As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

Page 124

And this approach did indeed work. As the leader spoke, the people behind him immediately took action, continuing to remain silent, nodding to the leading girl, and then one by one came to the cliffside watchtower, nodded to each other, and raised their wands.

"In the name of the Most High God, may Her power descend upon this land, bless us, and wish our plans success."

The leader began reciting a prayer, and the girls behind him finally opened their lips and began to pray to their supreme god, yearning for blessings from the supreme god, in accordance with the leader's words.

This practice is a requirement stipulated by the church. Before each action, one must pray to the Supreme God. On the one hand, it is to deepen the connection between one's own divine power and the Supreme God in order to obtain more power. On the other hand, it is to show the Supreme God one's sincerity and respect, and to pray that the supreme god can bless them and help them achieve the goals that the girls desire.

For these people, prayer is a daily routine, and a brief prayer before a mission would not have any significant negative impact.

Located high in the mountains, hidden by howling winds and snow, the girls remained calm and secure under the hazy night sky. Their movements would go unnoticed and would not hinder their mission. They prepared for the upcoming battle against the Northern Fortress amidst quiet prayers.

However, to their surprise, this prayer by the crowd, in a sense, altered their original course of action. Although the prayer was brief, it still consumed a significant amount of their time, and even a minute of that time could have profoundly changed the current situation.

Especially now that Leus has intervened and participated in the planning of this mission without their knowledge, the impact of this change will be even more powerful.

For example, this prayer caused the black-robed girls to be delayed by one minute.

Before they could finish their prayers, a series of events unfolding on the distant cliffs interrupted their reverent prayers, and each looked out at the fortress on the cliff with a look of astonishment.

"Huh? That's... one of our people!"

At this very moment, under the girl's gaze, bursts of fire and streaks of lightning erupted outside the distant fortress—a reaction resulting from the intertwining of magic.

Following the light of this magic, a closer look at the cliff reveals a group of outsiders wielding magic wands, dressed in black, and indistinguishable from the black-robed girls.

"boom!

These people were clearly followers of the Church of the Supreme God, and they were carrying out church work by launching a strong attack on the fortress in an attempt to capture it.

If you look closely at the faces of those attackers, you can see the same holy expressions as the girls on the distant cliffs. They are also respectfully carrying out their tasks, serving the supreme god they believe in.

"Why...why are they here? This mission should only be carried out by us. Why are they looking at that group of 'uninvited guests' who suddenly barged in from afar?" The black-robed girl, who was the squad leader, blinked in surprise, looking very puzzled by this sudden situation.

Just then, behind the young girl, another girl also approached. After staring in astonishment at the distant cliff for a while, she seemed to remember something, and a look of anxiety flashed across her previously expressionless face. She spoke urgently to the squad leader beside her:

“Captain… if we launch a frontal attack on that place now, the fortress will definitely be fully prepared, especially since General Leon has recently returned. If she discovers our presence now, she will probably completely isolate the fortress.”

"Hearing the girl's words, the squad leader's face showed a hint of anxiety, and he once again examined and recalled his plan."

Based on the team's situation, their original plan was to use stealth to approach the fortress, and before the fortress could react, use teleportation magic at close range to enter the fortress and activate the array's core as quickly as possible to complete their mission.

The prerequisite for completing this mission is that the team's whereabouts must not be revealed before the hidden array core within the fortress is activated.

The reason for this is that, in addition to well-equipped guards, the northern border fortress is also equipped with corresponding magical defense facilities, making it impossible for people outside the fortress to teleport to this place over long distances.

Even after getting close, if the people inside the fortress activate the magic defense array, they can keep all those who want to teleport close outside the castle, making the castle impossible to conquer.

The team chose this day to carry out their mission because they had calculated that the magic array within the castle was at its weakest. There was only one day a year when the castle's magical defense array was at its weakest, unable to withstand close-range teleportation. This was the key to the cult's victory.

But now.

