Chapter 279: Mutual Gifts
Deep within the imperial palace of the unified southern empire.
The magical light shone through, obscuring Emperor Leggett's face in shadow.
He sat on the throne, his fingers tapping the armrests in rhythm, producing a dull sound.
Friedrich stood quietly in the lower seat, head bowed, reporting the message that had just been rapidly transmitted back via magic.
"...The assassination attempt failed. All six assassins are dead, while the target is unharmed." Friedrich's voice was calm.
He had already guessed this outcome the moment his magic was triggered. Or rather, he had foreseen it even before sending these assassins.
Upon hearing Friedrich's report, the tapping on the throne paused for a moment before resuming as usual.
Leggett showed no surprise whatsoever; instead, he wore an expression of someone hearing exactly what they'd expected.
He shared the same view as Friedrich.
These assassins probably couldn't harm that elven saint in the slightest.
The reason they were sent to their deaths was merely to test their reaction, to see if they were on guard, and for some other reasons as well.
"Saint Serie...she truly lives up to her reputation, and that guy named Kurtz next to her is more troublesome than we imagined."
The entire assassination operation was reported to them verbatim by the mages in the legion, including the powerful shield released by Serie and the spatial teleportation magic used by Kurtz.
Without exception, they all far exceeded their expectations.
Serie's shield was acceptable, which only showed that the opponent was well-prepared, but Kurtz's spatial magic belonged to an entirely new realm.
The only spatial magic accessible to mages across the entire continent is teleportation magic, and even so, only a very small number of people can master it.
Kurtz, on the other hand, seems to possess some modified version of small-scale spatial teleportation magic.
That's really impressive.
If he could teach his assassination squad this magic and combine it with our own stealth magic, that would make them true assassins.
"And what of their retaliation? They should at least show some response after being attacked in the military?" Leggett asked.
Sometimes, the other person's reaction can reveal a lot of information.
Friedrich shook his head slightly: "They didn't pursue the matter, or even question the officers on the scene much. They simply continued advancing with the legion, as if nothing had happened. According to the legion commander's report, their attitude was clear: they wanted our army to reach the northern front as soon as possible."
"As soon as possible?" Leggett chuckled, a hint of displeasure flashing in his eyes. "They're getting anxious for me, aren't they?"
He stood up and walked to the huge map.
On the map, the arrow representing his demonic legion originally pointed directly into the heart of the Kingdom of El, but now it has been forced to turn north.
"I never intended actually to go to the north to fight the demons. The true goal of the empire is to consolidate our forces, take advantage of their weakness, and conquer the Kingdom of El and those small, disorganized countries."
Leggett's tone was filled with suppressed anger and resentment. "But at this crucial moment, Serie came running over, and in that way!"
"The entire capital saw it. Now, I have no choice but to intervene!" He slammed his fist heavily onto the map.
Serie and Kurtz's high-profile arrival forced him to make a show of deploying troops, which disrupted all his strategic plans. He seriously suspected that the two of them had done this on purpose, making a high-profile appearance so he could not carry out his original plan.
What's even more frustrating is that he can't let these two people die in the capital; otherwise, the wrath of the elves and the doubts of the magicians would be enough to shake the foundation of his empire.
Although the elves are also among their targets, now is not the time to offend them.
"At least we have to wait until the Empire truly unifies the human race," Friedrich said in a low voice, trying to calm his anger. "Your Majesty, please calm down. Things have come to this point, and we can only go with the flow. However, according to the original plan, the legion's supplies will not be enough to support the actual northern front. If we force our way there, we will run out of food in less than half a month."
"Of course I know!" Leggett waved his hand impatiently. "That's why we can't actually go. We must deal with these two troublemakers before they reach the real battlefield!"
He turned to Friedrich: "Has the second assassination squad been dispatched?"
A slight ripple appeared on Friedrich's aged face, but it quickly disappeared. "We've already set off."
"But Your Majesty, after the first failure, Serie and Kurtz will undoubtedly be more vigilant. The chances of a second assassination attempt succeeding are extremely slim; it will likely only increase the losses."
