Chapter 281: Reciprocal Gifts
Deep within the Imperial Palace of the Southern Unified Empire.
Under the glow of the magical lights, Emperor Legate's face was partially hidden in shadow, appearing obscure and unreadable.
He sat on his throne, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest, producing dull thuds.
Friedrich stood quietly below, head bowed as he reported the news transmitted swiftly via magic.
"...The assassination attempt failed. All six assassins are dead. The targets are unharmed." Friedrich's voice was flat.
He had guessed this outcome the moment his magic was triggered—or rather, he had known it before he even sent the assassins.
At Friedrich's report, the tapping on the throne paused for a moment before resuming as usual.
Legate showed no surprise. Instead, he wore an expression that said, As expected.
He shared Friedrich's view.
Those assassins likely couldn't harm a hair on the Elven Saint's head.
Sending them to their deaths was merely to test the targets' reaction, see if they were on guard, and for other reasons.
"Serie... truly lives up to her reputation. And that man beside her, Rhodes, is more troublesome than we imagined."
Every detail of the assassination had been reported verbatim by the mages within the legion, including the powerful shield Serie released and the spatial teleportation magic Rhodes used.
Without exception, it all far exceeded their expectations.
Serie's shield was acceptable; it just meant she was prepared. But Rhodes's spatial magic belonged to an entirely new domain.
The only spatial magic accessible to mages on the entire continent was teleportation, and even that was mastered by very few.
Yet Rhodes seemed to have mastered some improved, short-range tactical teleportation.
Truly impressive.
If his assassination squad could learn that magic, combined with their concealment spells, they would be true assassins.
"What was their reaction? Being attacked within the army... they must have expressed something?" Legate asked.
Sometimes, the opponent's reaction revealed a lot of information.
Friedrich shook his head slightly. "They did not pursue the matter, nor did they question the officers on the scene excessively."
"They simply continued to follow the legion's advance as if nothing had happened. According to the Legion Commander's report, their attitude is clear: they want our army to reach the northern front lines as soon as possible."
"As soon as possible?" Legate sneered, a flash of dissatisfaction in his eyes. "They are certainly getting anxious on my behalf."
He stood up and walked to the massive map.
On the map, the arrow representing his legion originally pointed straight at the heartland of the Kingdom of Ersten. Now, it had been forced to turn North.
"I never intended to go North and fight the demons to the death. Consolidating power and seizing the opportunity to take down Ersten and those scattered small nations... that is the Empire's true goal."
Legate's tone carried suppressed anger and unwillingness. "But right at this critical juncture, Serie ran over here, and in such a manner!"
"Everyone in the Imperial Capital saw it. Now, I have no choice but to enter the game!"
He slammed his fist heavily onto the map.
The high-profile arrival of Serie and Rhodes forced him to make a show of deploying troops, disrupting all his strategic deployments. He seriously suspected the two had done it on purpose—appearing publicly so he couldn't execute his original plan.
Even more frustrating was that he couldn't let them die in the capital. The wrath of the elves and the questioning of the mage community would be enough to shake the foundations of his empire.
Although the elves were also among his targets, now was not the time to offend them.
At least, not until the Empire had truly unified humanity.
"Please quell your anger, Your Majesty," Friedrich advised in a low voice. "Things having come to this, we can only go with the flow. However, according to the original plan, the legion's supply reserves won't last until the true northern front lines. If we force the march, they will run out of food within half a month."
"I know that!" Legate waved his hand irritably. "That is why we absolutely cannot actually go there. We must solve these two problems before they reach the real battlefield!"
He turned to look at Friedrich. "Has the second assassination squad been dispatched?"
A subtle ripple appeared on Friedrich's aged face, but he hid it quickly. "They have departed."
"But Your Majesty, after the first failure, Serie and the others will surely be more vigilant. The probability of success for a second assassination is minuscule. I fear it will only increase our losses."
"I know it is futile," Legate said coldly. "But it is his request."
"His?" Friedrich paused, then realized Legate was referring to the "Hero" who had just emerged from the bloody trials to wield the Holy Sword.
"Yes." A complicated look flashed in Legate's eyes. "That guy sent word. He can already use the power of the Holy Sword, but he needs some time to attune to it."
"So I gave him quite a few internal dissidents of the Empire to practice on. The results are significant."
"However, he indicated he needs more information on Serie's fighting style and magical abilities. Only then will he be confident in confronting her."
"What about Rhodes, the one beside Serie?" Friedrich asked.
In his view, the man sharing a name with the God-slayer was equally not to be underestimated, especially since he mastered special spatial magic.
Moreover, in Friedrich's perspective, he instinctively felt the man was extremely dangerous.
He had fought many mages in his life, but never had one given him a feeling of invincibility upon mere meeting, without even lifting a finger.
This was his intuition—a subconscious thought he barely dared to believe himself.
"Ignore him! The most important one is Serie."
Clearly, Legate lacked the intuition Friedrich had honed through life-and-death struggles. In his eyes, Rhodes was just a slightly stronger mage, far less noteworthy than Serie.
Legate continued, "If one batch isn't enough, send two. Keep sending them until all of Serie's combat methods are probed. Let him accumulate enough experience to ensure that when he finally strikes, it will truly be a guaranteed one-hit kill."
Friedrich fell silent.
He understood the Emperor's intent.
Using the lives of the Empire's carefully cultivated assassins as fodder to probe and pave the way for the Holy Sword wielder.
It was cruel and wasteful, but result-wise, perhaps the most efficient method.
"But Your Majesty, the cultivation of these assassins consumed considerable resources..." Friedrich couldn't help but feel pained.