A group of people launched a direct attack on the fortress, raising its defenses to the highest level. Even if they managed to get close to the walls filled with archers, elite troops would still patrol the areas that could be reached by teleportation, rendering the planned sneak attack ineffective.

On the other hand... if those fighting on the front lines are defeated, those inside the castle will definitely realize that there is a group of people near the fortress who want to attack them.

Through this conjecture, Leon and her team might even deduce that the attackers were lurking in the forest outside the fortress, which would render their feint attacks in the previous days completely ineffective.

If their whereabouts are exposed... not only will they be unable to launch an attack, but these cultists themselves will also be in danger, and could be wiped out by the Northern soldiers who are familiar with the area.

"Damn it. Who are those people? Why did they act before us? Exposing them like this means we can't achieve our goal at all!" Captain, what should we do? Should we continue with the plan and launch a sneak attack while they're still engaged in direct combat? Or should we retreat now, return to the church, and then consider our next move and readjust our objectives?

A strategist-like girl leaned closer and asked the squad leader this question. As the leader, she was deep in thought and seemed unable to come up with a solution immediately.

The words "retreat" lingered in her throat, almost about to be uttered, but when she thought of the mission she was currently carrying out, the bishop's trust in her, and the reverence for the supreme god, all of this made it difficult for the squad leader to actually say those words of retreat.

However, time waits for no one. Although the team leader still did not give any answer, the other team members already had their answer after a few seconds of silence.

Because under their own light, the black-robed girls on the distant cliffs were knocked down one by one, and the attacking force was scattered like sand outside the city walls.

At the top of the city gate, a silver-haired female general clad in silver armor drew her sword from her waist, raising the sharp blade high in her hand. Pointing the tip of the sword at the distant cliff face across the mountain, she addressed her men, whose battle below the city walls was nearing its end, in a booming voice:

"Everyone, to the south, on the cliff, the next wave of enemies will be here." "Huh!?"

Although they couldn't hear the orders Leon gave, the black-robed girls could sense her next move from her body language and the eager soldiers outside the city walls, and each of them showed a tense and furrowed expression.

"They...discovered us? How did they find out? Could it be that our actions were too conspicuous, thus exposing us?"

"No, impossible. We've always used magic to erase our tracks. Let alone them, even if someone were standing right next to us, no one would notice us. We should be invisible right now, so how could we possibly be discovered? They must be faking it."

"However, those soldiers have really started moving towards us. If they completely surround the area below the mountain, even if we can use divine power to teleport back to the church, they will still detect our movements and it will be detrimental to the church. We absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen."

The group engaged in a private discussion, seemingly expressing unease about the current situation. They then turned their attention to the silent squad leader, awaiting her final judgment.

"Captain, we should retreat."

Unexpectedly, without any hesitation, the squad leader raised his head and addressed the group directly. "Captain," he said, "don't question us. In this situation, we can no longer complete the original mission. If we continue to force ourselves, we will completely lose the power to serve the supreme god, which would be a loss. Therefore, retreating is the best option at this time."

Faced with the squad leader's words, everyone looked at each other in surprise. They finally realized the meaning behind the girl's words. After hesitating for a few seconds, they all gripped their wands and began to silently recite the teleportation language.

"This plan... did not achieve its intended effect. The only possibility is that information within the church was leaked, causing the operation to be discovered by the enemy ahead of time. We will now return to headquarters and use headquarters to make contact to find out why this happened and whether there are any traitors within the church."

With these thoughts in mind, the squad leader was the first to disappear, slowly being teleported away under the golden light. The others did the same, leaving this frigid land enveloped in bursts of light, leaving no trace for the soldiers.

At this moment, on the other side.

“That’s right… that’s it. The northern border has been confirmed safe. Alright, then the plan can begin.”

Sitting in the mansion, listening to the information transmitted through the sound transmission stone, Leus nodded slightly, pondering in his heart what his next move should be...

Chapter 254: The First Day of Operations (Part Two)

Just as the figures of the black-robed girls from the North disappeared on the cliff, new changes also occurred in the fortress in the distance.