"I know it's futile," Leggett said coldly, "but it's his request."
"His?" Friedrich asked, then realized that he was referring to the "hero" who had just emerged from the bloody trials and wielded the holy sword.
"Hmm." A complex look flashed in Leggett's eyes. "That guy sent a message that he can now wield the power of the Holy Sword, but he still needs some time to get used to it."
"Therefore, I gave him a list of many of the empire's opposition figures to practice on, and the results were remarkable. However, that guy said he needed more information about Serie's fighting style and magical abilities; only then would he be confident in defeating her."
"What about that Kurtz, the one next to Serie?" Friedrich asked.
In his view, the man with the same name as the Godslayer was no less formidable, not to mention that the other party also possessed special spatial magic.
Moreover, from Friedrich's perspective, he instinctively felt that the other party was a very dangerous guy.
He had fought many mages in his life, but there had never been a single mage who, without even lifting a finger or saying any word, gave him a feeling of invincibility simply by meeting him.
This was his intuition, a subconscious thought that even he himself couldn't believe.
"Never mind him! The most important thing is Serie."
Clearly, Leggett lacked the intuition that Friedrich had honed through life-or-death battles. In his eyes, Kurtz was just a slightly more powerful mage, far less worthy of attention than Serie.
Leggett continued, "If one batch isn't enough, we'll have two, until we've fully explored Serie's fighting style, allowing him to accumulate enough experience to ensure that when he finally strikes, he can truly deliver a fatal blow without fail."
Friedrich fell silent.
He understood the emperor's intention.
Use the lives of those carefully trained imperial assassins to test and pave the way for the wielder of the Holy Sword.
This is cruel and wasteful, but in terms of results, it may be the most efficient approach.
"But Your Majesty, the training of these assassins has cost the Empire a great deal of resources." Friedrich still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Those were all carefully selected elites who had undergone various forms of training. To prevent them from betraying the empire, the emperor had spent a great deal of money to implant restrictive magic into their bodies. Each of them was a precious asset of the empire.
"Their sacrifice was for a greater future for the Empire!"
Leggett interrupted him, his tone leaving no room for argument. "As long as we can ultimately eliminate Serie and clear the obstacles to the Empire's dominance, any price will be worth it! Execute the order."
"...Yes, Your Majesty." Friedrich bowed his head deeply, swallowing back all his reluctance and doubt.
The Emperor's will cannot be disobeyed.
He hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but speak, trying to probe the final line: "Your Majesty, what should we do if he ultimately fails as well?"
For some reason, he subconsciously hoped to see the day of failure.
Because that way, there's still room for things to turn around.
Of course, all of this is contingent on His Majesty abandoning the idea of killing Serie and the other party not intending to pursue the matter.
Emperor Leggett whirled around, the blinding magical light not causing him any hesitation, and he exuded an almost insane aura.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, as if making a decision.
A moment later, he slowly opened his eyes, his gaze eerily calm.
"If even the wielder of the Holy Sword fails—"
He spoke slowly, his tone chillingly cold. "Then let the entire vanguard legion make its move!"
Friedrich jerked his head up, his eyes filled with shock: "YOUR MAJESTY! Those are the Empire's most elite..."
"I know!" Leggett interrupted sharply, "But if it comes to that, it means that conventional methods will no longer be able to kill Serie. I will spare no expense to keep them here completely!"
"I refuse to believe that an entire legion, made of the empire's most elite mages and warriors, couldn't outlast a mere elven mage and her apprentice of unknown origin!"
His words revealed a desperate madness.
To achieve his goal, he has not hesitated to gamble the empire's elite army.
Meanwhile, at the Southern Unified Empire Vanguard Legion camp, the attack had just ended.
After a brief commotion, the camp returned to a semblance of calm.
The legion commander, a middle-aged general with a stern face, personally came to Kurtz and Serie's tent to offer his so-called explanation.
