When Zhang Wen and Carite left the Governor’s Mansion, it was already quite late. As the psychokinetic car drove out of the city center of Casares and gradually approached Almishus Academy, the pedestrians along the road rapidly became fewer and fewer. Half an hour later, when the car was only ten minutes away from the academy, Zhang Wen and Carite could hardly see any pedestrians anymore.
Except for the psychokinetic streetlights standing like sturdy dwarves along the streets, all they could see was a pitch-black and tranquil night.
To be honest, not long after Carite had sat inside the psychokinetic car, she had already started to regret her decision. After all, this was the first time she had ever been alone with a man!
The dim environment inside the car, combined with the scent of Zhang Wen constantly wafting in her direction, made Carite feel increasingly flustered. Even her head started to feel slightly dizzy. Every single movement Zhang Wen made caused her sensitive heart to race even more.
At times, she couldn’t help but imagine thoughts like, “What if Zhang Wen suddenly hugged me right now?” Then she would immediately become flustered and embarrassed by her own thoughts, blushing furiously.
Fortunately, the lighting inside the car was extremely dim, almost pitch black. This allowed Carite to endure the situation. As the car drew closer to Almishus Academy and the surroundings gradually became more familiar, Carite’s emotions finally began to calm down a bit. However, her heart hadn’t had time to settle for long when Zhang Wen, who had been leaning against his seat with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight.
In fact, the dim light inside the psychokinetic car was more than sufficient for Zhang Wen to see everything clearly. Throughout the journey, he had observed Carite’s restlessness. The reason he had pretended to be resting with his eyes closed was precisely to help Carite feel more at ease. However, just moments ago, a sudden surge of intense danger had struck Zhang Wen’s nerves.
Someone was targeting this car! Zhang Wen instantly made the judgment. Who could it be? Were their targets him or Carite? Sitting upright, Zhang Wen cast his gaze out the window while his mind tensed, analyzing the situation.
If it had been before today, Zhang Wen could have been almost one hundred percent certain that the target was Carite, the governor’s daughter. However, after making a big impression today and ruining Governor Karayan’s plans, he could no longer be certain who the attackers were after.
“Teacher Zhang, what’s going on?” Carite couldn’t help but ask nervously when she saw Zhang Wen sit up and remain completely still like a statue.
“Shh!” Zhang Wen immediately placed a finger to his lips, signaling Carite to be quiet. However, the next moment, Zhang Wen’s expression changed drastically again. He suddenly lunged forward and pushed Carite down onto the seat of the psychokinetic car.
“Ahh?!” Carite let out a short, startled scream, her face flushed with embarrassment. The embarrassing fantasy that had previously only existed in her mind had suddenly become a reality, throwing her thoughts into complete disarray. However, almost immediately afterward, she heard the sharp sound of glass shattering after being struck by something heavy.
After the chaos of flying glass, Carite, who had just been in a state of confusion, quickly regained her composure. The calm and decisive student council president of Almishus Academy returned to her.
“Are we under attack?” Carite, still pinned beneath Zhang Wen, quickly whispered as she opened her eyes.
“Yeah, exactly. There are three of them. They’re all formidable experts.” Zhang Wen rapidly explained to Carite while bringing the psychokinetic car to a halt.
Continuing to drive the car at high speed during an attack would be the stupidest choice. It would not only leave the passengers inside vulnerable to attack without the ability to fight back but also give the attackers an easy way to kill them all—by simply flipping the car, they could watch their targets perish effortlessly. Zhang Wen, of course, would never make such a foolish mistake.
Soon, the powerless psychokinetic car gradually came to a stop by the roadside. “Stay here and don’t move,” Zhang Wen shouted to Carite before rushing out of the car first.
Zhang Wen knew that as soon as he stopped the car, the ambushers lying in wait for him and Carite would immediately converge from their hiding spots. From the initial wave of attacks, Zhang Wen had already determined that the assailants were likely martial artists at around the eighth level of physical techniques.
Fighting three eighth-level martial artists at once was indeed a daunting task for Zhang Wen. However, it was not impossible. Moreover, the ambush locations of these assailants were definitely at varying distances from his current position. If he could seize the opportunity to take them down one by one before they regrouped, his chances of victory would be significantly higher.
“Hey, three eighth-level martial artists, huh? These guys really went all out,” Zhang Wen muttered to himself with a slight smirk, then suddenly vanished from his original position like a ghost.
“He’s gone! Did any of you see where he went?” The three attackers, positioned in a triangular formation and sprinting toward the psychokinetic car from different directions, simultaneously noticed that Zhang Wen had disappeared right under their noses. Shocked, all three halted their steps almost simultaneously and questioned their comrades through their psychic communicators.
Then, the same question coming from their comrades immediately sent a chill down the spines of the three attackers. They could clearly feel that they, the original hunters, had unknowingly switched places with their prey. Now, the prey had become them! And what they were facing was an invisible hunter!
“What do we do now?” The former “hunters,” now panicking, nervously asked through the communicators.
