Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ferde Wilderness, Dusk .

There were over 15 of these infiltrators . They moved at an extremely fast speed and scattered the moment they entered the territory . When Link was running up the small hill on the Wind Fenrir, the fastest one was already more than 150 feet away .

Furthermore, these infiltrators were making use of the Ferde Wilderness' terrain to hide themselves from Link's vision .

Link glanced around before decisively charging towards a figure in the front .

From the sneak attack previously, the leader of this mission said only a total of two words . He even snuck into the crowd before giving the signal to begin and wore the same black leather armor as his other underlings . However, Link had already detected the faint fluctuations in his Battle Aura and locked onto his target .

This black leather armored infiltrator was running for his life across the Ferde Wilderness . He would look behind him every so often while wearing an expression of panic .

The distance between Link and himself gradually closed up from 150 feet to 135 feet, and then, 120 feet . The area in front of them was an open field and no longer provided any form of shelter for the infiltrators . Link was prepared to land the first strike .

However, Celine, who was currently in his arms suddenly shouted, "Link, stop! It's dangerous!"

Link had a shred of doubt in his heart when he saw the fl.u.s.tered expression and movements of this infiltrator . He seemed completely different from the time when he calmly commanded the infiltration scheme . He should have been a lot more composed .

Link hence suspected that he was merely putting up an act .

Celine's warning then further proved his suspicions, and he immediately pulled the Wind Fenrir to a stop .

The moment he halted his movements, Link could feel a faint magic fluctuation emanating from the ground . He then cast an Eagle's Eye spell on himself and observed the peculiarities on the ground . What he saw came as a great shock to him .

Through the thin layer of gravel on the ground cleverly used as a disguise, Link saw a sinister, dark-colored glow which exuded an extremely faint dark energy . From the fluctuations, it was a dark magic circle Level-6 in strength!

If Celine had not warned him about the dangers, he would have not noticed this faint fluctuation and would have rushed right into this magic circle . Following which, both of them would be gravely injured if he had failed to react in time to this trap .

Link felt a s.h.i.+ver down his spine .

He then looked around for the leader of the infiltrators, but he was already nowhere to be found . The leader had kept his full power hidden previously . However, the moment he realized that his trump card had not worked to his favor, he immediately made the decision to escape .

The traveling speed of these infiltrators was outrageous as well; they were no slower than the ghouls in the Dark Forest .

Who the h.e.l.l are these guys? How strong are they? Link still had many questions he still had not figured out . Although Wavier's name was on the letter, Link felt that it was only a framing technique employed by the infiltrators .

"How sinister!" Link frowned . He then moved a total distance of 30 feet backwards before firing a Gla.s.s...o...b..towards the dark magic circle .

Boom! The magic circle was activated, and a 15-foot-tall pillar of ghastly blue flames erupted from the ground . It then rose to a height of 90 feet before disintegrating slowly . Despite being more than 30 feet away from the heart of the spell, Link could still feel the heatwaves on his skin .

"Level-6 spell, the Heart of the Abyss . " Link heaved a sigh of relief and felt Celine trembling from behind . He then held her hand and comforted, "It's okay . Even if we stepped on it, I would transport you away using teleportation . "

Celine merely nodded before saying, "Link, will my nightmare really come true?"

She was starting to understand her newfound strength better . She realized that in the face of imminent danger, an extremely clear premonition would appear in the mind, even to the point of generating a clear image in her head . Previously, she stopped Link simply because she saw the ghastly blue pillar of flames in her mind .

Link then a.s.sured, "It will not . From the moment you told me the nightmare, the future had already begun to change . "

As Link spoke, he gazed in the direction of the port . From that direction, he could not feel the presence of the High Elf Princess Milda . He thus had no more clues on where to carry on the search .

Link then rode the Wind Fenrir back down the hill and ordered it to circle the area while he carefully observed its perimeter .

"There are 35 crossbow arrows on the ground . The opponent had only fired 22 crossbow arrows previously . The remaining 13 should be the ones that were fired when Milda pa.s.sed through . However, there are no remnants of any magic fluctuations in this area . The two High Elves seemed to have disappeared into thin air…Wait, this is a blood stain!"

Link concentrated and willed a few gravel on the ground towards him . He then observed the blood stains on the rocks . They were dark red in color, similar to the blood stains of humans . He then placed them close to his nose and picked up a faint forest fragrance from the rocks .

"This is blood from the High Elves . They must be injured . "

"But where did they go?" Celine asked while frowning .

