The atmosphere in the deserted village square suddenly fell silent for a moment. The cold night breeze blew gently, ruffling a few strands of Kael and Lizzy’s hair.
With a warm, sincere smile and not the slightest hesitation, Kael gently stroked Lizzy’s head beside him. "She’s my wife."
"What?!"
Cherry was utterly stunned. Her eyes widened in disbelief. The Kael known to veteran mercenaries everywhere had always been cold toward women, stiff and awkward around them, and had even turned down advances from beautiful women without hesitation, citing work and gold coins as his reasons.
"H-His wife...? You’re joking, right, Kael?!" Cherry exclaimed, her voice rising as she desperately sought confirmation.
However, there wasn’t the slightest hint of a lie in Kael’s eyes. At the same time, Lizzy, standing beside him, curled her lips into a faint, deeply mocking smile directed at Cherry.
In an instant, Cherry felt as though she’d been struck down to the ground. Ever since Kael had saved her life on the battlefield five years ago, her admiration and affection for him had gradually grown in her heart. But now, all those hopes had vanished into thin air.
Even so, Cherry wasn’t some cheap woman who would throw a tantrum without restraint. She let out a long sigh, trying to accept Kael’s decision despite the lingering ache in her heart.
"Huff... What a shame," Cherry murmured softly.
"What do you mean by ’what a shame,’ huh?!" Lizzy snapped sarcastically, narrowing her eyes threateningly.
Cherry lifted her chin and returned Lizzy’s gaze with equal hostility. "It’s a shame that Kael didn’t marry me! I’m far more beautiful and capable than you, and I knew Kael long before you did!"
Cherry snorted loudly, then turned her back on Lizzy and faced her troops, who had been watching their argument tensely all this time.
Lizzy clenched her fists, desperately wanting to rip the mouth off the woman standing before her. However, remembering that Kael was beside her and holding her hand, she fought hard to restrain herself.
Cherry gestured to her deputy. "Johan, give me the emergency regional map."
Johan promptly handed her a rolled-up animal-hide parchment. Cherry unfolded it widely in front of Kael. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
"This is the map provided directly by the Vex City Government," Cherry explained, pointing to several spots on the parchment. "Several villages whose inhabitants mysteriously disappeared have been marked here. According to their records, only two villages remain under Vex City’s jurisdiction."
On the map, four villages whose inhabitants had vanished had been crossed out in black ink. To the east, near a mist-shrouded valley, there was a crude drawing of a round-headed creature.
"There’s a goblin stronghold to the east. Since goblins tend to be passive and don’t attack settlements, the city authorities have only been monitoring them. Now, these two areas to the west and south are the remaining villages," Cherry continued, sharing her analysis. "If we connect the four villages that have disappeared, the pattern forms a perfect circle... like a sacrificial magic circle."
Kael leaned forward, studying the lines spread across the map. His suspicions grew stronger. This group of Dark Mages was deliberately using the blood and lives of the villagers to perform a summoning ritual.
At first glance, the map indicated that the enemy still needed two more villages to complete their magic circle. However, one peculiar detail bothered Kael.
Four villages had already been wiped out. Yet the western village, which was closest to the village where they currently stood, was marked as intact and safe. Logically, if the circular pattern was real, the western village should have been the first target before the village they were currently in.
Kael’s eyes suddenly widened.
A horrifying realization struck him!
"Oh, no! It’s a trap!" Kael shouted firmly. "They actually need only one more village! The western village must have already been massacred and used as a sacrifice before this! Now they’re heading toward the southern village... The map provided by the Vex City Government has been deliberately falsified!"
Cherry was stunned by Kael’s swift analysis. If the map had been falsified by the city authorities, that meant the Vex City Government itself had either allied with the Dark Mages or was directly involved with them!
Without wasting another second, Kael turned around and sprinted away.
"Lizzy, Cherry! Both of you, return to the city immediately and seek help from the official forces! Be careful of the Vex City officials!" Kael shouted as he ran into the darkness toward the southern road.
Seeing Kael rush alone toward the danger, Lizzy instinctively tried to chase after her husband. However, Cherry swiftly grabbed her arm and held her back.
"Control your emotions! Come on, let’s follow Kael’s orders!" Cherry said firmly.
Cherry then turned to Johan and the rest of her troops. "Johan! Take all the members and go after Kael! Make sure he doesn’t get surrounded!"
Johan hesitated, looking uncertain. "B-but, Captain... what about your safety in the city?"
"Don’t worry about me! I can take care of myself, along with this woman," Cherry cut him off without hesitation. "Kael is the one who needs combat support the most right now!"
Johan didn’t dare challenge his captain’s firm command. "Understood, Captain!" He immediately led a dozen other mercenaries in pursuit of Kael, heading south. This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
Lizzy’s heart pounded with deep anxiety as she desperately hoped that the man she loved would be safe.
Suddenly, Cherry grabbed Lizzy by the wrist. "Honestly, I really don’t like you. But for now... for Kael’s safety, we have to work together."
Lizzy glanced at Cherry for a moment, then gave a brief nod. Without wasting any time, the two women hurried toward the center of Vex City, a journey that would take approximately an hour.
Meanwhile, inside a magnificent room in the tallest tower of Vex City...
"If we succeed in taking control of the Leonheart Kingdom from within, the other territories across this continent will easily kneel before us..."
A middle-aged man with black hair stood by a large window, resting his hands on its frame as he gazed coldly at the crescent moon in the night sky. Behind him stood several figures clad in pitch-black robes, bowing obediently in an atmosphere of oppressive silence.
"The Leonheart Kingdom’s military strength is at its weakest point following the great war against Vermilion. This is our golden opportunity," the man continued in a deep, commanding voice. "Once the sacrificial ritual in the final village is complete... destroying Leonheart from its very roots will be child’s play."
For months, they had manipulated every report sent to the royal court, misleading the authorities into believing that the border incidents were nothing more than minor disturbances caused by bandits, problems that could easily be handled by local mercenaries.
The man was none other than the figure publicly known as the Mayor of Vex. Suddenly, he stopped speaking. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the monitoring talisman in his hand crack. The magical connection to the guards he had secretly planted among the mercenary group had been severed completely.
"Hmm? The soldiers I assigned have been killed?" he chuckled softly. "It seems that mercenary group isn’t as stupid as I imagined."
The man raised his hand to his face. With a wide, horrifying smile that revealed nothing but pure malice, he gripped the skin of his cheek and forcibly tore away the layer that concealed his human face!
Beneath that fleshy mask, his true appearance was revealed: a pair of gleaming red eyes like fresh blood, deathly pale skin devoid of any sign of life, and sharp fangs. For two months, this demon had been impersonating the corrupt mayor of Vex City after murdering the real official.
"There’s no point in continuing to wear the identity of this corrupt human," the demon hissed coldly. "There are a few pesky insects trying to sabotage our ritual. You... go and bring me the head of that mercenary captain named Cherry!"
The black-robed followers bowed deeply. "Yes, Lord Zake! We will bring you their heads immediately!"