“No matter what, we must regroup first and rush to the car together! There are two people in that car, and since that guy came out alone, he can’t have gone far. Besides, his martial arts level isn’t very high; the only scary thing about him is probably his speed. If we stick together, he won’t be able to do anything to us! Also, we can use the woman in the car as a hostage!” The leader of the attackers, still somewhat composed, quickly came up with a fairly convincing plan.
“Got it!” Receiving their leader’s command, the other two attackers immediately steadied their nerves. They both acknowledged and began rushing toward the car as instructed.
“Hmm.” Satisfied with his subordinates’ response, the leader nodded and started running forward with quick steps. However, he hadn’t managed to run more than a few steps when a scream filled with terror instinctively made him stop in his tracks, his entire body stiffening.
“Ahh… Help… Help me!” When the chilling scream rang out again, the leader of the attackers realized in horror that the voice was coming from the psychic communicator right next to his ear! It was the voice of one of his subordinates!
“Help… That guy is a ghost… He’s a ghost! Ah! Don’t kill me!” The terrified screams from his subordinate left the attacker leader almost unable to breathe.
In the attacker leader’s mind, his subordinate had always been a ruthless and fierce man. Yet, even such a person was screaming in terror! What kind of terrifying opponent were they really facing? What kind of intelligence had their superiors provided? Hadn’t they said their target was at most someone with only mid-level eighth-tier strength?
The attacker leader’s mind was filled with fearful thoughts, but the screams from his comrade continued for about ten seconds before abruptly cutting off. A gentle evening breeze passed over the attacker leader’s body, and he suddenly shivered, then started running forward frantically as if his life depended on it.
“One down,” Zhang Wen whispered softly after dropping the lifeless body whose neck he had snapped, and his figure vanished once again into the shadows of the alley.
The pitch-black night and the chaotic alley—this environment was practically tailor-made for Zhang Wen! Relying on his high speed cultivated from the Spring Water Technique and the “Night Shadow” move he had learned from the Demon King, Zhang Wen had managed to kill the eighth-tier assassin without even letting the enemy catch a glimpse of his shadow from start to finish!
After eliminating one opponent, Zhang Wen quickly moved toward his second target. This time, the attacker leader heard no sound through the psychic communicator. When the attacker leader could finally see the parked psychokinetic car in his line of sight and excitedly called out to his second subordinate, he was horrified to find that his call received no response.
“Robbyo, Robbyo!” The attacker leader desperately shouted the name of his second subordinate, but the psychic communicator only emitted a blank static noise. The attacker leader immediately realized that his second subordinate was also gone.
So, where was that terrifying guy now? In other words, he was… just as the attacker leader pondered this question, he suddenly realized that a sharp dagger had silently appeared from behind him, silently stretching out and tightly pressing against his throat. The attacker leader’s entire body was soaked in cold sweat.
To be honest, this attacker leader was not a coward. Even facing the blade of a tenth-tier expert, he had the courage to charge forward without blinking an eye. However, now he was almost scared out of his wits!
“Giggle… giggle…” An unprecedented sense of fear made him involuntarily tremble.
“Who are you people? Why are you attacking me?” Zhang Wen pressed the dagger firmly against the attacker leader’s throat and softly whispered into his ear. Zhang Wen was quite satisfied with the effect of his deliberate actions. Visible terror is limited, but invisible terror is the scariest of all—a truth that had been proven countless times in horror movies on Earth. It was clearly just as effective in this world.
“We… we were just following orders. The people above only told us to attack a psychokinetic car at this time and location. There are two people on board, roughly at the seventh or eighth tier level. As for why we were attacking or who the people on board are, we don’t know anything!” The pale-faced attacker leader spilled everything like a flood of beans without hesitation. However, judging from his answer, it was obvious that he spoke so freely partly out of fear and partly because he truly knew very little, so even if he told everything, it wouldn’t make much of a difference.
“Who gave you the orders?”
“I don’t know, really. I’m just an ordinary bounty fighter. I was caught in a compromising situation and had no choice but to be blackmailed. Every time he wants to take action, he leaves a note at my place. I’ve never seen him in person! I swear on my life, every word I’ve said is the truth!”
“Hmph! So you’re telling me you’re completely useless to me?” Zhang Wen coldly snorted, his icy voice ringing in the attacker leader’s ears.
“No, please… don’t kill me!” The attacker leader was already nearly collapsing to the ground.
To be honest, courage is a fascinating thing. Without the initial fear that Zhang Wen had instilled in the attacker leader’s mind, it was possible that even with a dagger at his throat, he wouldn’t have blinked an eye. However, once fear had taken hold, he could no longer muster any courage.
With the acute senses granted by the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen could sense from the attacker leader’s body temperature and heartbeat that he was indeed telling the truth.
Faced with a completely defeated and clueless henchman, Zhang Wen couldn’t be bothered to kill him. There were countless bounty fighters like this one throughout the Empire. Even if Zhang Wen killed this one, the enemy could easily control ten or eight more to come after him. Additionally, Zhang Wen vaguely sensed that someone else was always lurking in the shadows, secretly observing from the sidelines.