"They must have used a transportation spell . However, the furthest distance of a transportation spell is no more than a mile . They must have continued escaping on foot after that . We have no idea where they went . "

Although a mile was not a far distance, the other party was injured and in a state of panic . They would only be concentrating on their own survival and would do anything possible to conceal their presence . They would also run as far away from the battle site as possible, making it difficult for anyone to locate them .

Link was wondering if Milda would even accuse him of being the mastermind behind this a.s.sa.s.sination, causing her to avoid him all the more .

However, the problem lay with the a.s.sa.s.sins . They must also be looking for the High Elves . Judging from their injuries, they would be doomed if they were ever discovered by the enemy .

They had gone missing on his territory, and Princess Milda was coincidentally the eldest daughter of the High Elf queen . She was also the top candidate for the next elf queen . If he could not bring her back safely to the Isle of Dawn, he would have no end of it from the High Elves .

After thinking for a moment, Link turned and bolted straight towards the coastline .

He possessed the fresh blood of a High Elf . While this might be useless in his hands, Vance might be able to track a person using this blood . As long as he could determine Milda's exact location, he could travel there and rescue her immediately .

As Link thought, he increased the speed of the Wind Fenrir and ran at full speed towards Vance .

However, Link stopped merely after a few steps . He then hesitated for a while before charging in the opposite direction straight towards Scorched Ridge .

"Weren't you prepared to find Vance? Why have you turned back?" Celine said . She truly was an intelligent woman . She had already guessed Link's intention despite his silence all this while .

Link then shook his head as he said, "My return trip to Scorched Ridge is an impromptu decision . The enemy's sneak attack will naturally be an impromptu one as well . However, you predicted in your nightmare that the territory would be in great danger . It is not worth it to save a High Elf Princess in exchange for over 8000 lives on the territory . "

The refugees from the Delonga Kingdom had been traveling north in big batches towards the Ferde Wilderness . Merchant Warter had also been extremely efficient in bringing in slaves which caused the population of the territory to rocket upwards . Scorched Ridge was now a little town of nearly 10000 residents .

"But if the High Elf Princess were to die, you would be in trouble . "

"That is indeed troubling, but the High Elves has more than one princess . " Link had clearly thought this through .

This was an impromptu attack . The enemy had already managed to set-up an ambush party and even drew up a Level-6 magic circle . Both of them required delicate planning, craftsmans.h.i.+p, and more importantly, time . They should not be able to launch an attack on both sides in a short amount of time .

Since Milda had already suffered the brunt of the attack, Romilson should be safe . He should already be brought back safely to the territory by the two Master Magicians .

Romilson would then become Link's perfect alibi . This was because Link had stayed with them the entire time since East Cove Higher Magic Academy and had no time to arrange such a complicated set-up .

It was this exact thought that helped Link make the decision to give up on rescuing the princess and protect his own territory instead . Politics was all about interests after all . As the lord of the territory, Link was responsible for the safety of his residents .

The return trip to the territory was smooth . Traveling at the top speed of the Wind Fenrir, they reached the east gate of the camp around five minutes later .

At this moment, the sky had already darkened, and the east gate was closed . There was a large number of soldiers patrolling the castle walls . Link then cast an illumination spell on himself to reveal his ident.i.ty .

"It's me . "

Link did not wait for the soldiers to open the door . He commanded the Wind Fenrir to leap forward . The moment the Wind Fenrir was airborne, he then cast a Weight Reducing spell on it, allowing it to leap to a height sixty feet tall . The Wind Fenrir then leaped comfortably over the castle wall without any obstructions .

The security within the camp was also heightened . The moment Link entered the camp, he immediately canceled the casting of Wind Fenrir and whispered to Celine, "Follow me closely, don't get lost . "

He felt that the entire Scorched Ridge was unsafe .

"I know . " Celine followed closely behind Link .

After a few steps, Gildern came forward to welcome them . Link then asked, "Has Master Grenci returned?"

Gildern then reported the good news, "Master Grenci, Master Ferdinand, and the High Elf named Romilson are all back safely . "

Link immediately felt rejuvenated and said, "That's great . Where are they now?"

"Inside Master Grenci's abode . "

Link then felt a weight lifted off his shoulders and asked, "What about Dorias, is he back?"

Gildern then had a worried expression on his face as he said, "We can't seem to find him anywhere . He would usually be back by this time . We have no idea where he went . "

"Understood . " Link could not do anything about this issue either . A tiger with such a monstrous size and outrageous speed would be impossible to find in the night . He could only pray for his safety .

