TGS - Chapter 145
Chapter 145: The Interception
Under the skeptical gazes of the others, Alyuin left the council hall.
Lena raised no questions. Despite being the older of the two, the corps commander had followed Alyuin for ten years and had grown accustomed to absolute obedience. It was not just her; Motis and the other Royal Guards were the same.
When a subordinate's thoughts were not as swift or precise as Her Majesty's, there was no need to think too much.
Thinking for oneself? Of course, it was necessary to think often. Otherwise, if the Princess was absent, their minds would grow rusty, and failing to devise a countermeasure would be disastrous. But as long as there was an order or instruction from the Princess—even a mere hint—they would not utter another word.
The only question Lena posed was:
“Your Majesty, shall I accompany you?”
The Princess continued walking without pause. “No, you are to remain in Seaton. The Sanur camp is in chaos at the moment, and they cannot attend to other matters, but that won't last long.”
“Have your people keep watch. Intercept any messengers, and if they attack the city, defend it. However, their numbers are insufficient to pose a threat, so an attack is unlikely.”
Lena: “Yes! And you, Your Majesty—”
Alyuin: “Assemble the cavalry. We depart immediately.”
The signal to assemble reached the barracks. The light cavalry, who had just participated in the night raid, regrouped. The lancers who were on standby or asleep, along with most of Seaton City's original cavalry garrison, also assembled swiftly.
While waiting for the cavalry to arrive, the Princess glanced to her side.
Had anyone else been present and followed her gaze, they would have seen only empty space. Yet, another figure was indeed there.
“Being able to see you at all times is quite reassuring,” Alyuin said with a faint smile, a seemingly simple sigh of relief.
Lotus: “...Mm.”
Normally, Alyuin should not have been able to see a spiritual body.
But on the second day after Lotus had used her divine power to let her see the spirits of her parents—this very morning, in fact—the Princess had seized the opportunity to ask a question.
Since she could be made to see her parents, could the same method be used to see Lotus, who was in a similar state?
It was a rather constructive question, to which Lotus could only reply, “I hadn't thought of that before.”
Alyuin: “Then let's start today, shall we?”
Her light, quick tone, her pleading expression, and the intangible firmness and authority that came with her supreme mortal station were almost contradictory, yet they combined perfectly.
After the “little princess” style of wheedling, another strange tactic had emerged that left Lotus utterly defenseless.
Besides, it was not something that needed to be kept secret. At this point, Lotus had no need to deliberately maintain an air of mystery, so she agreed without much thought.
However, it wasn't until they could see each other that Lotus realized what she had overlooked.
She was not in the habit of maintaining a proper posture as a spiritual body.
In her spiritual form, her feet did not touch the ground, making it difficult to maintain the elegant gait she had painstakingly trained for as a mortal. Lotus had spent three years as a spirit trailing the young princess, and believing no one could see her, her floating posture had gradually become more unrestrained.
Sometimes she floated while sitting, sometimes while lying down.
When bored, she had even struck famous poses from the movies and television shows of her distant memories. In short, she did whatever was most comfortable. During those unseen days, Lotus was like a body floating freely and without resistance in a pool of still water.
Thanks to her foundational training in posture and dance, her movements were always expansive and graceful, never truly bizarre. Still, it was far too... one might say, mortifying.
The “real” self she wanted to show Alyuin was not this kind of real!
To avoid the disastrous scenario of losing her composure before the Princess by reverting to her free-floating state at the slightest lapse in attention, Lotus constantly monitored herself, striving to move forward in an upright, straight, and elegant manner, even if it made her look like she was simply gliding.
After holding the pose for half a day, Lotus began to regret her decision. “It's wartime. Won't I distract you by floating beside you like this? Perhaps I should—”
Alyuin's expression remained unchanged as her red lips parted slightly. “On the contrary, knowing you are by my side but being unable to see or touch you, only to suddenly hear your voice from thin air in the middle of a battle—that would be far more distracting, don't you think?”
