at a time like this. Each unit will cover the others’ blind spots while gathering intel and avoid detection at all costs.”
“Yes, sir!”
Aiorin had no idea that her actions had slowed down the Valterre army’s advance.
In other words, she had affected the outcome of a possible civil war in Silbrenoa.
Thanks to this, the Livia forces, the central army, and Hadwin’s troops could resolve things without Valterre interference.
Was this something to be praised?
Aiorin slipped through the brush toward where her grandchildren were waiting.
Now, at last, she let out the laughter she had been holding in.
* * *
Meanwhile, Muriela was spending peaceful days absorbed in studying the Spirit Swordsmanship she had created.
Sir Hamilton was shocked by the sudden explosion of talent from the princess—but it was all the work of Zephyr.
With her deep understanding of swordsmanship from her previous life, and Zephyr covering her physical limitations, even Hamilton struggled.
There were moments when she struck with such blinding speed toward his vital points that he broke out in a cold sweat.
Right now, Zephyr had been sent to Corbin, so she was practicing without spirit support and lacked power.
As she swung her sword while drenched in sweat, she heard a familiar wind sound.
‘Hm? It’s you Zephyr, isn’t it?’
‘Princess, I have something to report.’
Thanks to Zephyr, she now maintained regular communication with Corbin and stayed well-informed on political developments.
Though she was cooped up in a cramped palace residence, she practically had a grasp on the entire kingdom.
From Solinor’s perspective as a former king, the amount of intel she was getting was more than sufficient.
“So… you’re saying they sent Sylvius alone to Livia…”
Corbin had recently informed her of the whereabouts of the rejuvenated Grand Magician.
Grumbling all the while, Sylvius had departed for Livia on his own—keeping it secret even from other agents.
Whatever had happened to him during that time, he was now moving in disguise like a spy.
“Well, if it’s that guy, he’ll carry out the mission just fine without getting into danger.”
Solinor was aware that the southwest region was unstable, but he wasn’t worried.
With Sylvius’ skills, he could gather information safely, and even stop traitors if needed.
Even for a Grand Magician, there were limits to what could be done alone—but this wasn’t about fighting.
All he had to do was buy time until Hadwin’s forces arrived, just as Corbin instructed.
“Hadwin’s army numbers about three thousand. The Capital Defense Force has around two thousand left… That makes five thousand total.”
The issue was that the so-called “Capital Defense Force” was woefully undertrained and understrength.
But given the current situation, that was actually a good thing.
Precisely because they were weak, they could be easily swayed.
If Hadwin’s forces arrived at the capital first, the plan was to immediately absorb the Capital Defense Force.
Once merged with the highly disciplined and well-led Hadwin army, they could become an effective unit.
At the same time, Solinor would depose Eldric and seize military command to stand against Livia.
After that, Valterre might try to step in, waiting for a chance.
But since their spy network in the capital had been disrupted, their movements would be significantly delayed.
If the plan went even halfway as intended, it would be manageable.
However, to make all of that possible, she still had a lot to do inside the Royal Palace.
“Well then, shall we begin securing the inner palace?”
According to her plan, about twenty days remained before the Battle of Solineum.
With a confident smile on her lips, Princess Muriela headed toward the royal family gathering she had organized.
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