Link then took Celine towards the Magician's residential area in the Scorched Ridge . The Scorched Ridge was only a few hundred feet in radius . They reached Master Grenci's quarters within three minutes .

After a few knocks, the door opened as Grenci's weathered face appeared behind the door . He then glanced around, seemingly searching for the High Elves . A frown then appeared on his face as he said, "Something happened?"

Link nodded as he took out the rocks stained with blood and said, "Celine and I gave chase and were ambushed by a team of a.s.sa.s.sins . After defeating them, I found this on the ground . It should be clear that Princess Milda and Latour suffered injuries from the ambush and left using a transportation spell . As for their exact location, we were not able to locate them . "

"Please come in . " Grenci then invited them in .

Link saw Romilson the moment he entered the room . Romilson was completely pale and even had a blood stain on his elbow . He looked disheveled and seemed to have gone through some tough times . Upon seeing Link, he instinctively searched the room and asked with a hoa.r.s.e voice, "Where is the princess? Why didn't she come back?"

"This was all I found when I arrived . " Link then placed all the rocks stained with blood on the table .

Romilson face grew even paler as he grabbed these rocks and sniffed them as if in a trance . Half a minute later, with G.o.d knows what method, he muttered, "Latour is already dead, his blood is not showing any signs of life . The princess is still alive, though she has suffered heavy injuries . This will not do; I have to find her now . "

"How will you do that? I believe you have met those a.s.sa.s.sins as well; how will you deal with 15 a.s.sa.s.sins at once?" Link asked .

"There are 15 of them?" Romilson was close to losing his consciousness from the shock . He had met four a.s.sa.s.sins on his way to the academy and was already lucky to escape alive . If not for the timely arrival of Master Grenci and Master Ferdinand, he would definitely be dead . Going through with this mission with the knowledge that 15 a.s.sa.s.sins were lying in wait would simply be suicide .

However, the princess must not die . If the princess died while he stayed alive, he would become the disgrace of his family!

"I have to rescue her! The princess' blood can guide me towards her; I will be able to find her!" Romilson stood up and was prepared to leave .

Link was just about to stop him when roaring sounds could be heard from outside the door, "Enemy…!"

After only half a sentence, the voice seemed to be cut off by some sinister force .

"Arrgghh! Uhh!"

A large number of screams could be heard . The frequency and despair from those screams were enough to make anyone's hair stand on end .