Under these circumstances, Zhang Wen thought it better to spare the prisoner. At the very least, it would create some minor trouble for the person hiding in the dark.
“Fine. I won’t kill you, but whether you live or die now depends entirely on your own luck.” Having made his decision, Zhang Wen quickly whispered into the attacker leader’s ear, then suddenly withdrew the dagger from his throat and struck him hard on the neck.
When Zhang Wen and Carrie left the Governor’s Mansion, it was already quite late. As the telekinetic car drove out of the central area of Casares City and gradually approached the Almicus Academy, the pedestrians on the roadside quickly became sparse. After half an hour of driving, when they were just ten minutes away from the Almicus Academy, Zhang Wen and Carrie could hardly see any pedestrians on the street.
Apart from the sturdy telekinetic street lamps standing like dwarves on both sides of the road, all they could see was the dark and tranquil night.
To be honest, not long after Carrie had just sat in the telekinetic car, she began to regret it. After all, this was the first time Carrie had been alone with a man!
The dim environment inside the telekinetic car and the constant scent of Zhang Wen beside her made Carrie feel increasingly confused. Even her head began to feel slightly dizzy. Every move Zhang Wen made would make Carrie’s sensitive heart race.
She sometimes couldn’t help but imagine questions like “What if Zhang Wen suddenly hugged me now?” and then blush with embarrassment at the sudden thoughts in her mind.
Fortunately, the light inside the telekinetic car was extremely dim, with almost zero visibility. This allowed Carrie to endure the journey. As the telekinetic car got closer to the Almicus Academy, the gradually familiar surroundings helped Carrie calm down a bit. However, before Carrie’s heart could settle for long, Zhang Wen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and sat up straight.
In fact, the faint light inside the telekinetic car was enough for Zhang Wen to see everything clearly. Throughout the journey, he had noticed Carrie’s restlessness. He had been pretending to rest with his eyes closed, hoping to make Carrie feel more at ease. But just now, a strong sense of crisis suddenly struck Zhang Wen’s nerves.
Someone was targeting this car! Zhang Wen almost immediately made the judgment. Who were they? Were they after me or Carrie? Sitting up straight, Zhang Wen looked out the window, analyzing the situation nervously.
If it had been before today, Zhang Wen could have been almost certain that the target was Carrie, the Governor’s daughter. But after Zhang Wen had made a big splash today and ruined Governor Karayan’s plans, he couldn’t be sure whose life they were after.
“Teacher Zhang, what’s going on?” Carrie asked nervously when she saw Zhang Wen sitting up like a statue.
“Shh!” Zhang Wen immediately put his finger to his lips, signaling Carrie to be quiet. But the next moment, Zhang Wen’s expression changed drastically, and he suddenly pounced on Carrie, pressing her down onto the seat of the telekinetic car.
“Ah?!” Carrie let out a short scream in her embarrassment. The embarrassing fantasy that had just been in her mind had suddenly become reality, and Carrie’s heart was in turmoil. But then, she heard the crisp sound of glass shattering from a heavy impact.
After the chaos of the shattered glass, Carrie, who had been in a state of confusion, quickly calmed down. The calm and decisive student council president of Almicus Academy had returned to Carrie.
“Are we under attack?” Carrie, who was pinned under Zhang Wen, opened her eyes and quickly whispered.
“Yes, indeed. There are three of them. All very skilled.” Zhang Wen said rapidly to Carrie while stopping the telekinetic car.
In the face of an attack, continuing to drive the telekinetic car at high speed was the most foolish choice. Not only would it leave the people inside the car unable to fight back, but it would also give the attackers a simple method to kill them—they just needed to flip the car over, and the targets inside would be dead. Zhang Wen, of course, would not make such a stupid mistake.
Soon, the telekinetic car, now without power, slowly came to a stop by the roadside. “Stay here and don’t move.” Zhang Wen shouted to Carrie, then opened the car door and rushed out.
Zhang Wen knew that the attackers who had ambushed him and Carrie would immediately gather from their hiding spots as soon as he stopped the car. From the first wave of attacks, Zhang Wen could already judge that the attackers were all martial artists around the eighth level.
Facing three eighth-level martial artists at the same time was indeed a daunting task for Zhang Wen. However, it was not impossible. Moreover, the hiding spots of these eighth-level martial artists were certainly at different distances from Zhang Wen’s current position. As long as he could take them out one by one when they were not together, Zhang Wen’s chances of winning would be greater.
“Hey, three eighth-level martial artists. These guys are really willing to spend a lot.” Zhang Wen slightly curled his lips and muttered to himself, then he disappeared like a ghost from where he had been standing.
“Where did he go? Did you see him?” The three attackers, who were spread out in a triangular formation and rushing towards the telekinetic car from different directions, almost simultaneously noticed that Zhang Wen had disappeared from right under their noses. The shocked three almost simultaneously stopped and asked their companions through the telekinetic communicator.
Then, the same question from their companions immediately sent a chill down the spines of the three attackers. They could clearly feel that they, the original hunters, had unknowingly become the prey. Now, the prey had become them! And what they were facing was an invisible hunter!
