Hundreds of miles away from the capital was a valley where Lin’s caravan stopped and set up.
This place was remote and sparsely populated, populated only by overgrown shrubs and savage beasts, with a mist that lingered all year round.
Three large mountains surrounded the valley, leaving a 100 square meter basin with a rugged, narrow road running through it.
Bella was in favor of Lin's decision, and she suppressed all the objections anyone else in the caravan might have had.
Some people thought that Lin's move was a waste of time, and they doubted whether it was necessary to go to this extent.
Lin didn't pay too much attention to these skeptical voices. He was moving the alchemy props he had brought and set them up around the valley, with Shire helping him and Bella directing the magicians on what to do.
"Is this poison?" Keenly sensing the contents, Shire guessed.
Lin buried a glass tube filled with red liquid into the small hole that Hiel had just dug, "Yes, this is quite a simple device. After being subjected to sudden pressure the glass tube will rupture and the poison inside will vaporize and escape. Under normal circumstances this poison has a limited effect on powerful knights, but not if they are injured."
Seeing Lin's smile, Shire shuddered. She knew that her savior was about to prepare a nasty surprise.
......
Ten miles away from the valley, on the main road, a small carriage was blazing forward, its speed already reaching the limit the frame could bear.
Three people sat in this vehicle, two limp bodies of heavily armed knights as well as a slightly older caretaker.
Being the king's wild card, the abilities of these soldiers were too strong resulting in their brains not working too well. Every time they went out on a mission, they needed someone to command them.
The steward called Anjamin looked at the mountains that kept closing in with a vague sense of uneasiness, feeling that there was something bad waiting for him.
However, reminding himself that he had two powerful sixth-column dead soldiers by his side, calmed him down.
What was the sixth column, exactly?
The Sixth Column was one of the elite forces this small kingdom had. There were less than twenty people ranking above the Sixth Column, and many of these strong people were still tied up in the frontlines, unable to withdraw.
"With this we can slaughter both the little princess and her guards. Not even his highness Lin can stop us. What would it even take to beat us?"
Muttering reassurances, Anjamin slowly regained his confidence.
He slowed down as they entered the valley, causing the two to jerk alert.
In her place, he would have ambushed them right here, so they would not have been able to keep tailing them.
He really didn't think that a cute little princess would come to the same kind of conclusion, The advantage belonged to him, surely.
As the vehicle closed in, it didn't take him long to see the caravan parked in the center of the valley, with a number of people cooking next to it, having only just started a fire.
Seemingly noticing the arrival of the uninvited guests, the knights drew their longswords and looked to meet them.
"Quickly, charge and kill them!"
Taking advantage of the opening, Anjamin did not think much aiming to exploit the enemy’s lowered guard to kill them all
Following his order, the two knights in the car instantly rushed out, exposing their superhuman strength and speed.
"Rumble!"
A single moment later, countless magic circles lit up underneath their feet, and they were submerged in the pillars of light before they could flee.
"Rumble!"
The rumbling sound kept going on and on as the red mist replaced the white fog of the valley.
Anjamin sat frozen in the carriage with his mouth agape, unable to say anything. He knew that his life was nearing the end as the magic did its job.
......
[Destination: Miles Kingdom]
[Main Task: Explore the secrets of the third prince of Miles, Lin Kleist, and if possible, capture him alive and bring him to the empire].
[Mission Duration: One month]
[Secondary objective: Accelerate the downfall of the Miles Kingdom and create a casus belli.]
[Time: Unlimited]
[Recon: The target and his accolades have escaped the capital and are currently traveling to the northern territory of Miles.]
"Her Majesty the Empress is really deadset on this man. Why would this deadbeat of a prince be so important? Might as well give me a vacation at this point."
The young girl put away the mission briefing on the communications panel after reading it. This was the latest invention of the empire that made ultra-long-distance communications possible. It was currently in the process of being spread abroad.
She stretched, showing off her bombshell figure, her long white hair pouring down her shoulders as two pointy ears parted it.
She was an elven spy.
She worked exclusively for the Empress, and was responsible for missions that include but are not limited to; assassinations, brutal murders, and assaults in broad daylight.
Her body was delicate, but at the same time emanated violence, not letting any "reason" be ascertained by observing her actions. The perfect kind of aesthetic to conceal secrets.
According to her plan, it would be best to knock out Lin the moment she sees him and then take him in.
As for the secondary objective, it was even simpler. Just a simple act of subterfuge could be used as an excuse to get Artus to send troops to the Miles Kingdom and open up the road south.
The peaceful times were over - she could clearly feel the tide of chaos rising.
The empress had aspirations of ruling the world, while she just wanted to have fun in the meantime.
After departing the elven village she realized that the outside world was more interesting than expected - every day there was something different going on.
"Let me think about what I should do, how about pretending to be a slave and letting that deadbeat buy me back? I’ve heard that humans like elven slaves. Gehehe."
As the elf giggled happily at the thought of mischief, her chest shook in a rhythm.
She decided that the name of the plan would be "Operation: Slave Elf"
First, she would disguise herself as a slave to lure this so-called prince, and then when he least expected it, attack him, knock him unconscious, and by the time he woke up, he would already be at the Imperial Prison.
This kind of feeling of being one step closer to both heaven and hell was ecstatic indeed.
"Hee hee ......"
The young girl laughed cheekily as she crossed the border of Miles.
She had to go and make some preparations first so that the originally boring quest could be made fun.
......
"Gasp, has it suddenly cooled down?"
Lin shivered as he gazed at the explosions in the valley below, a faint uneasiness welling up in his heart - he felt as if he was being targeted by something dangerous.
The explosions below gradually subsided, and according to Lin's estimation, the intruders below would have to be crippled if not dead and should lack the strength to resist.
Just to be on the safe side, he had the knights ready to charge the moment the magic stopped.