At the fortress atop the cliff, the soldiers guarding the city walls watched as the figures of the black-robed girls gradually disappeared in the golden light. Outside the fortress, the group that had been fighting amongst themselves gradually stopped wielding their swords. "Have they left?"

"Hmm... We have acted as the leader instructed, and it seems the plan has been successful and yielded good results... Now it's time to leave."

Amidst a cacophony of noise, the "cultists" standing on the cliff edge, along with the soldiers fighting them, ceased their previous struggle. Instead, they now stood face to face, each scanning the other with their own light.

After concentrating for a moment, some of the girls dressed in black robes began to make new movements. They slowly took out their wands from their hands, waved them lightly in front of them, and summoned teleportation arrays.

"Are you leaving?"

Seeing the actions of the girls in black robes, the other soldiers stepped forward and asked with some concern.

"Well, we have completed the task assigned to us by Prince Lius, and there is no need for us to stay any longer."

Faced with the soldiers' words of concern, the girls in black robes remained somewhat distant, simply shaking their heads at the people in front of them in response.

"Is that so... Alright, you've had a tough time on this mission. You disguised yourselves as cultists to fight us, and you must have suffered quite a few injuries. When you get back, make sure to bandage your wounds properly and check your entire bodies to make sure nothing is missed."

The soldiers' words still carried a hint of concern; clearly, they were unaware that the black-robed girls before them were indeed "cultists." The black-robed girls offered no further explanation, simply taking the tokens given to them by Leus earlier and, following Leus's instructions, waving gently to the crowd.

"Well then, see you later. I hope things will turn out well here."

As they spoke, a group of black-robed girls entered the teleportation array and disappeared from the Northern Fortress, while another group of black-robed girls remained. They each exhaled, slowly removed their black robes as disguises, and then looked up at the city wall.

"General, the men sent by Prince Lius have left, and the current troops have no casualties."

As they said this, everyone quietly turned their gaze to the high platform at the top of the fortress, looking at the silver-haired female general who held a sharp blade and pointed it into the distance, her demeanor and face exuding majesty.

"Furthermore, after reconnaissance, those cultists have completely disappeared from this area, so there's no need to worry about them anymore. Can we now return to the fortress?"

Outside the fortress walls, one of the cult members slowly removed the black hood from his head, revealing his face hidden beneath the hood.

The girl's features were clearly visible in the torchlight beside her.

She was no outsider; she was the adjutant who had been following Leon and assisting her in her work.

Just as the adjutant was reporting to the silver-haired female general on the city wall, the black-robed girls who had fallen in the battle were slowly getting up one by one in the snow. With tired expressions, they took off their hoods, revealing their faces. It could be seen that they were all soldiers from the Northern Border. Underneath their black robes, the pieces of their armor, which had been cut into pieces, were clearly visible, which was enough to show how fierce the battle had been.

"Are any of you injured? If anyone was injured in the attack, treat them immediately."

Looking at the crooked crowd, Leon adopted a serious yet caring demeanor and asked the soldiers below.

Upon hearing this, the weary soldiers regained their composure and adopted a serious and formal demeanor. They shook their heads earnestly and forcefully in Leon's direction, saying in unison, "It's nothing! Please rest assured, General. The battle just now was merely a routine exercise within our army. There's nothing to worry about. General, you don't need to be concerned."

"Hmm... It's good that everyone is alright. Since everyone is safe, let's go back and rest. After we've finished adjusting, let's all return to our posts and patrol to prevent any further attacks from cultists."

"Understood! General, we'll do it right away!"

With solemn gazes, the girls below the city wall nodded vigorously once again, expressing their heartfelt respect for the silver-haired female general they trusted and admired. Then, just as Leon had said, they went to their respective posts, raising the fortress's defenses to the highest standard.

Just then, the adjutant slowly walked up to the city wall, approached Leon, and lowered his voice to speak to the silver-haired female general:

"General, what is our next step? Has Prince Leus explained it?"

