Chapter 240: The Troublemaker

A red flare shot up into the sky and exploded, leaving behind a cloud of red smoke that lingered for a long time.

“Masters, Noguti’s Second Battalion has engaged the enemy, but there’s no sign of Nina Rams,” a young half-elf adjutant reported quietly.

The two elves were sipping wine and playing chess on a platform at the edge of a cliff.

“Ignore them,” said the slightly older elf in uniform, deeply pondering his next move without even looking up. “Those wolfmen are just making a last-ditch effort, trying to find a weak spot in our forces. Send a signal to Noguti to hold their ground. After they repel the attack, keep advancing and maintain the pace. We must reach the target location and set up defenses by nightfall.”

The cliff they stood on was the highest point in the area. From there, although they couldn’t see the details of what was happening behind the ridges, in the valleys, and within the forests, they could clearly observe every signal flare from the various units. The signals they sent from this vantage point could also be seen by all the troops immediately. On clear days, even the flag signals were visible.

For the past two weeks, the headquarters had been issuing orders from this very spot, tightening the noose around the Silvermoon Wolf Clan, and now, the operation was entering its final phase.

There were, of course, still a few gaps in the encirclement, but that was inevitable. The area covered by the perimeter spanned several dozen square kilometers, filled with mountains, forests, and valleys. A single force of ten thousand soldiers wasn’t enough to completely seal it off. However, they had secured all the main roads and critical points where larger groups could pass, and even the hidden paths were fully blocked. Unless the wolfmen could somehow leap over cliffs and deep ravines, they were left with no choice but to be gradually forced into the grave that the two commanders had chosen for them—the forest directly in front of this cliff.

By this point, the wolfmen must have realized their fate. Since yesterday, they had launched several probing attacks on key positions. But after nearly a month of desperate fleeing, the food they had with them must be almost exhausted, and their spirits surely on the brink of collapse.

They might still have the strength to attack small squads, but at this stage, all the forces involved in the campaign were operating at the battalion level. If a squad was attacked, the flanking units could immediately provide support. No matter where the battle occurred, the result was always the same—the wolfmen would leave behind a few corpses and retreat in panic, while the soldiers regrouped and continued their slow advance.

“Check!” Roderick’s frown finally eased as he moved a piece into a critical position.

But his opponent merely smiled, moving the threatened king to a spot Roderick hadn’t anticipated.

Roderick furrowed his brow once more as Raman, dressed in a long robe, stood up with his wine glass and slowly walked a few steps toward the edge of the cliff.

“I never thought we’d end up staying in a place like this for so long,” Raman said, taking a sip of the St. Andrews wine he’d brought from the imperial capital while gazing out at the vast space beyond the cliff.

The half-elf adjutants were uneasy about establishing their headquarters in such a location, but for the elves, only a view like this could momentarily lift their spirits, reminding them of their residences in Padamia. Only the wind atop the cliff could blow away the intolerable stench, preventing them from abandoning the task and leaving.

The scenery might be different, but the feeling of standing high above everything else, ruling from the peak of the world, was the same.

“It’s only a matter of three or four days now. Sometimes, it takes a long wait to truly savor the finest delicacies,” Roderick said, moving another chess piece in a relentless pursuit.

“Let’s hope that Nina Lams is exquisite enough to justify such a long wait,” Raman replied as he returned, swiftly placing a chess piece in a lethal position. “Apologies, dear brother, but it seems I’ve won this round again.”

“What…?” Roderick stared at the board in surprise. “You rascal! When did you…?”

“You were too focused on the frontlines, overlooking the piece I had hidden in the rear,” Raman said with a smile.

Another green signal flare rose from behind the slope on the left side.

“It’s the Dafflin Battalion, sir,” an adjutant behind them said, cross-referencing the map. “They’ve reached the point of contact.”

“The table is set, is it?” Raman downed the remaining wine in his glass, gently shaking his head.

By this time, Roderick had already reluctantly admitted that he was indeed beyond saving this match. He casually knocked over the pieces on the board and stood up with his wine glass.

“Has the team we sent to the Albert Battalion returned yet?” he asked offhandedly.

Yesterday afternoon, a red flare indicated enemy contact in the southeast, but no further signals had been seen. Neither the green flare for all clear nor the purple flare for a serious situation.

Logically, Battalion Commander Albert should have sent someone to report the specifics after repelling the enemy, but for some reason, no messenger had arrived even by this morning.

Although Roderick didn’t believe that Nina Lams would attempt to escape through the southeastern part of the encirclement, he still exercised basic caution by sending a squad of wolf riders to inquire about the situation.

That was several hours ago. Thirty miles was a two-hour ride at full speed for the war wolves, so they should have been back by now.

“Sir, they haven’t returned yet,” the adjutants responded with some unease.

Rodrick was relatively calm, but Raman had a near-obsessive need for control, requiring everything to be completed 100% according to schedule and his specifications.

If anything went wrong, that delicate, almost effeminate smile of his would inevitably spell trouble for someone, and most of the time, those who crossed him at such moments ended up suffering greatly.

“What’s going on? Send another team to investigate immediately!” Rodrick frowned. 

While he didn’t really think anything serious would happen, the supply routes from Baron Elyar’s and Baron Sirisio’s territories to the south passed through that area. If some bandits or an opportunistic mercenary group decided to cause trouble at this time, it would be like having bugs crawl around in front of you. Though they wouldn’t cause any real harm, they’d still be annoying enough to make your skin crawl.

“Yes, sir!” 

The two adjutants quickly moved into action, hurrying back toward the military camp. However, a small commotion seemed to have broken out there.

A short while later, the two adjutants returned with a squad leader and two wolf riders, all looking grave.

“My lords, the men we sent to Albert’s regiment have returned!”

“What happened?” Their expressions made Raman feel a sinking sensation.

“My lords!” The squad leader and the two wolf riders knelt down. “The entire camp was empty! Albert’s regiment, the wounded, and all the food supplies stored there—everything is gone.”

“What?” Roderick shot to his feet. “Disappeared? What do you mean by ‘disappeared’?”

Four to five hundred wounded soldiers, nearly a thousand troops in a regiment, and enough provisions to supply an army of ten thousand for ten days—how could they just disappear?

“Sir,” the squad leader, pale-faced, responded. “There are signs of battle inside and outside the camp, with bloodstains and the defensive walls pushed over. There was an intense fight. But we didn’t find any bodies, nor did we see any freshly dug mounds around the area. We only found a large number of footprints. The granary is empty too. Nothing was left behind.”

“That’s impossible!” Roderick kicked him aside, then pointed at another soldier. “You, tell me. What really happened?”

“Sir, it’s exactly as he described!”

“Idiots! Do you take me for a fool?” Roderick’s fury grew.

In another place, such a thing might be conceivable, but this location had no proper roads. Everything had to be carried by hand or hauled by horses. When the provisions were brought in, it took over a thousand slaves and nearly five hundred horses, plus nearly ten days to transport them. How could anyone move everything out in just one night?

“Brother,” Raman interrupted, stopping him from further outbursts. 

He began to carefully question the soldiers about what they saw.

“This is getting interesting,” he eventually smiled. “Though we don’t know their exact origin, it’s clear that a mage is involved.”

“People from Yagata?” Roderick asked, his excitement building.

“Not sure yet, but their target is clearly Nina Lams,” Raman said. “Whether they plan to kill her or rescue her, I believe they’ll show themselves soon enough.”