Chapter 249 There Is More Than One High Elf PrincessTranslator Nyoi Bo Studio Editor Nyoi Bo StudioFerde Wilderness, Dusk . There were over 15 of these infiltrators . They moved at an extremely fast speed and scattered the moment they entered the territory . When Link was running up the small hill on the Wind Fenrir, the fastest one was already more than 150 feet away . Furthermore, these infiltrators were making use of the Ferde Wilderness terrain to hide themselves from Link s vision . Link glanced around before decisively charging towards a figure in the front . From the sneak attack previously, the leader of this mission said only a total of two words . He even snuck into the crowd before giving the signal to begin and wore the same black leather armor as his other underlings . However, Link had already detected the faint fluctuations in his Battle Aura and locked onto his target . This black leather armored infiltrator was running for his life across the Ferde Wilderness . He would look behind him every so often while wearing an expression of panic . The distance between Link and himself gradually closed up from 150 feet to 135 feet, and then, 120 feet . The area in front of them was an open field and no longer provided any form of shelter for the infiltrators . Link was prepared to land the first strike . However, Celine, who was currently in his arms suddenly shouted, Link, stop It s dangerous Link had a shred of doubt in his heart when he saw the fl.u.s.tered expression and movements of this infiltrator . He seemed completely different from the time when he calmly commanded the infiltration scheme . He should have been a lot more composed . Link hence suspected that he was merely putting up an act . Celine s warning then further proved his suspicions, and he immediately pulled the Wind Fenrir to a stop . The moment he halted his movements, Link could feel a faint magic fluctuation emanating from the ground . He then cast an Eagle s Eye spell on himself and observed the peculiarities on the ground . What he saw came as a great shock to him . Through the thin layer of gravel on the ground cleverly used as a disguise, Link saw a sinister, dark colored glow which exuded an extremely faint dark energy . From the fluctuations, it was a dark magic circle Level 6 in strength If Celine had not warned him about the dangers, he would have not noticed this faint fluctuation and would have rushed right into this magic circle . Following which, both of them would be gravely injured if he had failed to react in time to this trap . Link felt a s.h.i.+ver down his spine . He then looked around for the leader of the infiltrators, but he was already nowhere to be found . The leader had kept his full power hidden previously . However, the moment he realized that his trump card had not worked to his favor, he immediately made the decision to escape . The traveling speed of these infiltrators was outrageous as well they were no slower than the ghouls in the Dark Forest . Who the h.e.l.l are these guys How strong are they Link still had many questions he still had not figured out . Although Wavier s name was on the letter, Link felt that it was only a framing technique employed by the infiltrators . How sinister Link frowned . He then moved a total distance of 30 feet backwards before firing a Gla.s.s...o...b..towards the dark magic circle . Boom The magic circle was activated, and a 15 foot tall pillar of ghastly blue flames erupted from the ground . It then rose to a height of 90 feet before disintegrating slowly . Despite being more than 30 feet away from the heart of the spell, Link could still feel the heatwaves on his skin . Level 6 spell, the Heart of the Abyss . Link heaved a sigh of relief and felt Celine trembling from behind . He then held her hand and comforted, It s okay . Even if we stepped on it, I would transport you away using teleportation . Celine merely nodded before saying, Link, will my nightmare really come true She was starting to understand her newfound strength better . She realized that in the face of imminent danger, an extremely clear premonition would appear in the mind, even to the point of generating a clear image in her head . Previously, she stopped Link simply because she saw the ghastly blue pillar of flames in her mind . Link then a.s.sured, It will not . From the moment you told me the nightmare, the future had already begun to change . As Link spoke, he gazed in the direction of the port . From that direction, he could not feel the presence of the High Elf Princess Milda . He thus had no more clues on where to carry on the search . Link then rode the Wind Fenrir back down the hill and ordered it to circle the area while he carefully observed its perimeter . There are 35 crossbow arrows on the ground . The opponent had only fired 22 crossbow arrows previously . The remaining 13 should be the ones that were fired when Milda pa.s.sed through . However, there are no remnants of any magic fluctuations in this area . The two High Elves seemed to have disappeared into thin air Wait, this is a blood stain Link concentrated and willed a few gravel on the ground towards him . He then observed the blood stains on the rocks . They were dark red in color, similar to the blood stains of humans . He then placed them close to his nose and picked up a faint forest fragrance from the rocks . This is blood from the High Elves . They must be injured . But where did they go Celine asked while frowning . They must have used a transportation spell . However, the furthest distance of a transportation spell is no more than a mile . They must have continued escaping on foot after that . We have no idea where they went . Although a mile was not a far distance, the other party was injured and in a state of panic . They would only be concentrating on their own survival and would do anything possible to conceal their presence . They would also run as far away from the battle site as possible, making it difficult for anyone to locate them . Link was wondering if Milda would even accuse him of being the mastermind behind this a.s.sa.s.sination, causing her to avoid him all the more . However, the problem lay with the a.s.sa.s.sins . They must also be looking for the High Elves . Judging from their injuries, they would be doomed if they were ever discovered by the enemy . They had gone missing on his territory, and Princess Milda was coincidentally the eldest daughter of the High Elf queen . She was also the top candidate for the next elf queen . If he could not bring her back safely to the Isle of Dawn, he would have no end of it from the High Elves . After thinking for a moment, Link turned and bolted straight towards the coastline . He possessed the fresh blood of a High Elf . While this might be useless in his hands, Vance might be able to track a person using this