They were elites, constantly selected and trained. To prevent betrayal, he had paid a huge price to implant restrictive magic in their bodies. Every single one was a precious asset of the Empire.
"Their sacrifice is for the greater future of the Empire!"
Legate interrupted him, his tone allowing no refusal. "As long as we can eliminate Serie and clear the obstacles to the Empire's hegemony, any price is worth it! Execute the order."
"...Yes, Your Majesty." Friedrich bowed his head deeply, swallowing all his reluctance and doubt.
The Emperor's will was absolute.
He hesitated, then ultimately couldn't resist speaking up to probe the final bottom line. "Your Majesty, if he fails in the end too, what should we do?"
For some reason, he subconsciously hoped to see that day of failure.
Because then, there might still be room to turn things around.
Of course, provided His Majesty abandoned the idea of killing Serie and the other party decided not to pursue the matter.
Emperor Legate spun around. The blinding magical light caused him no hesitation. His entire being radiated an aura bordering on madness.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if making a decision.
Moments later, he opened his eyes slowly. His gaze was terrifyingly calm.
"If even the Holy Sword wielder fails—"
He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "Then let the entire Vanguard Legion... take action!"
Friedrich snapped his head up, shock filling his eyes. "Your Majesty! Those are the Empire's most elite..."
"I know!" Legate cut him off sharply. "But if it comes to that, it means conventional methods can no longer kill Serie."
"I will spare no cost to keep them there permanently!"
"I do not believe that an entire legion, gathering the Empire's most elite mages and warriors, cannot grind down a mere elven mage and her apprentice of unknown origin!"
His words revealed a madness of burning bridges.
To achieve his goal, he was willing to bet the Empire's ace army.
Meanwhile, at the Southern Unified Empire Vanguard Legion Camp, the attack had just ended.
After a brief commotion, the camp returned to surface calm.
The Legion Commander, a middle-aged general with a hard face, personally came outside Rhodes and Serie's tent to offer a so-called explanation.
"...Just now, a small group of monsters was discovered harassing the perimeter of the camp, so the soldiers' attention was over there. We didn't expect these despicable fellows to sneak in. The patrol didn't react in time, startling our two esteemed guests. My deepest apologies."
The Commander's explanation was perfunctory, shifting part of the blame onto non-existent monsters.
Rhodes looked at him. He looked back at Rhodes.
Rhodes knew he was lying. The Commander knew he was lying. He even knew Rhodes knew he was lying.
But so what?
Did this mage dare to fall out with him?
The Commander didn't think so!
In the end, Rhodes chose not to expose him. He simply nodded indifferently. "I see. You have worked hard, Commander."
The Commander bowed slightly. In the moment his eyes met Rhodes's, a flash of malice passed through them very quickly.
The secret order he received was simple.
Surveillance. And if necessary, coordinate to eliminate.
The targets for elimination were, naturally, Serie and her apprentice.
In his eyes, these two were just fools relying on their strength to coerce the Empire. Sooner or later, they would become ghosts under the Empire's blade.
No matter how powerful a mage was, they were ultimately just one person. They would have moments of carelessness or mana exhaustion. And he possessed an entire legion—a full ten thousand elite soldiers!
Not to mention the numerous Court Mages among them, each a powerful existence carefully selected by the Empire.
Holding so much combat power, the Commander had no doubt he could deal with this so-called Elven Saint and her apprentice.
It was only because His Majesty didn't want things to look too ugly that they were allowed to live a few days longer.
Rhodes naturally captured the hidden malice in the man's eyes clearly. It seemed the order Emperor Legate gave him was more than just surveillance.
Otherwise, the Commander wouldn't have leaked that malice.
Rhodes suddenly found it amusing.
The prey bared its claws, thinking it was hiding well, unaware that the hunter had seen through everything—even feeling a trace of pity.
Does he think he can take down Serie and me just by having more people?
Coincidentally, since the Mythical Era, the thing I fear least is being outnumbered.
After the Commander left, Rhodes returned to the tent.
Serie was boredly combing her long golden hair. After releasing a magical shield and some light arrows at the start, she hadn't made another move.
Now, she was in a state of boredom where her battle lust was aroused, but the enemy had been insta-killed in one move.
"It seems our Emperor has great ambitions," Rhodes said softly. "Those just now were merely the appetizer."
Serie's golden eyes lit up. "Oh? There are stronger ones? Those few were too weak; it ended before I could even properly attack. I hope the next ones are decent."
"Next time, I fear it won't just be a few assassins." Rhodes looked at her, his tone carrying a warning but also indulgence. "Also, I felt that the way the Legion Commander looked at us didn't seem like he was looking at esteemed guests."
"I suspect if the assassinations keep failing, Legate might get desperate and order the entire Vanguard Legion to move against us."
"The entire legion?" Serie paused, then a smile of extreme excitement blossomed on her face, carrying a hint of mania.
"Now that is interesting! An entire legion? I have never fought one before!"
It was as if she hadn't heard bad news, but rather received a wonderful surprise.
For her, numbers had never been an issue.
And this was an entire legion of mages!
Unlike the demon armies of the past—although in terms of numbers, the demon army was undoubtedly more oppressive, a black mass inducing fear at a glance—a human legion gave a completely different feeling.
They would be more orderly. Visually, while oppressive, it would be a cold feeling, different from the despair of the demons.
Of course, neither would bring fear to Serie. On the contrary, they would only ignite her fighting spirit.
Looking at the instantly high-spirited elf, Rhodes smiled helplessly, but there was no fear in his eyes either.
Fine.
Since the other party insisted on delivering a "grand gift," they would accept it. And perhaps... send a return gift back.
He just wondered if the Southern Unified Empire could ultimately bear the weight of his return gift.
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