"Hmm... Lius told us before that we should guard this place well. He anticipated that someone might attack this place in the next few days, so he sent someone to deliver the message to us and cooperated with us to stage this scene of the fortress being attacked in order to lure out any possible cultists in the vicinity. It seems that it was indeed a very reasonable judgment."

"This time, we also owe a lot to the people sent by Prince Lius. Although we don't know how they did it, it was because of their guidance that we were able to sense the cultists hidden in the eastern part of the mountains."

With a look of admiration, the adjutant felt an even greater respect for Lius. Then, slightly puzzled, she glanced into the distance at the cliff where the cultists had once stood, gazing at the lingering golden light, and continued:

"But... why did Prince Leus tell us not to attack those cultists? Wouldn't it have been better to capture them directly? Why let them escape? I really don't understand..."

"They probably wanted to avoid alerting the enemy... I don't know their specific thoughts, but I trust Lius. He never makes mistakes when he gives orders. We don't need to think about anything else. We just need to follow the orders."

As he spoke, recalling the information he had received from the communication stone, Leon gazed at the distant mountains still shimmering with golden light, his gaze becoming even more thoughtful. He continued speaking to his adjutant beside him:

"As for the next step, we will continue as Young Master Lius said: while guarding this place, we will send a small team to the east to contact the caravan that Lady Aurora has sent there. They will then lead the team to carry out the next mission."

"Hmm? Go find Ms. Aurora's caravan? But if we need to carry out a mission, a caravan alone can't make much of an impact. Even if our team is involved, it will still be difficult to resist a large-scale invasion by cultists. Do we really have to do this?"

Hearing Leon's words, the adjutant asked him with some concern. Leon shook his head slightly, seemingly unconcerned, and continued his explanation:

"A mere caravan? Ha... In that case, you're underestimating Ms. Aurora's caravan." "Hmm? Underestimating it?"

"That's right. Don't think that they are just leading a merchant caravan. As the largest caravan in the kingdom, the team they lead is not comparable to that of ordinary merchants. If they encounter bandits while the caravan is on its way, it will inevitably cause serious losses. Therefore, it is something that the caravan leader should consider when equipping the caravan with a certain amount of combat power."

"Hmm? General, do you mean this caravan also has some combat capabilities? It's not as weak as I imagined?" Hearing Leon's words, the adjutant slightly lowered his eyes and asked again.

“Indeed, Aurora has always been very attentive to this matter, especially the caravan that follows her, which was personally ordered and arranged by Her Majesty the Queen. Its combat strength is extraordinary. It is equipped not only with warriors and mages, but also with a group of knights personally selected by Her Majesty the Queen. Although the number of them is not too large, if they get serious, their strength can even be compared with our border soldiers.”

"Wow. Is there really such a thing? I've never heard of it before."

Hearing Leon's calm and ordinary tone, the adjutant's astonishment deepened, as if he couldn't believe the words coming from this silver-haired female general.

After all, as Leon's adjutant, although she couldn't be said to know everything about the kingdom, she was at least equipped with an intelligence network that patrolled the kingdom to record all major events in the country and prevent potential crises. It can be said that all the big and small things in the North and even the country had been investigated by this adjutant and kept deep in her heart for her to use at any time.

However, at this moment, the sight of this "powerful caravan comparable to an army" made her doubt herself, because she had never heard of it before. For a moment, she even had the illusion that "her intelligence network is no longer effective," which made the adjutant show a rare look of panic.

"Don't panic, this is all normal. Her Majesty the Queen has ordered that the situation of this caravan be kept well hidden, so that it can serve as a hidden force of the royal family to prevent any possible future changes. If it weren't for Lius's insistence on needing this force, they would probably have remained hidden for a long time."

Seemingly sensing the turmoil in the adjutant's heart, Leon shook his head slightly and explained her progress in a serious tone, soothing the adjutant's fluctuating emotions:

"Besides Her Majesty the Queen, only a few nobles know the whereabouts of this team. It's normal that you can't find out either, so there's no need to worry about it. Just continue to carry out your duties properly, understand?"

