Chapter 272: The Fall of the Border 8

Liliana and the others made their way toward the barracks that formed the core of the fortress.

In a standard stronghold, the barracks would be situated along the perimeter while the lord’s residence occupied the center. Here, however, owing to its nature as a fortress, the entire layout was designed around military utility.

“The enemy commander is most likely in the central tower,” Riley whispered, gazing upward from behind cover.

As Gild and Liliana followed his gaze, they saw a tower standing slightly lower than the watchtower. Radiating outward from this central structure were lower wings extending in four directions. Though a somewhat unusual layout, it made complete strategic sense, allowing forces to concentrate quickly in any direction across the sprawling grounds without delay.

“We breaking into that tower?” Gild asked.

“Teleportation circles are expensive even in the empire,” Riley explained. “If it’s been moved, it’s far more likely to be kept with someone of high rank rather than in a place accessible to common soldiers.”

However, Gild did not seem fully convinced by Riley’s reasoning.

“Meaning supplies and extra troops might be teleporting directly into that tower?”

“When that time comes, I imagine they’d move the circle to a suitable location,” Riley replied.

Under normal circumstances, a teleportation circle could not be easily moved. That was precisely why Riley and the others had initially assumed it would be found where it had first been brought in.

Yet the circle was nowhere to be found in the most likely entry points. If so, one had to consider that the enemy had not brought in an ordinary teleportation circle.

As a practical matter, the development of easily transportable teleportation circles had long been coveted. In fact, though they had already been captured and sentenced, Director Nicholas Bergson and the sorcerer Barry from the Ministry of Magic had labored on developing mobile teleportation circles, achieving a measure of success. Since Barry and his cohort had succeeded in miniaturizing them to a certain degree, there was no reason the neighboring empire couldn’t have done the same.

Even so, doubts remained.

“Though a miniaturized teleportation circle shouldn’t be enough to transport large quantities of troops or supplies,” Riley muttered, almost to himself.

Liliana gave a small nod at his soliloquy-like mutter.

The smaller a teleportation circle became, the less mass it could transport. Depending on its size and the intricacy of the spell formula engraved on it, its capacity would likely max out at a handful of soldiers or weapons for a dozen men at most.

There was a possibility that scouts had been sent into the fortress in small increments, and if the sole goal was capturing the fortress, that would have been more than enough. Infiltrating a few scouts to exploit internal complacency and whittle down enemy strength was standard doctrine.

By blending in unnoticed and throwing open the gates from the inside the moment their main force attacked, a fortress would be rendered completely useless.

Even so, it remained hard to believe that the formidable Calvert Knights had lost the fortress in a single night. It was almost certain that the enemy had employed additional schemes beyond merely sending in scouts via a teleportation circle.

“Let’s just go check it out. Standing here racking our brains won’t get us anywhere,” Gild grunted.

“Yeah, you’re right. The number of sentries will probably increase the higher we go, which means combat is inevitable. For now, Sasha, prioritize protecting yourself,” Riley said, turning to Liliana with a serious tone.

Liliana offered a nod in return.

However, she had no intention whatsoever of staying meekly on the sidelines.

“As you are the crown prince, you must ensure you leave here without a single scratch. Allowing yourself to be captured is entirely out of the question,” Liliana stated firmly.

“Of course,” Riley replied.

It was unthinkable for the crown prince to infiltrate an enemy-occupied fortress only to be taken prisoner, let alone lose his life. Should the crown prince be captured, the kingdom would lose all diplomatic leverage and be left with no choice but to submit to the empire.

“Realistically, the odds of dying are probably higher than being captured. The enemy would never dream the crown prince himself had sneaked in,” Riley added with a wry smile.

“So I’ll be as careful as possible,” he said. Liliana couldn’t help shooting him an exasperated look, but whether Riley genuinely failed to notice or simply chose to ignore it, he stood up without another word.

“All right, so we head up that tower and make whatever pompous bastard is up there talk,” Gild said.

Flashing a sinister grin, Gild stood up.

Liliana followed suit and began moving alongside them. While navigating the outdoors, the unfamiliar, rough terrain had forced her to rely on Gild and Riley’s assistance, but the interior of the fortress was paved to a decent standard. No matter how dark it might be, her magic could ensure adequate visibility.

They approached the single-story wing leading to the tower. Though human presence lingered, there was no sign of anyone awake or moving about. Still taking precautions by slipping between shadows and masking their presence, the three pressed on toward the tower.

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Passing through the wing where the knights and soldiers were quartered, the three reached the tower standing in the center. The tower rose from the middle of a courtyard surrounded on all four sides by low buildings. Concealing their presence as they scoped out the situation, they spotted two sentries posted at the tower entrance.

“They’re sure being thorough,” Gild murmured in a hushed whisper.

Although the fortress itself was occupied territory, the area surrounding the tower was already reinforced with their own knights and soldiers. Posting sentries at the tower itself despite that was undeniable proof that the commander was either extraordinarily paranoid or guarding something so vital that no amount of vigilance was considered excessive.

Liliana and Riley briefly exchanged looks. That single glance was enough for each to read the other’s thoughts.

A near certainty blossomed in both their minds: the teleportation circle was almost definitely inside this tower.

“I’ll go take those two down real quick,” Gild whispered without missing a beat.

