Chapter 491 Entering The Scorching Wastelands (1)
"Report…" Inside the carriage, Crown Prince Ranon held a mysterious communicating device as he whispered softly.
He had been so vigilant and cautious this time because Leon was aggressively suspecting him ever since he tried to plant spying magic on him and the other two princes.
The moment he found out that their scheme was blown, they had no choice but to lay low and not move for a while. They were also taken by surprise to know that somebody had the ability to detect the most secretive spying curse magic they have at the moment!
He could not help but suspect and curse Eli in his mind. This time, he was sure that she was one of the brains behind the curse detection system installed on every entrance of Seirende.
'Just you wait, I will also get you and your crew…' He thought to himself as he cursed Eli who destroyed his plans.
"Crown Prince, my team has already been able to infiltrate the northern region. Now that we have confirmed that Eli's curse-detecting contracted beast was no longer in the Empire, we can freely move." Nikolai's voice was heard through the communication stone.
"Good…" Crown Prince Ranon replied with a satisfied smile on his face.
Thinking about how the three princes were still oblivious about walking to a trap and their families all in danger, he almost lost the will to hold back his gloating laughter.
But in the end, he still held it in, the enemy was not easy to deal with, so he could only celebrate when he would finally saw their dead bodies on the ground.
"Standby and wait for our cue, Arabella and her team were already tailing our convoy. When the time comes, she will be the one to rescue your parents. So do your best there and do not disappoint us." Crown Prince Ranon remeinded Nikolai.
It was easy to manipulate the siblings because of their parents. They are willing to do everything to save them from real trouble.
So even though the two had the talent and ability to be arrogant, they still had to obey him and follow his arrangement, all for the sake of rescuing their parents from the execution.
However, this is only a temporary measure for him. For these siblings had been groomed to become vessels. And so it doesn't matter if the two would try to escape with their parents after rescuing them.
The seed fragment was already in their bodies! The moment they accepted being a curse user, their bodies were no longer theirs to control. All that is left for them is to obey their commands and be good vessels for the 'lord'.
Crown Prince Ranon had a serious expression on his face. He stretched out his hands and subtly lifted the carriage curtains to take a look at the situation outside.
'Looks like we were halfway through the journey to the end of the borders.' He concluded. They have been traveling on a steady phase and he could not help but raise his eyebrows in interest as to how efficiently the people of Seirende worked.
So far other than his deliberate requests to delay or disrupt the travels, everything was taken care of and none of his 'concerns' were able to affect the mentality of Leon and the rest.
They were like trained battle soldiers who had no emotions and could remain level-headed despite the multiple problems coming their way.
He wished that they would be distracted for a while so that he could also increase the chance of them losing during the ambush, but he was proven wrong multiple times already.
And so all he could do was to use the daytime travel to discreetly contact the parties outside lying in wait, as well as the men he left in the Seirende Empire to cause more chaos.
He could not do it at night when Leon and the rest were most vigilant. But during the day, he could just quickly set up a soundproofing array while all of the guards were focused on scanning the threats outside.
Four days passed just like that…
And finally, they were already seeing the end of the Seirende borders ahead of them.
Knock, knock, knock!
Crown Prince Ranon who was already lazing in his carriage was disrupted by the soft knock on the door.
"Your Highness, we are here to inform you that we will be settling in an inn prepared for us just before we cross the borders." A temple knight respectfully informed him.
"Settle down in an inn? Aren't we supposed to travel continuously until we reach the coastal area of Holy Island? I get that we are ahead by one day, why can't we push through and save time?" He asked as if he was unwilling to delay the matter.
"It's like this, Your Highness, the Third Prince came with his men to deploy an advanced party to check for the safest route in the Scorching Wasteland.
As we have informed you beforehand, this territory is extremely dangerous, so we can only let the Third Prince execute these precautions." The temple knight explained patiently.
Crown Prince Ranon raised his brows with interest right and could not hide the excitement in his eyes.
He did not expect Leon would volunteer himself as the advance party to the desolate lands and leave the others behind. This will be favorable for him when they decide to kick off their plan.
Because in his heart, no one can be content with him, Arabella, and the men they took with them but Leon. Kazimir, Antoine, and even the Temple Knights will have no chance of fighting back against them.
'I never knew that this could be easy!' He thought excitedly.
But outwardly he still asked the temple knight with a reluctant tone, "How many men did the Third Prince take with him? What if the forces left behind to defend were not enough?"
"Do not worry, your Highness, the Third Prince only took his five men. Please do not worry as we still have more than a hundred troops from both sides to guard Your Highness and the prisoners." The temple knight answered.
"Sure, I'll go with whatever arrangement you have." Upon confirming the number of men that Leon took, Crown Prince Ranon finally dismissed the temple knight.
The satisfaction on his face was caught on by the temple knight but he did not show any change in his expression and went on his way as if nothing happened.
However, there was a glint in his eyes.
Sure, the Third Prince took only five men with him from the current convoy armies. But does he need to disclose that the entire Crimson Blade troops were waiting for their Captain outside the borders?
He did not think he needed to inform this Crown Prince who was an evil envoy of the unrighteous Pope!
On the other hand, Crown Prince Ranon waited until they entered the village before he did any moves.
As soon as he finished his obligatory inspections and dinner, he immediately announced that he would go back to his room to retire for the night. But as soon as he did, he had already contacted the troops stationed in the desolate lands and informed them about Leon's advanced party.
"Take care of them and do not allow them to regroup with him as much as possible." He ordered. Having him present during their attack will make his plans a hundred times more difficult.
After all, he was still an S-Class Mage and he could never forget how Leon casually showed off his powers on the hunting grounds. He needs him to be away!
Meanwhile, the temple knight went to Mishael and reported his exchange with Ranon.
"En.. allow him to think that the Third Prince does not have the ability to regroup with us for a while. But later on, do inform our troops to be ready for any attack as soon as we enter the territory. I will go to the First and Second Prince to inform them as well." Mishael nodded and instructed his knight.
"As you wish, captain!" The knight saluted bravely and went on his way.
Mishael took a deep breath and prayed for a moment. It was heaven's grace that they were able to see the indications of war before they set off on the trip.
At first, they decided to have those who knew Eli's identity as the Paladin not be involved in this struggle.
But now, knowing that it wasn't a trial that the Pope wanted, but an all-out war. He and the High Priest thought that it would make no sense to not use the strong manpower that they have to counter the enemy.
So what if they knew Eli was the Paladin at that moment? They were already at a war by that time and they could no longer retreat or advance to get Eli unless they totally defeated the Empire!
Besides, Eli will be coming from behind and clawing their unguarded backs!