“What should we do now?” The panicked former “hunters” nervously asked through the communicator.
“Anyway, let’s gather together first. Rush to the car as fast as possible! There are two people in that car. If that guy came out alone, he wouldn’t go too far. Besides, that guy’s martial arts level isn’t high. The only thing scary about him is probably his speed. As long as we stick together, he can’t do anything to us! Moreover, we can use the woman in the car as a hostage!” The leader of the attackers, who still had some brains, quickly came up with a somewhat convincing plan.
“Yes!” After receiving the leader’s command, the other attackers immediately calmed down. They agreed in unison and rushed towards the car as fast as possible according to the leader’s instructions.
“Hmm.” The leader nodded in satisfaction and also started running forward at full speed. But before he could run a few steps, a scream filled with fear made him instinctively stop, and all the hairs on his body stood on end.
“Ah…! Help… help!” When the spine-chilling scream sounded again, the leader of the attackers was horrified to find that the scream was coming from the telekinetic communicator right next to his ear! It was the voice of one of his subordinates!
“Help… that guy is a ghost… he’s a ghost! Ah! Don’t kill me!” The terrified screams of his subordinate almost suffocated the leader of the attackers.
In the leader’s impression, his subordinate was a ferocious and ruthless man. But even such a person was now screaming in terror! What kind of terrifying person were they dealing with? How did the people above give such information? Weren’t they told that the person they were dealing with was at most a mid-eighth-level martial artist?
The leader’s heart was filled with fearful thoughts, but the screams of his companion in his ears suddenly stopped after more than ten seconds. The evening breeze gently blew over the leader’s body, and he suddenly shivered, then started running forward like a madman.
“One.” Zhang Wen dropped the body with a broken neck in his hand and softly uttered a word, then his body disappeared again into the shadows of the alley.
The dark night, the messy alley—such an environment seemed to be tailor-made for Zhang Wen! With the speed he had gained from practicing the Spring Water Technique and the “Night Shadow” move he had learned from Asura, Zhang Wen had killed the eighth-level assassin without even letting him see his shadow!
After dealing with one opponent, Zhang Wen quickly approached his second target. This time, the leader of the attackers didn’t hear any sound in the telekinetic communicator. When the leader could finally see the telekinetic car parked by the roadside in his line of sight, he called out to his second subordinate in a mix of surprise and joy, only to be horrified to find that his call received no response.
“Robio, Robio!” The leader of the attackers shouted the name of his second subordinate, but apart from a confused noise in the telekinetic communicator, there was still no sound. The leader immediately understood that his second subordinate was also finished.
So, where was that terrifying guy now? That is to say, he was… just as the leader of the attackers thought of this question, he suddenly realized that a sharp dagger had somehow silently appeared from behind him and was now tightly pressed against his neck. The leader’s clothes were instantly soaked with cold sweat.
To be honest, this leader of the attackers was not a man afraid of death. Even facing the blade of a tenth-level master, he would have the courage to face it without blinking. But now, he was almost scared to the point of wetting himself!
“Gurgle… gurgle…” An unprecedented feeling of fear made him tremble uncontrollably.
“Who are you? Why are you attacking me?” Zhang Wen pressed the dagger firmly against the leader’s neck and whispered in his ear. Zhang Wen was quite satisfied with the result of his deliberate actions. Visible terror is limited, but invisible terror is the most frightening—a truth that has been proven countless times in various horror movies on Earth, and it seemed to be just as effective in this world.
“We… we were just following orders. The people above only told us to attack a telekinetic car at this time and place, with two people inside, roughly at the seventh or eighth level. As for why we were attacking, or who the people in the car were, we didn’t know!” The pale-faced leader of the attackers answered Zhang Wen’s question without hesitation, like pouring beans out of a bag. However, from his answer, it was clear that he was so willing to answer partly out of fear and partly because he knew very little, so revealing it wouldn’t matter much.
“Above? Who gave you the orders?”
“I don’t know, really. I’m just an ordinary bounty fighter, forced to do this because someone has a hold over me. Every time there’s an action, I find a note left at my place. I’ve never seen him! I swear, every word I’m saying is true!”
“Hmph! So, you’re completely useless to me?” Zhang Wen snorted, his cold voice echoing in the leader’s ears.
“No, please… don’t kill me!” The leader of the attackers was almost collapsing to the ground.
To be honest, courage is a very interesting thing. If it weren’t for the fear Zhang Wen had instilled in the leader’s mind from the start, he might not have blinked even if Zhang Wen had held a dagger to his neck. But once he was controlled by fear, he could no longer muster any courage.
With the acute senses from the Spring Water Technique, Zhang Wen could tell from the leader’s body temperature and heart rate that he was indeed telling the truth.
Facing a completely unresisting and clueless underling, Zhang Wen couldn’t be bothered to kill him. Bounty fighters like this leader were countless in the empire. Even if Zhang Wen killed this one, the other side could easily control ten or eight more to deal with him. Besides, Zhang Wen vaguely felt that there was still someone lurking in the shadows, quietly observing the situation.