Without the slightest sign of tension, he crept silently behind the sentries. Closing in on the two soldiers without making a sound, he brought the edge of his palms down against the nape of their necks. Unable to even utter a groan, the sentries instantly lost consciousness.

“Impressive as always,” Riley whispered with an amused grin.

Timing their move for the moment Gild pulled the tower door open, Riley and Liliana trotted briskly over to the tower.

“The enemy commander should be up above,” Riley said.

“Got it,” Gild replied.

Gild nodded at Riley’s words. The chambers on the upper floors of the tower were furnished for dignitaries, and before the enemy occupation, they had served as Margrave Calvert’s accommodations during visits to the fortress.

Given the military nature of the fortress, they were hardly lavish, but compared to the rest of the facility, the furnishings were on an entirely different level of refinement.

“For a fortress, it’s pretty cramped. You sure there’s really a teleportation circle in a place like this?”

A stone spiral staircase was built into the center of the tower. Ascending the steps in single file, Gild knitted his brows skeptically.

The tower was not particularly spacious and was partitioned into even smaller rooms, making it hard to imagine how a teleportation circle—which required a substantial footprint—could be set up here.

Gild’s doubt was natural, but Riley quietly shook his head.

“The top floor is a single open chamber. It’s considerably larger than the small rooms we’ve seen so far.”

“Huh.”

“I see,” Gild grunted with understanding.

Having spent his life working as a mercenary, Gild had little familiarity with the layout of such strongholds. Mercenaries were common grunts and never allowed anywhere near the headquarters of commanders.

The three ascended the stairs as quickly as possible. Compared to the mercenary Gild or Riley who trained diligently every day, Liliana naturally lacked physical stamina. But by supplementing her strength with magic, she managed to keep pace with the two men. From time to time, Riley looked back with concern and asked if she was all right, but she had no need for assistance.

After confirming that no teleportation circles were in the intermediate chambers or the workspaces between floors, they reached the landing just below the top floor. Crouching low, Gild raised his right palm toward Liliana and Riley, signaling them to stop.

“I sense people,” Gild whispered, taking a step back to murmur in their ears.

It appeared there was a night watch on the top floor as well.

Thinking how excessively thorough the security was, Liliana checked whether any sort of magic or curse was active.

“There are no traces of active magic or curses,” Liliana whispered back to Gild and Riley.

At her words, Gild tensed his entire body, while Riley rested a hand on the sword at his hip. Perhaps because a longsword was disadvantageous under low ceilings, the weapon Riley carried had a relatively short blade.

“I take down the guards and we barge straight into the room—sound good?” Gild asked.

“Yes,” Riley agreed.

Having received confirmation from Riley, Gild vanished from the spot in the very next instant. Closing the distance before the sentries could even register their presence, he drove a vicious, gouging punch into their abdomens. Sinking in with a dull thud, his fists robbed the burly men of consciousness with a single blow each.

It was such a lightning-fast feat that neither Riley nor Liliana had any turn to act. Still keeping watch to ensure no enemies approached from behind, Riley let out a quiet breath.

“...I already knew it, but having Lord Gild around really is worth a hundred men.”

“Indeed, truly so,” Liliana concurred.

Ordinary knights and soldiers stood no chance against Gild. Both of them were well aware of his prowess, but they hadn’t expected his strength to prove so invaluable during covert infiltration as well.

“Done,” Gild called out.

Even before Gild finished speaking, Liliana and Riley finished climbing the stairs and stood before the door.

Having knocked the two sentries unconscious, Gild swiftly bound them with a length of rope found nearby. While it hadn’t been a full-blown brawl, some noise had inevitably been made, yet there was no sign of anyone moving inside the chamber.

Riley glared at the door, while Liliana silently located the figures inside using chantless detection magic.

“I sense someone awake in there,” Riley muttered.

Liliana nodded. Though no conspicuous presence was being projected, Liliana’s senses captured the silhouettes moving beyond the wall and door—specifically, the body heat and mana enveloping the human occupants.

Able to sense a presence but unable to determine their specific positions or movements, Riley glanced sideways at Liliana.

“I believe there are two of them. What do you think?” Riley asked.

His wording suggested he knew Liliana could perceive beyond the wall, but Liliana did not answer. She had no desire whatsoever to explicitly state what she was sensing. Having finished tying up the unconscious sentries, Gild stood up, glanced toward the door, and answered Riley in Liliana’s stead.

“I reckon so too. And both of ’em seem to be awake. Smells damn heavily like booze in there, though.”

“Quite leisurely for people who might be attacked tomorrow,” Riley remarked.

Gild’s sharp sense of smell had evidently caught the scent of liquor. At his words, Riley raised an eyebrow in exasperation.

If they were drunk, however, that made things simple. Even if it turned into a brawl, they wouldn’t be able to move properly against sober fighters like Gild, Riley, and Liliana.

“Shall we? Sasha, stay in the back,” Riley instructed.

Liliana nodded at Riley’s instruction. She knew it was intended to keep her as far from danger as possible, but mages were naturally assigned to the rear guard on the battlefield anyway—comparable to archers or slingers. While she could use magic in close quarters without issue, searching for the teleportation circle while Riley and Gild engaged the two occupants was far more important.

Riley drew his sword. Gild assumed a fighting stance, and in the very next instant—the three smashed through the locked door and stormed into the room.

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Toc