blood . As long as he could determine Milda s exact location, he could travel there and rescue her immediately . As Link thought, he increased the speed of the Wind Fenrir and ran at full speed towards Vance . However, Link stopped merely after a few steps . He then hesitated for a while before charging in the opposite direction straight towards Scorched Ridge . Weren t you prepared to find Vance Why have you turned back Celine said . She truly was an intelligent woman . She had already guessed Link s intention despite his silence all this while . Link then shook his head as he said, My return trip to Scorched Ridge is an impromptu decision . The enemy s sneak attack will naturally be an impromptu one as well . However, you predicted in your nightmare that the territory would be in great danger . It is not worth it to save a High Elf Princess in exchange for over 8000 lives on the territory . The refugees from the Delonga Kingdom had been traveling north in big batches towards the Ferde Wilderness . Merchant Warter had also been extremely efficient in bringing in slaves which caused the population of the territory to rocket upwards . Scorched Ridge was now a little town of nearly 10000 residents . But if the High Elf Princess were to die, you would be in trouble . That is indeed troubling, but the High Elves has more than one princess . Link had clearly thought this through . This was an impromptu attack . The enemy had already managed to set up an ambush party and even drew up a Level 6 magic circle . Both of them required delicate planning, craftsmans.h.i.+p, and more importantly, time . They should not be able to launch an attack on both sides in a short amount of time . Since Milda had already suffered the brunt of the attack, Romilson should be safe . He should already be brought back safely to the territory by the two Master Magicians . Romilson would then become Link s perfect alibi . This was because Link had stayed with them the entire time since East Cove Higher Magic Academy and had no time to arrange such a complicated set up . It was this exact thought that helped Link make the decision to give up on rescuing the princess and protect his own territory instead . Politics was all about interests after all . As the lord of the territory, Link was responsible for the safety of his residents . The return trip to the territory was smooth . Traveling at the top speed of the Wind Fenrir, they reached the east gate of the camp around five minutes later . At this moment, the sky had already darkened, and the east gate was closed . There was a large number of soldiers patrolling the castle walls . Link then cast an illumination spell on himself to reveal his ident.i.ty . It s me . Link did not wait for the soldiers to open the door . He commanded the Wind Fenrir to leap forward . The moment the Wind Fenrir was airborne, he then cast a Weight Reducing spell on it, allowing it to leap to a height sixty feet tall . The Wind Fenrir then leaped comfortably over the castle wall without any obstructions . The security within the camp was also heightened . The moment Link entered the camp, he immediately canceled the casting of Wind Fenrir and whispered to Celine, Follow me closely, don t get lost . He felt that the entire Scorched Ridge was unsafe . I know . Celine followed closely behind Link . After a few steps, Gildern came forward to welcome them . Link then asked, Has Master Grenci returned Gildern then reported the good news, Master Grenci, Master Ferdinand, and the High Elf named Romilson are all back safely . Link immediately felt rejuvenated and said, That s great . Where are they now Inside Master Grenci s abode . Link then felt a weight lifted off his shoulders and asked, What about Dorias, is he back Gildern then had a worried expression on his face as he said, We can t seem to find him anywhere . He would usually be back by this time . We have no idea where he went . Understood . Link could not do anything about this issue either . A tiger with such a monstrous size and outrageous speed would be impossible to find in the night . He could only pray for his safety . Link then took Celine towards the Magician s residential area in the Scorched Ridge . The Scorched Ridge was only a few hundred feet in radius . They reached Master Grenci s quarters within three minutes . After a few knocks, the door opened as Grenci s weathered face appeared behind the door . He then glanced around, seemingly searching for the High Elves . A frown then appeared on his face as he said, Something happened Link nodded as he took out the rocks stained with blood and said, Celine and I gave chase and were ambushed by a team of a.s.sa.s.sins . After defeating them, I found this on the ground . It should be clear that Princess Milda and Latour suffered injuries from the ambush and left using a transportation spell . As for their exact location, we were not able to locate them . Please come in . Grenci then invited them in . Link saw Romilson the moment he entered the room . Romilson was completely pale and even had a blood stain on his elbow . He looked disheveled and seemed to have gone through some tough times . Upon seeing Link, he instinctively searched the room and asked with a hoa.r.s.e voice, Where is the princess Why didn t she come back This was all I found when I arrived . Link then placed all the rocks stained with blood on the table . Romilson face grew even paler as he grabbed these rocks and sniffed them as if in a trance . Half a minute later, with G.o.d knows what method, he muttered, Latour is already dead, his blood is not showing any signs of life . The princess is still alive, though she has suffered heavy injuries . This will not do I have to find her now . How will you do that I believe you have met those a.s.sa.s.sins as well how will you deal with 15 a.s.sa.s.sins at once Link asked . There are 15 of them Romilson was close to losing his consciousness from the shock . He had met four a.s.sa.s.sins on his way to the academy and was already lucky to escape alive . If not for the timely arrival of Master Grenci and Master Ferdinand, he would definitely be dead . Going through with this mission with the knowledge that 15 a.s.sa.s.sins were lying in wait would simply be suicide . However, the princess must not die . If the princess died while he stayed alive, he would become the disgrace of his family I have to rescue her The princess blood can guide me towards her I will be able to find her Romilson stood up and was prepared to leave . Link was just about to stop him when roaring sounds could be heard from outside the door, Enemy After only half a sentence, the voice seemed to be cut off by some sinister force . Arrgghh Uhh A large number of screams could be heard . The frequency and despair from those screams were enough to make anyone s hair stand on end .