"Ah, I understand." Upon hearing Leon's words, the adjutant, who had been lost in thought, immediately snapped out of it. He slapped his face to snap himself out of his previous panicked thoughts and returned to his usual shrewd and capable military demeanor. He nodded vigorously to the silver-haired female general in front of him.

"Thank you for the reminder, General... I apologize for losing my composure just now. I have regained my composure now, please continue with your orders." Hmm... Not bad, that's my adjutant. It's good that you can recover so quickly. Well then, it would be best to entrust the next task to you.

"Leave the next task to me," the adjutant said thoughtfully, as he listened to Leon's words. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he glanced at Leon, his lips trembling slightly, and said:

"The next mission, give me new orders at this time. Could it be that... Yes, just as you think, I want you to lead an elite squad out of the North and go to the central forest of the kingdom to meet up with Lady Aurora's caravan and carry out Prince Lius's next order together. Can you do that?"

Feeling the trusting gaze Leon cast upon her, the adjutant was slightly taken aback. After a brief moment of surprise, she gave him a solemn and serious look.

"I... can do it, please rest assured, General, entrust the soldiers to me."

Pressing his right foot, clad in a long boot, firmly into the ground, the adjutant stood firm before Leon and addressed her in a loud voice. At the same time, he leaned forward at a fixed angle, performing the highest salute a soldier could give to the female general—the salute of weakness in the army—to symbolize his unwavering resolve.

"Ha, Leon smiled with satisfaction at this, nodded to the adjutant in front of him, and extended his hand to help her straighten up. Like a mother caring for her child, he gently patted her shoulder and spoke to her tenderly yet somewhat seriously: "

"Be careful on the road. If an unexpected situation arises, do not fight the enemy head-on. Preserving your strength is the key, whether for the Northern Territory or for yourself. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand all of this, please rest assured, General."

After giving his adjutant a few more instructions, Leon withdrew his caring gaze and once again displayed the majesty of a general of the North. He drew his sword from his waist and, as if bestowing a title upon him, placed the blade on his adjutant's shoulder. As the adjutant knelt on the ground and recited an oath, Leon gently turned the hilt of the sword and handed it to his adjutant.

"By wielding this sword, you will act in my name. During this time, within the kingdom, you will symbolize the dignity of the entire northern fortress. Act accordingly and obey Prince Lius's commands."

"I should do so."

And so, with the sword that symbolized Leon's identity in his hand, the adjutant sheathed it at his waist, and with a lively yet composed heart, returned to the fortress to reorganize the troops and prepare for the upcoming mission, leaving Leon alone on the snow-covered city wall, gazing at the endless dark clouds on the distant horizon.

In the silence, Leon slowly exhaled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then looked again at the mountain range where the cultists had been. In his gaze, there was a sense of relief and lingering fear.

Although she had taken many precautions against cultists before, this time... under their diversionary tactic, her gaze was truly drawn away from the Northern Fortress.

Leon's long experience led her to instinctively believe that no one would directly attack the fortress. Therefore, she focused her forces on the surrounding territories for the past few days, searching for any possible cultists, while neglecting the gaps in the northern fortress, which was the only time in the year that the defensive formation had been weakened.

If Leus hadn't given him advance notice, the cultists might have secretly infiltrated the fortress and even breached it. In that case, turning the tide would have inevitably resulted in a great deal of casualties. It was thanks to Leus's assistance that the cultists' conspiracy was thwarted.

To prevent resale, please join the original QQ group for urging updates: 104022.89-06. You don't need to join the WeChat group anymore—updates and chapters of Yuan Ji's novel (updated 2000) are all in there. All of this made the female general feel a rare sense of relief, along with a sense of self-reproach. "Recently… have I really become weak? How could I make such a mistake? Or perhaps I've become too reliant on Prince Lius, thus neglecting to consider the battle situation and relying entirely on his assistance…" With these thoughts, Leon shook his head slightly, silently cursing himself. He then thought of Lius again, his heart beating faster in the snowy atmosphere.