Ereneth observed the small forest near the lord's castle. The forest appeared to be relatively new, with a noticeable number of young trees, as if it had been replanted after felling. Within that forest, figures cloaked in black robes blended seamlessly with the surroundings, hiding their presence. To the naked eye, they would be nearly impossible to detect. But as they, too, were part of nature, they could not escape Ereneth's gaze. One figure stood out among the assassins—a man whose face was heavily wrapped in bandages. The moment Ereneth identified him, her breath caught. Every time he exhaled, a dark aura emanated from him. Through her connection with nature, Ereneth could sense that aura clearly. “This is the energy of the Guwon Church! Could this be Melkir?” Melkir glanced around, his brow furrowed. As a skilled assassin, his senses were razor-sharp. “Something feels off.” “Master, what should we do now?” “How many have we lost?” “Three are dead.” “Hmm, this has taken too long. I didn’t expect the checkpoints to be this thorough.” Sneaking from the South to the North unnoticed was no easy feat. Even avoiding populated areas and moving through treacherous terrain didn’t guarantee escape from prying eyes. The ongoing war had only heightened patrols and vigilance across the land. The assassins of the Black Moon had been discovered several times, forcing them into combat. Though each member was highly skilled, and Melkir himself was a transcendent, some losses were inevitable. Melkir suddenly chuckled, his shoulders shaking with laughter. “By now, I’d bet the Count of Fenris and the Marquis of Ferdium have been alerted. We’ll have to act before they arrive.” “Act now, instead of waiting? Isn’t our goal to lure out the Count of Fenris?” “There’s no point in waiting. If Fenris has already mobilized, our objective is achieved. If he hasn’t, then we’ll kill his family to make an example of them. Agreed?” “Understood...” “Good. This will be our final rest. We’ll move when the night grows deeper.” “Yes, Master.” For Melkir, the operation was already a success. The repeated encounters with patrols had revealed their abilities, ensuring that Fenris would have to respond. Now, the only question was how deeply he could plunge his enemy into despair. “Until that bastard arrives, we can enjoy ourselves a little. I’m looking forward to it.” As Melkir’s laughter filled the air, the moon began to hide behind dark clouds. A sudden flash crossed Ereneth’s green-lit eyes as she snapped out of her trance. “Ugh!” She coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips. Turning her gaze to the tiny crow perched nearby, she saw that its once-potent magical energy had almost entirely dissipated after days of waiting. “I’ve found the enemies.” “What...what should I relay?” Dark, the self-proclaimed Spirit King, asked nervously. He had felt the overwhelming presence of the real spirits during Ereneth’s communion with nature. Compared to them, his claim to the title of Spirit King seemed laughable. Even more unsettling was his certainty that those spirits could easily destroy his true form. The experience had left him humbled and instinctively deferential. Ereneth, pale-faced, gave her response. “Where is the Count of Fenris?” “H-he’s just entered the territory.” “The assassins are waiting in the forest southeast of the castle. It’s filled with young trees. They plan to move once the night deepens. Tell him to hurry.” “Yes, right away!” Dark immediately passed the message to his counterpart stationed with Ferdium. Upon hearing the news, Zwalter sprang to his feet. “Assemble the troops! I’ll personally kill these bastards!” However, Homern, Albert, and Randolph quickly intervened. “Hey! Why are you the one going out there? Just because you’ve gotten stronger recently doesn’t mean you should rush into danger! You’re starting to act like your son!” “Exactly! Even if you’ve improved, there might be a transcendent among the assassins!” “Brother, let me handle this! You stay here!” If the lord were to fall, it would be the end. With the possibility of a transcendent among the enemy, letting him go was out of the question. Amid unanimous opposition, Zwalter reluctantly sat back down, clicking his tongue in frustration. “I’m already at the cusp of being a transcendent myself...” While he hadn’t fully crossed into transcendence, he was far from being an easy kill. Thanks to Ghislain, Randolph had also grown significantly stronger, and Zwalter felt confident they could handle the threat together. The situation left him feeling regretful. “Fine, we’ll go!” Randolph declared boldly, rallying the knights and a significant force of soldiers. The knights glared at Skovan as they prepared to leave. Yet another crisis had struck Ferdium. “Why does trouble always come to this territory...? How is this my fault?” Skovan muttered, feeling increasingly targeted by the knights’ resentment. Lately, he’d even heard whispers about being transferred to the Northern Army. Skovan made up his mind—he’d rather face grueling physical challenges than deal with the constant stress. “Yes, once this is over, I’ll request a transfer. And I’m taking Ricardo with me.” Oblivious to Skovan’s thoughts, Ricardo yawned lazily nearby. The Ferdium forces marched out, with Randolph leading 2,000 soldiers and 100 knights. “What’s the exact location?” Randolph asked his lieutenant. “It’s the forest where the Young Lord had the timber harvested a few years ago.” “Ah, so it’s the one we were just starting to restore.” The potential presence of a transcendent prompted Randolph to take no chances. “Forget engaging them head-on. Just burn it down.” “B-burn it?” “Yes, burn it all. Fighting inside the forest puts us at a disadvantage. The trees would get destroyed in battle anyway, so let’s save the trouble.” This approach marked a step forward for Randolph, who was no longer blindly charging into danger. The territory’s prosperity meant that losing a single forest was no longer a significant concern. Randolph felt quite pleased with his pragmatic decision. “This is what it means to be part of a wealthy domain.” The soldiers, armed with plenty of fire arrows, eagerly prepared. For them, the idea of deliberately setting their own forest ablaze was an exciting novelty. “I never thought I’d see the day we’d burn our own woods.” “This kind of thing was usually the Young Lord’s domain.” “Life is good in a rich