In such a situation, Zhang Wen thought it would be better to let this captive go, at least to cause a little trouble for the person hiding in the shadows.
“Alright. I won’t kill you, but whether you can survive depends entirely on your luck.” Zhang Wen made up his mind and quickly whispered in the leader’s ear, then suddenly withdrew the dagger from his neck and struck heavily at his neck.
Thud! The leader of the attackers, hit by Zhang Wen, fainted without a doubt. Zhang Wen then threw away the dagger, not even glancing at the man, and decisively returned to the telekinetic car. A minute later, the telekinetic car with two shattered windows started again and sped towards the Almicus Academy.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well! Isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almisus Academy investigating their security situation? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business now,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, you don’t expect me to stand idly by, do you?”
“Haha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to inspect him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Inspect all you want, but he’s mine,” the silver-haired man said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive halberd nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Haha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s gesture, though he quickly regained his composure and continued with his unsettling smile.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in an instant.
With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured with his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was cleanly cut away, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it briefly but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being a minion. The Syndicate is being cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, flashing to the assassin’s side in an instant. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Callette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode the flying car back to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his smile unwavering but his gaze carrying a palpable pressure that left the usually composed Isaya momentarily speechless.
“Haha, what kind of ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya said expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Callette was meant to stir chaos in the competition. While they were targeted, the Thamis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing more declarations of violence. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing an early entry into the Sandra Forest.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that the Syndicate, if cornered, might take hostages from the academies. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied immediately, shaking his head with a smile.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression showing a hint of confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Kasares Planet? Haha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid. They won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we leave them unchecked, the faculty and students of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only demands the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it handle it. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. Among them, standing together, were the Eagle Guard Captain Lei Miao and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion. The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his silver long hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almisius Academy investigating their security? What brings you here?” Lei Miao greeted the silver-haired man with his ever-present eerie smile.
“Tch! I’ll handle Almisius Academy’s situation on my own, no need for your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing towards the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring Princess Sophia’s safety. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you expect me to just stand by?”
“Now, now, Captain Mura, no need to get upset. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first, if you don’t mind.”
“Examine him all you want, but he’s mine,” Mura declared, swinging a massive horse-cutting sword, almost as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. I’d love to duel you someday,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s action, though he quickly regained his composure.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body floated up as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured, and a square section of the assassin’s sleeve was neatly cut away. Glancing at the exposed skin, Lei Miao’s expression turned to disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Society is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side and hoisting him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Lei Miao replied with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Society target Zhang Wen and Carlett? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Isaya, Isaya, don’t bring your old habits from serving your former commander here. Speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question, are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao’s gaze bore into Isaya with such intensity that even the formidable deputy was momentarily speechless.
“The Society and us, do we really have a relationship where they’d fear alerting us? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Society didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized, her expression unchanged. “As you said, we know what the Society wants, and they know what we want. I believe their attack on Zhang Wen and Carlett was to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were attacked, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might also face similar assaults. Their next move will likely be to have their puppets issue attack declarations, forcing the two academies to cancel or postpone the competition, thus entering Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and teachers of both academies enter Sandra Forest, dealing with the Society will become unpredictable. The worst-case scenario is the Society taking them hostage if cornered. So, Captain, I think we should act now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya suggested earnestly.
“Prevent them from entering Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a shake of his head, his smile widening.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them? If we merely wanted to disrupt the Society’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares Planet? Isaya, the Emperor wants the heads of the Society. If we block the academies, the Society isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But if we let them go, the teachers and students of the academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Society members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take care of them. Otherwise, let’s hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their actions,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guard, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be busy investigating the security situation at the Almis Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almis Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almis Academy, you don’t expect me to just stand by, do you?”
“Haha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want, but he’s mine,” the silver-haired man said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-chopping blade nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Haha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to have a duel with you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s action, though he quickly regained his composure and continued with his usual smile.
Before his words even fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao’s figure had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured with his finger, and a square section of the assassin’s sleeve on his right arm was neatly cut away as if by a blade. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed skin but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Syndicate is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, flashing to the assassin’s side in an instant. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate target Zhang Wen and Callette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao smiled as he stared at Isaya, his gaze so intense that even this exceptionally capable deputy was momentarily speechless.
“Haha, what kind of ‘alerting’ relationship could there be between us and the Syndicate? Although His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by His Majesty long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, retracting his intimidating gaze and resuming his unsettling smile.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re up to. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Callette was meant to muddy the waters of this competition. While Zhang Wen and Callette were targeted, it’s likely that the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan were also attacked. Their next move will probably involve having their puppets issue some declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest earlier.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. Most concerning is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head the moment Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression showing a hint of confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Kasares? Haha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the faculty and students of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and a woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female adjutant, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his silver long hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well! Isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at Almisius Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisius Academy without your meddling, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, his tone sharp as he gestured toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you can’t expect me to stand idly by, can you?”
