Chapter 267: The Fall of the Border 3

Past midnight, Gild made his way toward Fort Phinis alone, masking his presence and slipping through the shadows of the trees.

Though called a “fort,” it was in truth a sprawling and extraordinarily formidable fortress. Its scale was grand enough to withstand a siege for several months should the neighboring empire ever invade.

His task was to scout the situation inside the fortress. Men who possessed sharp night vision, could evade magical detection, and possessed combat prowess well above a certain standard were few and far between. What was more, Gild could distinguish other Northern Immigrants. While the presence of enemy mages was already a massive headache for the Calvert Knights, discovering high-tier combatants among the Northern Immigrants would prove far more perilous.

Neither Margrave Beverly Calvert nor even Clyde or Austin knew of Gild’s true heritage, but Riley—who possessed a rough grasp of the truth—had personally recommended him. The Calvert Knights had been taken aback, some unable to hide their indignation. Yet because the nomination had come from none other than the crown prince, Beverly had given her assent, albeit with a faint look of suspicion. Perhaps she reasoned that even if Gild were to defect, it wouldn't pose any grave threat to them, though Gild naturally harbored no such desire.

“Now then, where should I break in?” Gild muttered to himself.

Gild stroked his chin, surveying the sprawling fortress from afar. He was a mercenary, not a spy. Even so, thanks to his extraordinary physical prowess, he could infiltrate most ordinary forts without breaking a sweat. For someone not in the espionage trade, however, Fort Phinis was a rather challenging nut to crack.

Just then, Gild sensed a presence materialize right beside him. The abruptly appearing aura was instantly familiar; though his guard shot up for a split second, he immediately let the tension drain from his body. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and glanced over his shoulder.

“...Little lady.”

Standing right where he looked was Liliana, without looking the least bit remorseful. Flashing Gild a sweet smile, she stepped toward him with steady, surefooted grace.

“Weren’t you supposed to be resting?” Gild grunted.

“I thought infiltrating all on your own might prove quite difficult for you,” Liliana replied smoothly.

To Gild’s faintly reproachful tone, Liliana offered a nonchalant retort. Her succinct reply made Gild knit his brows in thought. Liliana’s gentle smile appeared no different from usual, yet a distinctly mischievous glint danced in her eyes. After a beat, Gild finally caught on to what she had in mind.

“Hey, you aren’t planning on using magic, are you?”

“Both teleportation and illusion magic are completely at my command. Furthermore, it will make searching for the circles far simpler, will it not?”

Indeed, having Liliana with him would drastically expand their tactical options. On top of that, Gild knew next to nothing about magic. Though he had been entrusted with a diagram of the teleportation circle and a magical tool that would nullify it once placed on top, he had no earthly idea how to tell a teleportation circle apart from any other spell array. While he had breezily assumed with his usual carefree optimism that things would work out somehow, having Liliana by his side was undeniably reassuring.

Gild let out a low rumble from the back of his throat.

From the perspective of a bodyguard, he naturally couldn't permit Liliana to tag along. But before he was Liliana’s guard, Gild was a mercenary. And not just a glory-hound mercenary fighting for renown on the battlefield, but a jack-of-all-trades who did whatever the job required. Therefore, if the best possible solution was staring him right in the face, there was no reason to hesitate. His only lingering concern boiled down to one single question.

“You haven’t told the crown prince, have you?”

“Did you honestly expect me to?”

At Liliana’s utterly nonchalant answer, Gild slouched his shoulders, thinking, I should have known.

Riley had asked him to protect Liliana and keep her from doing anything reckless. Come to think of it, though, Gild hadn't exactly given a hearty promise back then. No matter how one looked at it, restraining Liliana’s movements was simply beyond Gild’s capabilities. If it were the intellectual Olga, that might be one thing, but for a muscle-headed brawler like Gild, the plans Liliana cooked up were always entirely beyond his wildest imagination.

Gild’s hesitation lasted only a fraction of a second.

“Fine, got it.”

Those words were proof of his consent. The corners of Liliana’s lips curved upward in satisfaction. But that satisfaction lasted only a brief moment.

“Where shall we teleport to?” she asked.

“Somewhere deserted, for starters. We need to check if those captured apprentice knights are alive, right? They said they might be held beneath the watchtower, so somewhere around there would be best.”

