Chapter 74: “No One Would Have Guessed”
In a secret basement chamber within the Ossi Kingdom’s palace, the scene of the old Dream Seer’s demise, now meticulously cleaned, held a new occupant. A thin, dark-skinned boy lay on the bed, his eyes wide and unseeing, his pupils dilated, his mouth agape in a silent scream, as if witnessing unspeakable horrors. He was dead, his life taken without warning.
Apos, his slender frame casting a long shadow in the dim light, sat nearby, a triumphant smile on his face, unfazed by the gruesome sight.
“It seems I’ve outmaneuvered them,” he muttered to himself. “No one would have guessed that my attack would unfold in two seemingly unrelated stages. You might have killed my Shadowlings, but you couldn’t stop my plan… I might have lost with the diversion, but this Trojan Horse strategy will surely surprise you… Abyss… I hope you enjoy my little gift…”
As Apos reveled in his victory, the basement door suddenly opened.
Without hesitation, he rose from his chair and knelt before the entrance. “Your Majesty, you’ve arrived.”
Only Apos, the Dream Seer, and Kevin had access to this basement. With the Dream Seer dead, the newcomer could only be Kevin.
The imposing figure of King Kevin entered, his expression cold and severe. He glanced at the dead Dream Seer, then looked down at the kneeling Apos.
“It seems the Dream Seer has fallen victim to your scheme. Did his death yield any valuable results?”
Apos looked up, his pale face creased with a smile. “Your Majesty, the enemy mage, Abyss, might be powerful, but my tactics caught him off guard. I sent two illusionist Shadowlings to incapacitate two members of their caravan, then sacrificed the Dream Seer to Master, gaining the power to possess those unconscious individuals, placing them inside their cargo wagons…”
“I’m not interested in the process. Just the results,” Kevin interrupted, his voice impatient, not even glancing at Apos. He walked to the bed and sat down, the corpse behind him seemingly forgotten.
“…Yes, Your Majesty. I controlled the two guards and destroyed three of their wagons, likely shattering half of their potions. They didn’t have a large quantity to begin with, so they must be desperate now. Those meager potions won’t be enough for their rebel army. They won’t be able to challenge us for a long time.”
“Hmm, that’s acceptable,” Kevin said, his voice finally showing a hint of approval. But then his tone shifted. “But you didn’t destroy all the potions. Are your abilities so limited?”
“Abyss’s power is unfathomable. He froze the two men I controlled, sealing their magic, preventing me from controlling them any further. And then, they used some kind of high-level power, likely Divine Arts, to sever my connection to them,” Apos said, his voice laced with a hint of disappointment. He hadn’t expected to be reprimanded. “My abilities are indeed limited. The enemy is too powerful.”
“Then so be it. Weakening their forces is enough to please me,” Kevin said, looking down at the kneeling Apos with disdain. “If what you say is true, the Restoration Army has suffered a heavy loss. I can enjoy a few days of peace now.”
“Are you satisfied with the maids I selected for you, Your Majesty?” Apos asked, trying to ingratiate himself.
“They’re acceptable. Their experiences in war have instilled deep fears within them. Master seemed displeased recently, but he praised my efforts,” Kevin said, his voice slightly warmer when mentioning “Master.” “One of Master’s important sources of sustenance seems to have been disrupted, but he didn’t tell me the details.”
“Perhaps it’s something Princess Givia is responsible for,” Apos said, pondering.
“Before coming here, I killed one of the new maids you selected. She was beautiful. If I were an ordinary king, I might have been attracted to her, but she was too kind, too attentive. I suspected she was trying to manipulate me, make me fall in love with her. So I executed her. Don’t bring me any more scheming—or overly kind—women. I don’t want to dirty my hands again,” Kevin said.
“Understood, Your Majesty,” Apos replied immediately.
He knew the King had no interest in women or wealth. His only pleasure seemed to be serving his Master.
“I’ll leave now and arrange for a new Dream Seer. Although Givia is returning to her base, and we can no longer monitor her freely, I need a Dream Seer available when I require one.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Apos said, bowing his head.
…
Givia’s caravan was moving quickly, their horses well-fed and rested. The rough terrain made the journey uncomfortable, but Givia’s smile remained bright.
“Kevin must think he has the upper hand. To prevent them from spying on us through our dreams, as Abyss suggested, we won’t sleep tonight. We should reach our base tomorrow morning. We can rest then,” Givia said, taking Rebecca’s hand. “Thanks to you, we’ve achieved a great victory!”
“You’re too kind, Your Highness. I only did what I could,” Rebecca said, smiling. “No one would have guessed that after I added those ingredients, the potions would remain intact, even without their bottles.”
Leona held what appeared to be a potion bottle—but upon closer inspection, it was a solid block of solidified potion, shaped like a bottle. The original glass container had shattered.
“By adding those ingredients, you turned the potions into unbreakable solids. Even if the bottles break, the potions remain intact, and we can restore them to their liquid form with another potion… You’re truly remarkable! This invention could revolutionize alchemy. It’s as brilliant as a Gray Elf’s heart,” Abyss said, praising her.
“Thanks to you, we’ve safely transported all the potions to our base. This will be a great boon to our army!” Givia said, her voice filled with determination.
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