“Ha ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to drive you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to inspect him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Inspect all you want. But he’s mine,” Mura said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive zhanmadao—almost as long as he was tall—onto his shoulder.
“Ha ha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at the sight of Mura wielding the blade, though he quickly regained his composure and continued with his unsettling smile.
Before his words had fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
*Snap!* With a light flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured with his finger, and a square section of the assassin’s sleeve on his right arm was neatly sliced off as if by a blade. Lei Miao glanced casually at the exposed skin but immediately showed a look of disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a lackey. The Syndicate is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, also appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile, and by the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they sat in the flying car returning to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Ha ha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking me such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said with a smile, his gaze so intense that it momentarily silenced the otherwise formidable adjutant.
“Ha ha, what kind of ‘alerting’ relationship could the Syndicate possibly have with us? Although His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by His Majesty long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I apologize, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya said expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just mentioned, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. Therefore, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to muddy the waters of this competition. While Zhang Wen and Jaliet were targeted, it’s likely that the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan were also attacked. Their next move will undoubtedly involve having their puppets issue declarations of further attacks. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest prematurely.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging with the Syndicate will become fraught with uncertainties. Most concerning is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I believe we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha ha, prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head immediately after Isaya finished speaking.
“Wh… what do you mean, do nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression giving way to confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal were merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares Planet? Ha ha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish. They won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… but if we let them go unchecked, the faculty and students of both academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they possess extraordinary luck or can deliver some remarkable performances,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female adjutant, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the governor’s mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well! Isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almisus Academy investigating their security? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business now,” Mura retorted, his tone sharp as he gestured toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. With an assassination attempt on the governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, you can’t expect me to just stand by, can you?”
“Ha ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine,” Mura said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-slaying sword, nearly as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Ha ha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-bearing stance, though he quickly regained composure.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a snap of his fingers, the assassin’s body floated up as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then flicked his finger, and the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was cleanly sliced off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it briefly, only to show disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Society is being cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly slung him over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile, and by the time his last word reached Mura, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Society target Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya asked seriously as they rode back to the governor’s mansion in the flying car.
“Ha ha, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the habits from serving your former commander when you’re with me. Just speak your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao’s gaze bore into Isaya with palpable pressure, leaving the usually composed adjutant momentarily speechless.
“Ha ha, what’s this about alerting us? The Society and us—do we even have that kind of relationship? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Society didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you said, we know what the Society is up to, and they know our intentions. So, I believe the Society’s attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were targeted, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing declarations of further attacks. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing an early entry into the Sandra Forest.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging the Society will become fraught with uncertainties. Most concerning is that if cornered, the Society might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should act now to prevent the academies from entering the forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a shake of his head, even as Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her stern expression giving way to confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them? If we merely wanted to disrupt the Society’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through the trouble of using Princess Sophia as a pretext to send us to Cassares? Ha ha. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Society’s members. If we block the academies, the Society isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we do nothing, the faculty and students of the academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands the heads of the Society’s members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it handle it. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
“Fine, inspect away. But the prisoner comes with me.” The silver-haired man waved his hand generously, lifting a massive cleaver nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the attackers. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just attended the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female deputy, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually with a hairband.
“Well, well! Isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almisius Academy investigating their security? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisius Academy without your so-called ‘help,’ you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, nodding toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring Princess Sophia’s safety. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you expect me to just stand by?”
“Ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy might be connected to a secret order I received. I’d like to check him out first—you don’t mind, do I?”
“Check all you want. But he’s mine,” the silver-haired man declared, casually hoisting a massive halberd nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Ah, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at the sight of Mura’s halberd before he quickly regained composure, his smile unwavering.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
*Snap!* With a light wave of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao flicked a finger, and the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was neatly sliced open, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it briefly, then sighed in disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Syndicate’s being extra cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao muttered, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’re responsible,” Mura grumbled, appearing beside the assassin in an instant. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly slung him over his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Callette? Aren’t they afraid of tipping us off and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Ah, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring those bad habits from serving your former superior into our conversations. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking me such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao’s gaze bore into Isaya with palpable pressure, leaving the usually composed deputy momentarily speechless.
“Ha, what ‘tipping us off’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“Sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized, her expression still stoic. She continued, “As you said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe their attack on Zhang Wen and Callette was meant to muddy the waters. While they targeted Zhang Wen and Callette, it’s likely that the Thamis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan were also attacked. Their next move will probably involve using their puppets to issue more declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest prematurely.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become far more complicated. The biggest concern is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now—preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest early,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied, shaking his head with a smile the moment Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could’ve just told the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Casares? Ha. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid—they won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those kids, let whoever enjoys that role handle it. Otherwise, they’ll just have to rely on extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing even more chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almisius Academy investigating their security situation? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisius Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, tilting his head toward Lei Miao while pointing at the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Haha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to inspect him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Inspect all you want, but he’s mine,” Mura said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-chopping saber almost as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Haha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If given the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao remarked, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s gesture before he quickly regained composure and spoke with his usual smile.