"...Just now, a small group of monsters was found harassing the perimeter of the camp, so the soldiers' attention was focused there. Unexpectedly, these despicable creatures slipped in, and the patrol did not react in time, leading to their disturbing the rest of our two distinguished guests. We are truly sorry."
The legion commander's explanation was perfunctory, and he even shifted some of the blame to non-existent monsters.
Kurtz looked at him, and the other person looked at him, too.
Kurtz knew he was lying, the legion commander knew he was lying, and he even knew that Kurtz knew he was lying.
But so what?
Would this mage dare to turn against me?
The legion commander thought he wouldn't dare!
Kurtz ultimately chose not to expose him, but nodded and patted the man's shoulder slightly: "I see, thank you for your hard work."
The legion commander bowed slightly, and a fleeting hint of hostility flashed in his eyes the instant he met Kurtz's gaze.
The secret order he received was very simple. Monitor, and if necessary, cooperate in eliminating.
In his eyes, these two were nothing but fools who dared to coerce the empire just because they were powerful, and they would sooner or later become victims of the empire's blade.
Even the most powerful mage is still just a person, and there will be moments when they are careless or run out of magic power. But they have an entire legion, tens of thousands of elite soldiers!
Not to mention that there are also a large number of court magicians among them, each of whom is a powerful being carefully selected by the empire.
With such a large force at his disposal, the legion commander did not doubt that he could deal with this so-called elven saint and her disciple.
His Majesty had only allowed them to live a few more days because he did not want the world politics to get too ugly.
Kurtz easily noticed the hidden malice in the other's eyes. It seemed that Emperor Leggett's orders to the other were not just about surveillance.
Otherwise, the legion commander in front of him would not have made a mistake to show such malice.
Kurtz suddenly found it somewhat amusing.
The prey brandished its claws, thinking it was well hidden, unaware that the hunter had already seen through everything, even with a hint of pity.
Does he think he can take down Serie and Him just because he outnumbers them?
'Coincidentally, ever since the age of mythology, the thing I'm least afraid of is being outnumbered.'
After the legion commander left, Kurtz returned to his tent.
Serie was idly stroking her long, golden hair. At first, she only cast a magic shield and a light arrow, and then she didn't do anything else.
Now she's feeling the heat of battle, but is bored that her enemies have already been wiped out in one move.
"It seems our little Emperor has great ambitions," Kurtz said softly. "What we just experienced was just an appetizer."
Serie's golden eyes lit up. "Oh? There are even stronger ones? Those guys were too weak; they were dead before they even got a chance to fight. Hopefully, next time we'll get something decent."
"Next time it will probably be more than just a few assassins." Kurtz looked at her, his tone carrying a hint of warning and a hint of indulgence. "Also, I just sensed that the legion commanders didn't look at us, as if we were honored guests."
I suspect that if the assassination attempts continue to fail, Leggett might become desperate and order the entire Vanguard Legion to attack us.
"The entire legion?" Serie was taken aback at first, then a smile of extreme excitement bloomed on her face, tinged with infatuation.
"This is more interesting! An entire legion? I've never fought against one before!" She didn't seem to have heard bad news; instead, she received excellent news.
For her, quantity has never been an issue. Moreover, this is an entire legion of magicians!
Unlike previous monster armies, although in terms of sheer numbers, the monster army was undoubtedly more oppressive, and the dark mass of the graves would inspire fear at first glance.
An entire legion, on the other hand, gives an entirely different feeling.
They will be more orderly, and from a visual perspective, although they are very oppressive, they will have a cold feeling, unlike the despair of the demon race.
Of course, neither of these will give Serie these feelings; on the contrary, they will only ignite her fighting spirit.
Kurtz looked at the elf girl, who had suddenly become full of fighting spirit, and smiled helplessly, but there was no fear in his eyes either.
That's fine.
Since the other party is determined to give a "big gift," they will accept it and may even have to give a gift in return.
He just didn't know whether the Southern Unified Empire could ultimately afford his return gift.
[End of Chapter]
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