Chapter Seventy-Six: Abandon the Cart to Save the General

“Attacks aimed at the soul, huh… not bad.”

These humans are indeed a bit interesting, from the invisible threads connecting them to enhance their power, to the recently summoned “Grim Reaper’s Scythe,” all of it piqued Miss Vilyric’s interest.

If there’s a chance, it would be good to study and exchange ideas later.

But not now.

Although the strike from the “Grim Reaper’s Scythe” had impressive results, it seemed to come at significant cost, as they did not continue to maintain their spirit summoning after that. The Ferryman had stopped playing his flute, and the Soul withdrew the sword he had planted in the ground. The shadows dissipated as the twins separated their hands, and the four switched to ordinary combat methods, charging towards the enemy formation.

The addition of four legendary-level powerhouses tilted the scales dramatically. Lan’s troops and the Shadow People seized the opportunity of the enemy’s significant casualties, diving into chaos and fear. They surged forward and utterly crushed the remnants of the fleeing group.

It seems to be over.

Just as Princess Mona said, nothing unexpected happened.

As the dust of battle settled, Vilyric joined Mona near the captured, bound, and despondent civilians. After the slaughter by the “Grim Reaper’s Scythe” and the series of fierce battles, these were the last living souls.

The Inner Guard and the Shadow People quickly got to work on cleaning up the battlefield and inspecting the sealed cargo trucks. By the time Vilyric and the others arrived, Lan was standing before a middle-aged man covered in blood and dirt, expressionless as he spoke to him.

Sensing someone approach, the girl turned her head slightly, her wariness sparked as she locked eyes with the Priestess’ clear silver-blue gaze.

“Miss Vilyric? You came too, I knew you would find your way here…”

Lan’s expression softened slightly as he was about to say something, but then he spotted the blue-haired young girl walking alongside Vilyric. He quickly knelt on one knee, offering standard noble courtesy to the little princess.

“I, Lan Tuls, pay my respects to Princess Mona!”

“Yes, there’s no need for formalities. Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

Vilyric was momentarily stunned by the well-rehearsed exchanges before her. She suddenly realized that Lan, as a direct descendant of the Tuls family, would surely know the former sixth princess, now the queen’s sister, Mona.

Perhaps he even recognized the uniform of the Shadow People, the queen’s direct troops, which is why he allowed them to join the assault.

“So, Lan, can you explain what’s going on? Why did your troops intercept these thieves before us? Where did you get your intel?”

Facing his superior, the unabashed royal authority emanated from Mona. It stood in stark contrast to her laid-back attitude with Vilyric, almost as if she were a different person altogether.

This was due to the disparity in their statuses, but also because of Lan’s identity.

The Tuls family had been involved in quite vile dealings, and Vilyric knew that much. Since Mona had been lurking in Demon Town for a while, she must have understood certain matters long before and had likely gathered enough evidence.

Although nothing was said explicitly, all three present were well aware of this.

After a moment of silence, Lan spoke.

“…To report to Your Highness, the reason I was able to receive the news ahead of time and successfully intercept this group of troublesome rascals is all thanks to the City Lord of Demon Town, Tyler Tuls. He provided me with the exact route and enemy intelligence.”

“Oh?”

The little princess tilted her head in surprise, quickly understanding, her expression turning emotionless as if in some regret.

“Are you sure the ‘truth’ is like this?”

Seeming to grasp the implications behind the blue-haired girl’s words, she nodded without hesitation, her long pigtails gently swaying, her tone steadfast.

“Yes, it was Tyler Tuls who provided the intel.”

“Sigh, very well… I will report the situation truthfully to the king, and she will decide personally. Are you satisfied?”

“Yes, thank you, Princess Mona!”

Lan was overjoyed and quickly bowed his head in gratitude.

What are these two doing? Some kind of encrypted communication?

It was the first time since coming to this world that the Priestess felt like her IQ might be lacking.

As if sensing Vilyric’s confusion, Mona discreetly squeezed her hand and pointed towards the heavily secured cargo trucks, suggesting in a tone that could be described as informative.

“Miss Vilyric, let’s take a look over there first. Don’t disturb Lord Lan while he’s working; let’s not forget what’s most important right now.”

“…? Hmm, alright.”

After exchanging a glance with the bowing, cautious pigtail girl beside her, Vilyric was a bit concerned about what had transpired on her side during the day. However, clearly, some topics weren’t suitable to bring up in front of the princess, so it was fine to discuss them later.

The two moved away, and once they were at a safe distance from Lan, the blue-haired girl chuckled softly.

“Miss Vilyric probably doesn’t quite understand the implications of our earlier conversation, huh? Hehe, that’s normal, of course. You’re not involved in official circles, so some insider info, especially regarding Tyler Tuls, might be unfamiliar to you. There’s no need to feel inferior about it.”

“Uh, how did you know what I was thinking… Well, yes, I don’t really like beating around the bush. So, what’s going on? Didn’t Lan get his intel from Tyler?”

Mona shook her head.

“No, it’s likely that Tyler Tuls did tell him, but to anticipate such a secret escape route and set up an ambush beforehand, that would only be possible for the route designer himself, the City Lord of Demon Town who secretly protects those poaching gangs.”

“Miss Vilyric, there’s an obscure proverb passed down for centuries in the United Kingdom: ‘Abandon the cart to save the general.’ Have you heard of it?”

“Cough… Alright, sounds somewhat familiar. So you’re suggesting that Tyler is the ‘cart’ that’s being cast aside?”

Seeing Vilyric seem to understand something, Mona nodded in satisfaction and continued her explanation.

“The actions of Tyler, or the Tuls family in the north, should be aimed at stirring up conflicts between our nation and the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons, provoking a large-scale war to crush the living forces of the magical beasts, thereby claiming this fertile land for the United Kingdom, or at least suppressing it further.”

“They’ve kept the news tightly under wraps; even my sister initially had no idea of the details. If war truly breaks out and is won, the Tuls family would be the great contributors to expanding our territory. Even if things go awry, they could just bury it under ‘merit over failure’—the famous ‘act first, report later’ scenario.”

The little princess smiled slightly with mockery.

“Such things are not a first in the kingdom’s history. The Tuls family are extreme human supremacists; there are many such people in the United Kingdom. Yet, most of them are indeed absolutely loyal to the kingdom and royal family, their actions for the collective benefit of humanity, so past kings have had no choice but to go along with it as much as possible.”

“But my sister is a different kind of queen. She does not wish to revitalize humanity through such means. The Tuls family could not anticipate that this ornamental princess would quietly slip into the heart of the event right under their noses.”

“The Tuls family cannot and dare not truly defy the royal family. Therefore, the moment I appeared in Demon Town, leading the troops to find the Ghost Thieves, their plan was already destined to fail.”

   

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