“A sound plan,” Liliana agreed.

When Gild voiced the thoughts he had been mulling over, Liliana offered no objection. Nodding in agreement, Gild reached out to take Liliana’s extended hand—when suddenly, he reflexively snapped into a combat stance.

A presence he hadn't noticed in the slightest had closed in right beside them.

“My, that sounds like a fascinating conversation.”

The voice was intimately familiar to both Gild and Liliana. Yet it belonged to someone who had no business being here. Even Gild widened his eyes in stunned disbelief, looking down at the slender silhouette stepping out from the gloom. It was none other than the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Slibegrandia.

Gild was struck dumb. Having the crown prince show up in a place he shouldn't be was shocking enough, but the complete absence of any other presence—meaning the prince had brought no royal guards whatsoever—was even more baffling.

Liliana had apparently noticed that Riley was entirely alone as well. Sharpening her tone slightly, she addressed him.

“Will, what happened to your escort?”

“They haven’t noticed,” Riley replied casually. “They likely believe I’m fast asleep in my tent.”

Without showing the slightest concern, Riley stepped right up to Gild and Liliana, narrowing his eyes as he gazed at the fortress looming in the distance. Dressed in sleek black nightwear with his favored sword belted at his hip, it was readily apparent that he fully intended to infiltrate the fort alongside Gild.

“...Aren’t your personal guards all top-notch veterans?” Gild asked.

“Coming from you, Sir Gild, that’s high praise indeed,” Riley answered.

When Gild finally recovered his wits and asked in bewilderment, Riley’s eyes widened for a split second before breaking into a radiant grin. Riley fully acknowledged the extraordinary strength of both Gild and Olga. As such, his voice carried the ring of genuine praise and delight. Gild knitted his brows uncomfortably, but Riley paid his grimace no heed.

“Naturally, when it comes to the crown prince’s guard, only the finest knights are handpicked. Ah, but because I am the crown prince, I don't make a habit of slipping past their watchful eyes under normal circumstances.”

Before the cheerfully speaking Riley, both Liliana and Gild wore expressions that looked as if all the wind had been taken out of their sails.

“...If you’re so used to masking your presence that even I didn't notice, that tells me all I need to know,” Gild muttered dryly.

Gild muttered bitterly in a somewhat roundabout phrasing. Catching his low grumble, Liliana understood roughly what he was driving at.

Gild was a Descendant of Alvaldi, blessed with extraordinary physical abilities. Consequently, not only were his five senses supernatural, but his ability to detect the presence of others was remarkably acute. Even when Liliana employed illusion magic, he could discern her presence almost instantly.

Yet Riley was capable of erasing his presence entirely without relying on magic to a degree that even Gild could not detect.

“And what, pray tell, do you intend to accomplish by slipping out using a skill you so rarely employ?” Liliana inquired.

Liliana asked, conveniently ignoring her own escapade. Gild shot her an exasperated look that spoke volumes—Look who’s talking, you snuck out too. Liliana blithely ignored his gaze. Unfazed by Liliana’s accusatory stare, Riley offered a lighthearted reply.

“I thought having me along might prove useful in more ways than one. After all, neither you nor Sir Gild have ever seen the interior of Fort Phinis, nor do you know the faces of the apprentice knights.”

That was undeniably true. Still, they had already received a detailed briefing on the fortress’s layout beforehand, and the apprentice knights ought to be wearing Calvert Knight uniforms, making them identifiable at a glance.

“I have visited Fort Phinis several times in the past. Having seen the faces of the apprentice knights captured this time, even if they have been stripped of their armor, forced to change clothes—or even if only their severed heads remain—I can identify them immediately.”

Riley’s somber addition echoed heavily in their ears.

In other words, Riley was factoring in the grim possibility that the captives were already dead. It was a reasonable assumption. Mere apprentice knights held little value as hostages, and fortress food rations were strictly limited. Though only a few days had passed since the fort fell, one could not rule out the possibility that the enemy commander had deemed them expendable and executed them.

Gild made no attempt to hide his grim scowl, while Liliana let her smile fade, gazing straight into Riley’s eyes.

“Besides,” Riley continued.