Lotus: “...”
She had a point.
The suggestion died a quiet death, and Lotus continued her struggle against the habits she had developed as a spirit over the past decade.
Returning to the present, Lotus was as serene and cool as the Yilu River under a gentle snowfall. Her feet hovered above the ground, yet she remained as upright and dignified as a white stone pillar before a temple.
A flicker of amusement crossed Alyuin's eyes before she instantly suppressed it. She only asked, “A moment ago in the council hall, it seemed you wanted to leave. Was there something you needed to do?”
Lotus paused.
“I was planning to go to the Xitings Mountains to the north to check on the situation.”
For mortals, entering the mountains to search for the main Sanur army would be nearly impossible. But sensing the enemy's presence with divine power would take little effort.
But—
Was divine sense infallible?
Lotus recalled how, when she had used her divine power to sense the strange poisonous incense above the royal palace in Akhet, she had found nothing more than a few items that had already been used.
Later, she learned from the Princess of the Perfumer's existence, and that his residence and workshop were located right within the palace complex.
Yet she had not noticed.
One can imagine Lotus's astonishment at the time.
The Perfumer was connected to Kasnie, so whatever allowed him to evade divine sense must have also come from the Kasnie pantheon.
If the enemy had the ability to block a god's perception, then even if Lotus went to the Xitings Mountains, she might detect nothing at all. The results of her observation could then mislead the Princess's decision.
Lotus spoke a little faster than usual. Alyuin listened quietly before shaking her head. “In truth, regardless of whether you went or what news you brought back, I would not have changed my decision.”
“Is that so?”
“Their gods have yet to break through the barrier, correct? So, this is still a mortal war,” Alyuin said with a slight shrug. “The Sanur would never remain idle in Digebia. If their main army isn't facing us, then a surprise attack via a detour is the only possibility.”
Alyuin had met the Sanur King and fought against his tribe.
A person's strategic thinking doesn't change drastically in just a few short years. Even accounting for Kasnie's indirect influence, this was the most likely outcome.
If reconnaissance were needed, the golden eagle sisters could have handled the task. A raptor's eyes are sharper than any prey's, and they were so intelligent.
But to wait for a message from the golden eagles before departing would be too late.
The only proof she needed was her own conviction.
Lotus did not answer, because just then, the cavalry had finished assembling.
The mounted soldiers formed a square before the Princess, silently awaiting her command.
Alyuin nodded, swung herself onto her horse, and turned to face southeast.
In that direction lay Etrich City, the expected exit point for the Sanur army from the Xitings Mountains.
“—Ride with me.”
“Yes!”
The cavalry responded in unison, moving as one behind Alyuin's warhorse. They were like a wolf pack following its leader, yet far more orderly than any beast.
As for Lotus... she would not, of course, do nothing.
Even if her divine sense could be blocked, she had to try. If she could sense a Sanur army crossing the mountains, she would be able to confirm the situation, would she not?
Thus, back in the council hall, while Alyuin had been focused on the map, Lotus had already dispatched her avatar, the Snow Goddess, to the Xitings Mountains to investigate.
It was still deep in the night. Behind Seaton City, a troop of cavalry that had just departed galloped down the wide road.
High above the sprawling Xitings Mountains, the divine avatar spread the heavy, wing-like silks at her sides. Wherever she passed, pure white, ice-cold divine power drifted down like snow.
She searched; they would intercept.
The object of this search and impending interception, the Sanur army, was currently making its way through the mountains.
The wastelands inhabited by the Sanur tribe were home to the most resilient and swift breed of horse. Even now, as these horses trotted along the narrow mountain paths, they showed no signs of difficulty.
The Sanur King patted his horse's neck and glanced sideways at the envoy from Kasnie. “I've been meaning to ask, what is that thing you're clutching in your arms?”