Before his words even fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader.
*Snap!* With a gentle wave of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao flicked his finger, and the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was cleanly sliced open, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it casually but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Syndicate is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’m always careful,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate target Zhang Wen and Callette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former superior into our interactions. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao smiled, his gaze so intense that it momentarily silenced the highly capable deputy.
“Haha, what ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Callette was meant to stir chaos in the competition. While they targeted Zhang Wen and Callette, the team from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing declarations of further attacks. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that the Syndicate, if cornered, might take hostages from the academies. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest early? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head immediately after Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… do nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression showing a hint of confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Kasares? Haha. Isaya, His Majesty wants the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… but if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just attended the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female deputy, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his silver long hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at Almisus Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao asked with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle Almisus Academy’s situation just fine without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring Princess Sophia’s safety. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, you expect me to just stand by?”
“Ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first—surely you don’t mind?”
“Examine all you want, but he’s mine,” the silver-haired man declared, casually slinging a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as tall as himself, over his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. I’d love to duel you someday,” Lei Miao remarked, his eyes briefly lighting up at the sight of Mura’s sword-bearing posture, though he quickly regained his composure.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured, and a square section of the assassin’s right sleeve was neatly cut away. He glanced at the exposed skin but immediately looked disappointed.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Syndicate’s being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’re responsible,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side and hoisting him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao replied with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of tipping us off and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Ha, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former superior into our partnership. Speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao stared at Isaya with an almost tangible pressure, leaving the highly capable deputy momentarily speechless.
“Ha, what ‘tipping off’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao finally said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“Apologies, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya replied expressionlessly before continuing, “As you said, we know what the Syndicate is up to, and they know our intentions. I believe their attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they targeted Zhang Wen and Jaliet, it’s likely that the Themis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan were also attacked. Their next move will likely involve having their puppets issue more attack declarations, forcing the two academies to cancel or postpone the competition, thereby pushing them into the Sandra Forest ahead of schedule.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging the Syndicate will become far more complicated. Most concerning is that if cornered, the Syndicate might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I believe we should take action to prevent the academies from entering the forest prematurely,” Isaya stated earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head the moment Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply have the academies cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares? Ha, Isaya, His Majesty wants the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But if we do nothing, the faculty and students of the two academies—”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it handle it. Otherwise, they’ll just have to rely on extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just attended the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female adjutant, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well! Isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almis Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao greeted the silver-haired man with his ever-present eerie smile.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almis Academy without your meddling, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, his tone sharp as he gestured toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now, with an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almis Academy, do you really expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Now, now, Captain Mura, no need to get worked up. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy might be connected to a secret order I’ve received. I’d like to examine him first. You wouldn’t object, would you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine in the end,” Mura declared, waving his hand dismissively before hoisting a massive horse-slaying sword, nearly as tall as he was, onto his shoulder.
“Ah, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If given the chance, I’d love to duel you someday,” Lei Miao remarked, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s action, though he quickly regained his composure and continued with his usual smirk.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
With a snap of his fingers, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then flicked his finger, and the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was cleanly sliced off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it briefly but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a lackey. The Society’s members are too careful, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s all yours,” Lei Miao muttered, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body immediately dropped back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a loud thud.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I’m always careful,” Lei Miao replied with a smile. By the time his words reached Mura, both he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Society attack Zhang Wen and Juliette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and exposing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they sat in the flying car returning to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Ah, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao stared at Isaya with a gaze so intense it momentarily silenced the otherwise formidable adjutant.
“The Society and us—do we even have a relationship where they’d worry about alerting us? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Society didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao finally said, retracting his piercing gaze and resuming his unsettling smile.
“My apologies, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya replied expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Society is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Society’s attack on Zhang Wen and Juliette was meant to stir chaos during the competition. While they were targeted, it’s likely that the Thamis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan were also attacked. Their next move will probably involve having their puppets issue more declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest prematurely.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging with the Society will become far more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that the Society, if cornered, might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I believe we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya stated earnestly.
“Prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao immediately responded with a shake of his head.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Society’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Casares? Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Society’s members. If we block the academies, the Society isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But if we let them proceed, the faculty and students of both academies—”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands the heads of the Society’s members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they possess extraordinary luck or can impress us with their actions,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almisus Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your meddling, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, do you really expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Haha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first—surely you don’t object?”
“Examine him all you want, but he’s mine,” the silver-haired man declared, swinging a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as tall as he was, onto his shoulder.
“Haha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-bearing stance, though he quickly regained his composure.
Before his words even fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured, and the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was neatly sliced off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it briefly but immediately looked disappointed.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Syndicate is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the man’s arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, I’m always careful,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Carlet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and exposing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the habits you had with your former superior when you’re with me. Speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his piercing gaze making even the formidable Isaya momentarily speechless.