Having worn a solemn expression until now, Riley lifted the corners of his lips with a hint of amusement.

“The neighboring lord is an upstart who knows nothing of the terror of the Calvert Knights—or rather, of Margrave Calvert herself. In that case, I thought it best to teach them that the crown prince is not an adversary to be taken lightly either.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?” Gild grunted.

Gild grimaced and cocked his head. In the past, whenever Gild had a question, he would always ask Liliana rather than Riley. Ever since their conversations increased during the Northern Immigrant trafficking affair, however, he had taken to posing questions directly to the prince. Nor did Riley ever dismiss him, always answering with thorough courtesy.

“The late king was hailed as the Wise King, but his martial valor was just as widely lauded. In his younger days, he was known to ride at the very vanguard of the battlefield. That valiant figure was burned deep into the memories of the empire’s older generation.”

For that reason, no matter how fiercely the grandees of the Yunatian Empire desired to bring the Kingdom of Slibegrandia under their dominion, fear of fierce retaliation and counterstrikes kept them from recklessly launching an invasion. Even as they watched like hawks for Slibegrandia to weaken, the late king and his brilliant retainers consistently nipped any foreign threats in the bud. As a result, even during the civil upheaval twenty-six years ago, the Yunatian Empire had not dared to invade.

Now that the late king had passed away and the balance of power in the royal court had shifted, however, the empire’s deeply rooted wariness was gradually eroding.

“Two years ago, neighboring lords raided Margrave Kennys’s domain, and now they have launched an assault on Margrave Calvert’s territory, with Fort Phinis falling into their hands. Of course, I never bought House Yunakaitis’s excuse that the raid on Kennys lands was merely an unauthorized rogue action by local lords, but it was difficult to gauge just how serious their invasion intent truly was.”

Judging not only from this incident but from various pieces of gathered intelligence, Riley had concluded that the Yunatian Empire was preparing to intervene in the Kingdom of Slibegrandia in earnest. Naturally, very few individuals were privy to this assessment.

“The only ones who know this are Austin, Clyde, and the two of you, so keep it strictly between us.”

At once, Gild’s face contorted into a profound scowl. I didn't want to know any state secrets, was written in plain letters across his face. Reading his expression, Riley’s smile widened. Though he said nothing, he looked at Gild with eyes that clearly said, You’re an accomplice now.

Having caught the prince’s unspoken message loud and clear, Gild let out a sharp, clicking tut of his tongue. He looked thoroughly annoyed, though it wasn't as if he genuinely harbored ill will toward Riley. Gild simply despised being dragged into the burdensome affairs of state.

“So while we’re reclaiming Phinis, I intend to demonstrate to them that making an enemy of Slibegrandia yields no profit whatsoever.”

“I understand your reasoning,” Liliana said.

Having remained silent until now, Liliana finally spoke up. While her expression showed little change from normal, she had reached a point of resigned acceptance, knowing that further attempts to dissuade Riley would be utterly futile.

“We have little time, so let us make haste.”

“Quite right. How did you two plan on getting in?” Riley asked.

Riley directed an inquiring gaze between Gild and Liliana. Gild did not answer immediately, shooting a sour look at Liliana before answering with an exasperated sigh.

“I was gonna carry the little lady.”

Liliana was gifted in magic, but physically she was no different from any ordinary noble lady. Although she engaged in light exercise, scaling the walls of a fortress on her own was out of the question. Had Riley not shown up, she could have slipped inside in the blink of an eye with teleportation magic—a fact that made both Gild and Liliana sigh inwardly.

Just then, however, Riley casually posed a question.

“Sasha, are you unable to use teleportation magic?”

Liliana reflexively looked up at Riley’s face. Riley was smiling gently, yet his gaze was locked straight onto her. In his eyes shone a gleam that bordered on certainty—a quiet conviction that Liliana was indeed capable of teleportation.

“Whatever makes you think that?”

“No profound reason,” Riley answered smoothly. “Director Ben Draco and Lady Petra can both use teleportation magic. And since those two name you as a mage superior even to themselves, I merely thought you might be capable of it as well.”

Without letting her expression waver in the slightest, Liliana stared into Riley’s eyes. Riley, too, quietly held her gaze in return.

—-

Toc