The envoy smiled. “This was entrusted to me by His Majesty. It serves no real purpose, but I must carry it.” He paused. “Think of it as a talisman.”
This envoy from the south seemed to have taken root within the tribe, showing no signs of leaving—and the Sanur King did, in fact, need him.
“Ha, that's a rather inconvenient talisman to carry. Look at my rock-fang necklace,” the Sanur King said, boastfully pulling at the wolf-tooth pendant on his chest. “Now this is a proper talisman, a mark of the Wolf God's blessing.”
“...” The envoy chose to smile politely and say nothing.
The force had been in the mountains for two days.
Before setting out, the Sanur King had seized several hunters from Digebia who were familiar with the terrain, as well as herbalists who often entered the mountains to gather wild herbs and spices. He forced them to act as guides by threatening the lives of their families and friends.
Those who dared to resist had either taken their own lives or been killed. The ones who remained did not dare cause trouble. One was placed at the front, middle, and rear of the column to corroborate the route, so he had no fear of being deliberately misled.
How wonderful it was... to bypass Seaton City and its large garrison without losing a single arrow or a single warrior. All it required was a two-day, two-night journey through the mountain forests to easily reach Etrich City.
How could those Solancians possibly discover them?
Compared to the warriors of the wolf and vulture from the wastelands, the Solancians were as dull-witted as penned-up livestock. The Seaton garrison was probably still waiting idly on their walls, and those enemy reinforcements were likely still resting!
And then there was that Solancian princess, the regent in Akhet.
How many years had it been since she'd been on a battlefield? She had probably grown soft, just like those indolent Solancian nobles. Just you wait on your throne, wait for Sanur hooves to trample through your palace—
The thought nearly made the Sanur King roar with laughter. He couldn't wait to crush every Solancian soldier he saw, to charge all the way to Akhet and pierce the very heart of Solancia.
Then, Alyuin—that Solancian princess who had once inflicted the humiliation of defeat upon his great warriors—her head and heart would be the finest offering to the Wolf God!
The Kasnie envoy averted his gaze and sneered inwardly.
A brainless barbarian chieftain, with all his thoughts written plainly on his face.
Under the cover of night, the single-file line of the Sanur army was as inconspicuous as insects crawling between stones and leaves.
They continued to advance.
The avatar of the Snow Goddess arrived above the army.
Divine power, like fine snow, began to fall, about to land on the heads of the Sanur soldiers and the ground trodden by their warhorses.
Just then, a soft, iridescent divine power suddenly spilled from the box held by the Kasnie envoy.
Unlike Lotus's own rippling, water-like divine power, this energy was like a flowing, viscous, transparent gel.
It completely enveloped the Sanur army, obstructing and deceiving even the gaze of a god looking down from the heavens.
Lotus did not sense anything unusual.
But a little farther on was the expected exit. If the Sanur army had already advanced that far, Alyuin would struggle to secure the pass before they emerged.
Were the Sanur marching faster than she had imagined?
Or was she truly unable to sense them?
Lotus pressed her lips together.
She stopped searching for the enemy army and, abandoning the power of snow, sought the aid of water instead.
Anything that passes through a place is bound to leave a trace.
The Yilu River did not flow here, but there were other water sources in the Xitings Mountains. They were not rivers—there was only one great river in all of Solancia.
They were streams and springs, clear water bubbling up from the earth, which mythology also placed under the dominion of the River Goddess.
Traces.
A Sanur tribesman, led by a hunter, had come to the edge of a spring and filled a waterskin.
The reflection on the spring's surface showed the heads of horses as a herd bent down to drink.
They had been here. They were ahead.
Beside Alyuin, Lotus suddenly opened her eyes.
“More than twenty thousand,” she said. “They have already traveled more than half the way. At the earliest, they will emerge from the mountains tomorrow morning, just as you predicted.”
Alyuin tilted her head, paused for a moment, then let out a low, breathy laugh that no one else could hear.
“More than twenty thousand? That's plenty.”
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