territory.” “Fire!” With Randolph’s command, a volley of fire arrows soared into the forest. Flames spread rapidly, consuming everything in their path—a sight that would horrify Ereneth and the elves. “Keep firing! Don’t stop until they come out!” Randolph barked. The endless stream of fire arrows was a testament to Ferdium’s resources. Meanwhile, the assassins resting near the forest's edge rose to their feet. As elite operatives, they didn’t panic or falter but simply looked to Melkir for orders. “How did they find us?” Melkir couldn’t understand how their exact location had been pinpointed. “Perhaps they have a powerful mage?” one subordinate suggested. Melkir shook his head. “A mage’s vision can’t penetrate our concealment. They can only see from a distance.” Even in this environment, the assassins had melded with their surroundings, carefully avoiding detection by magic. For someone to locate their hidden presence so precisely was beyond comprehension—unless Ferdium possessed a mage far beyond the ordinary, which seemed unlikely. “It seems they used another method. I had a bad feeling about this forest...” “What are your orders?” “Scatter. Find a way into the lord’s castle. Kill the Marquis of Ferdium and his daughter if you can.” “Understood.” As soon as Melkir gave the command, the assassins vanished into the shadows, dispersing in every direction. They Were Bait These assassins were nothing more than bait. If they succeeded, it would be great; if they failed, it was inconsequential. Melkir planned to stir chaos and take advantage of the resulting disarray to infiltrate deeper into the enemy’s defenses. Fwoosh! Figures began to emerge from the blazing forest, hazy silhouettes breaking free from the flames. Randolph spotted them first and shouted: “They’re here! Block them!” The Ferdium forces were already stationed at the forest's entrance, their formation impenetrable. The knights were the first to charge forward. Clang! The assassins, being members of the Duke’s elite Black Moon squad, each rivaled at least a mid-level knight in skill. Coupled with their assassination techniques, they were a force to be reckoned with. Swish. Just as the knights clashed with the assassins, their figures blurred again and shifted positions. From the beginning, the assassins had no intention of engaging in a direct fight. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 “Catch them!” Knights excelled in straightforward battles, but pursuing assassins who withdrew so openly was a much harder task. The assassins skillfully maneuvered through the ranks of soldiers, exploiting every gap in the formation. Slice! Slice! “Aaargh!” “They’re here!” “Attack quickly!” The assassins darted like ghosts, landing attacks while weaving through the chaos. The regular soldiers could do little more than block their path with their bodies. As the soldiers held the line, Randolph and the knights joined the fray. “Out of the way!” Boom! Blue mana surged from all directions. The assassins tried to escape, while the knights relentlessly pursued them. Thunk! “Ugh!” Skovan, who had been fighting fiercely to clear his name, was finally struck in the side. The weapon had been coated with poison, and dizziness overcame him as the wound swelled rapidly. “Damn it! This is so annoying!” Slash! Mustered by rage, Skovan swung his sword with all his might, decapitating an assassin held by three knights. His skills had improved drastically compared to before. “Ugh!” Skovan coughed blood as he collapsed to the ground. Nearby soldiers rushed to support him and pulled him back to safety. “What the... Why are you helping me? Weren’t you all praying for my death every day?” He grimaced and shed tears, his frustration and bitterness evident. The soldiers responded with awkward smiles. “Come on now, sir. Of course we’d help you.” “We’re all on the same side, after all.” “How could we just watch as our captain dies?” Moved by their words, Skovan sobbed quietly, reassured that he hadn’t been entirely abandoned. He reconsidered his earlier decision to transfer to the Northern Army. The soldiers, however, exchanged subtle glances with each other. “If he dies here, this land will be cursed forever.” “Even if he must die, it should happen elsewhere, where he can’t haunt us.” “Ferdium can’t afford any more bad luck.” It was fortunate for Skovan that he remained unaware of the rumors circulating among the troops. Boom! Boom! Boom! The battle grew increasingly heated. Facing assassins made it difficult for Ferdium’s forces to maintain a clear advantage. At the same time, the assassins were overwhelmed by the sheer number of knights and soldiers, unable to make significant progress. Realizing their predicament, the assassins resorted to their final tactic. Hiss... Their figures became fully visible as they deactivated their camouflage technique, a method of blending with their surroundings using mana. Now, they fought openly, adopting the tactics of knights to engage in direct combat. Boom! Crash! The assassins, trained for this scenario, used a sacrificial strategy: some would deliberately hold the enemy’s attention, creating openings for others to escape. Despite being surrounded by countless knights and soldiers, they held their ground valiantly. Amid the chaos, a small number of assassins successfully slipped away into the shadows. Randolph, who was leading the charge, noticed the escaping assassins and cursed under his breath. “Damn it! Pursue them immediately! They’re heading for the castle!” Around ten assassins managed to escape through the confusion. If they reached the castle, finding them among the countless hiding spots would be a nightmare. The escaped assassins melted into the darkness. While the knights mounted their horses and gave chase, visibility was limited in the dark, making it challenging to track them. The remaining assassins were killed, leaving the Ferdium forces scrambling to chase down those who had fled. From the edge of the forest, Melkir observed the unfolding chaos with a sinister smile. “Heh... Time to make my move.” The bait had done its job admirably. All the troops near the forest had been drawn away. Melkir’s figure blurred as he advanced. His next target was the lord’s castle, where he planned to assassinate key figures. But just as he was about to leave the forest— Boom! A spear flew through the air, embedding itself in the ground where he had just been standing.