Chapter 74 : Chapter 74
Chapter 74. A Woman Who Grew Up in the Shadows
Soon, the demi-human prince Alectos Huiyin, still dressed in ordinary Northern Territory clothing, was brought into the command room.
Sylvia wasted no time.
She directly laid out Logaris West’s deductions and her own judgment in full.
After hearing everything, Alectos stood there in a daze.
General Ulzok and General Kane… were deliberately dragging their feet in the war?
“Your Highness Alectos,” Sylvia said, staring straight into his eyes, “in your opinion, what kind of people are Ulzok and Kane?”
Alectos fell into deep thought.
Although he was a prince, he rarely participated in military affairs.
However, the reputations of these two legion commanders thundered throughout the Empire.
After a moment, he lifted his head and answered with certainty.
“They are both veteran generals who rose step by step from the lowest ranks of soldiers, earning countless military achievements.”
“General Ulzok of the bear tribe has a violent temper, but he cares deeply for his soldiers. His Stonewall Legion is the Empire’s strongest shield.”
“General Kane of the wolf tribe is calm and intelligent, and he excels at strategy.”
“Although neither of them is one of my father’s close confidants, they are both pragmatists. They despise the filthy political struggles in the imperial court more than anything.”
“They are absolutely not ambitious schemers like Remington.”
That was enough.
After hearing this answer, Sylvia’s heart finally settled.
She stepped forward, looked directly at Alectos, and formally presented her plan.
“Alectos, I need you to write them a letter with your own hand.”
“Tell them that this war, from beginning to end, has been a conspiracy by those cultists.”
“Then… invite them to cooperate with us and put on a show for their Regent.”
Sylvia thought that since the enemy had already marched under the banner of “punishing Alectos,” they might as well make the prince play a greater role.
Alectos stepped back in shock and instinctively objected.
“This is far too risky!”
“And right now, I am the Empire’s wanted ‘traitorous prince.’ Why would they believe a letter from me?”
“Because of their performance these past few days!”
Sylvia struck the point directly.
“They are risking treason by deliberately dragging their feet in the war, all for the sake of preserving their soldiers’ lives.”
“They have already shown their position through their actions.”
“They do not want to shed blood for a usurper.”
Her voice carried a persuasive force.
“This letter is not meant to persuade them.”
“It is meant to give them a way out.”
“It gives them a legitimate reason to save the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers under their command.”
“It gives them a reason to escape the quagmire of this war and stand on the side of justice.”
She stepped forward again, her tone shifting as she addressed Alectos himself.
“And this is also an opportunity for you to reconnect with the Empire’s legions.”
“It is your first step toward transforming from a ‘traitor’ back into a ‘wronged prince.’”
“Will you hide in Winter City and watch your people die for you?”
“Or are you willing to take this risk and save them from the butcher’s blade of the usurper?”
Alectos was deeply shaken by these words.
That was right.
General Ulzok and General Kane were protecting their soldiers.
They were protecting the Empire’s citizens.
And those citizens were his citizens as well.
He had always believed that fleeing to the Northern Territory meant merely prolonging his survival.
But now he realized that he might be able to do far more.
The confusion and shock in Alectos’s eyes gradually faded.
In their place grew an unshakable determination.
He nodded heavily and sat down at the desk Sylvia had prepared.
He picked up the pen.
“Alright.”
…
Soon, Alectos finished writing the letter and set down the pen.
Every word in that letter carried the dignity of a prince and his hopes for the future of the Empire.
He sealed the letter with a special mark and solemnly handed it to Sylvia.
“Your Highness, I entrust this to you.”
In the command room, the veteran general of the Northern Legion, Victor, looked at the letter and shook his head repeatedly.
“Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but this will be extremely difficult.”
He walked to the massive sand table and pointed at the defensive layout of the Demi-Human Empire’s camp.
His voice was heavy.
“Your Highness, look here.”
“There are at least three layers of security around the demi-human camp. Wolf cavalry patrols operate day and night. With both visible and hidden sentries combined, there are over a hundred watch posts.”
“The core area is guarded by high-ranking powerhouses.”
“Any infiltrator would be torn to pieces instantly.”
The old general’s tone was decisive.
“Sending someone to deliver this letter would be no different from a moth flying into a flame.”
Alectos’s heart sank as well.
Of course he understood how difficult this would be.
“General Victor is right. For an ordinary person, this would be an impossible mission.”
However, Sylvia ignored their concerns.
She calmly turned around and looked down at her own shadow.
Under the puzzled gazes of Victor and Alectos, the still shadow began to ripple like water.
It slowly stretched and rose.
Then a graceful figure silently “stood up” from within it.
“Esmeralda.”
Sylvia handed the letter to her.
Her voice was calm but carried an unquestionable command.
“Thank you for your hard work. I need their reply before dawn.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The woman called Esmeralda was Sylvia’s Shadow Guard captain.
She accepted the letter without asking a single question.
She simply bowed slightly.
In the next moment, under the stunned gazes of Victor and Alectos, Esmeralda’s body twisted like a shadow.
Then she vanished into thin air.
The place where she had been standing now contained nothing but a faint ripple in the air.
It was as if no one had ever been there.
“Th-This… what was that?!”
General Victor’s remaining eye widened in shock.
As a Sixth Realm knight, he had not even seen how she had left.
Alectos was even more speechless.
A spatial spell?
No.
There had been no fluctuation of magic at all.
What kind of terrifying ability was that?
Only Logaris West calmly pushed up his glasses.
Clearly, he was already used to scenes like this.
…
The snowy plains outside Bitter Cold Valley.
Under the moonlight, a figure almost perfectly merged with the night raced across the snow.
Esmeralda wore a specially crafted shadow cloak.
She sped across the thick snow without leaving any footprints.
Not even a single swirl of snow followed her steps.
Her breathing, heartbeat, and even the heat emitted by her body were perfectly synchronized with the surrounding frozen environment.
Several demi-human patrol soldiers riding giant wolves galloped past not far from her.
The war wolves sniffed the air intensely.
Yet they discovered nothing.
They had no idea that a “ghost” had just slipped past right under their noses.
Soon, the first security line appeared ahead.
It consisted of tripwires made from beast tendons coated with special alchemical reagents.
Small runic stones capable of sensing vibrations and heat were hung along the wires.
In Esmeralda’s eyes, such things were little more than children’s toys.
She had no intention of avoiding or dismantling them.
She simply walked straight forward.
The moment her body touched the tripwire, it dissolved into a mass of pure flowing shadow.
The shadow slipped beneath the wire.
Then it gathered itself again and reformed into her body.
The entire movement flowed like water.
Not a single alarm was triggered.
“Child’s play.”
Esmeralda even felt slightly bored.
After all, she was the captain of the Shadow Guard.
A woman who had grown up in the shadows.