“Haha, what kind of ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Carlet was meant to stir chaos during the competition. While they were targeted, the Thamis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve having their puppets issue more declarations of assault, forcing the two academies to cancel or postpone the competition, thereby pushing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. What’s most concerning is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied, shaking his head with a smile the moment Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Cassares? Haha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the heads of the Syndicate members. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, they’ll just have to rely on extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guard, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually with a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almis Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almis Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almis Academy, you can’t expect me to just stand by, can you?”
“Heh, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first—surely you don’t object?”
“Examine him all you want, but he’s mine,” Mura said, waving his hand dismissively and hoisting a massive horse-slaying sword, nearly as tall as he was, onto his shoulder.
“Heh, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-wielding stance, though he quickly regained his composure.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in an instant.
*Snap!* With a slight wave of Lei Miao’s hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Then, with a flick of his finger, a square section of the assassin’s sleeve on his right arm was neatly cut away. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed skin but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth calling a minion. The Syndicate is being careful, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a loud *thud*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, also appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile, and by the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Juliette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Heh, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his gaze filled with a palpable pressure that momentarily silenced the otherwise formidable deputy.
“Heh, what kind of ‘alerting us’ relationship could the Syndicate possibly have with us? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya said expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate wants, and they know what we want. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Juliette was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were attacked, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might also face similar assaults. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning part is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Heh, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest early? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao said, shaking his head with a smile as soon as Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression showing a hint of confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Cassares? Heh. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid—they won’t walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go, the faculty and students of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order to me was only to bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we can only hope they have extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guard, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his silver long hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almythus Academy investigating their security situation? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almythus Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred within thirty imperial miles of Almythus Academy, do you really expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Haha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine in the end,” the silver-haired man said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as tall as he was, onto his shoulder.
“Haha, Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-bearing posture, though he quickly regained his composure and spoke with a smile.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
*Snap!* With a light wave of Lei Miao’s hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Then, with a flick of his finger, the fabric on the assassin’s right arm was neatly sliced open, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed area but immediately showed a look of disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a lackey. The Syndicate is being extra cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, also appearing beside the assassin in an instant. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode the flying car back to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his smile unwavering as he stared at Isaya, his gaze so intense that even this exceptionally capable deputy was momentarily speechless.
“Haha, what kind of ‘alerting’ relationship could there be between us and the Syndicate? Although His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by His Majesty long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his oppressive gaze softening as he resumed his unsettling smile.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to muddy the waters of this competition. While they were attacked, it’s likely that the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan would also face similar assaults. Their next move will surely be to have their puppets issue more attack declarations. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest prematurely.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging with the Syndicate will become fraught with unknown complications. Most concerning is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I believe we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head immediately after Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… do nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just notify the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Kasares? Haha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… but if we let them go unchecked, the faculty and students of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or can deliver some impressive performances,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and a woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female adjutant, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be busy investigating the security situation at the Almisus Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao greeted the silver-haired man with his ever-present eerie smile.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred within thirty imperial miles of Almisus Academy, you can’t expect me to stand idly by, can you?”
“Ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine in the end,” Mura said, casually swinging a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao remarked, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-wielding gesture, though he quickly regained his composure and continued with his usual smile.
Before his words had fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured, and a square section of the assassin’s sleeve was neatly cut away, revealing his arm. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed skin but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Syndicate is being overly cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body fell back to the ground with a thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, quickly appearing beside the unconscious assassin. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura, both he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Carlet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Isaya, Isaya… when you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao stared at Isaya with a gaze so intense that even this highly capable adjutant was momentarily speechless.
“Ha, what kind of ‘alerting us’ relationship could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is up to, and they know our intentions. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Carlet was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they targeted Zhang Wen and Carlet, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve having their puppets issue declarations of further attacks. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that, if cornered, the Syndicate might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest early? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head immediately after Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was merely to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Cassares? Ha, Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the faculty and students of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands that I bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, they’ll have to rely on their own extraordinary luck or impressive performances,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the governor’s mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at Almisius Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisius Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business now,” the silver-haired man retorted, nodding toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. With an assassination attempt on the governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you can’t expect me to stand idly by, can you?”
“Heh, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to inspect him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Inspect all you want. But he’s mine,” the silver-haired man said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-cutting sword almost as long as he was tall onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at the sight of Mura’s sword-bearing posture, though he quickly regained his composure and spoke with his usual unsettling grin.
Before his words had fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
*Snap!* With a light flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Then, Lei Miao gestured with his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was neatly sliced off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed area but immediately showed a look of disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a lackey. The Syndicate is being extra cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, also appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they sat in the flying car returning to the governor’s mansion.
“Heh, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former superior into our conversations. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking me such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his smile unwavering but his gaze so intense that even the highly capable Isaya was momentarily speechless.
“The Syndicate and us—what’s there to fear about alerting each other? Although the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling grin returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya said expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to disrupt the competition. While they were attacked, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan might have also been targeted. Their next move will likely involve having their puppets issue more declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, engaging with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning part is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest early,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Heh, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest early? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head the moment Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply notify the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Casares? Heh. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the faculty and students of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands that I bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, they’ll have to rely on their own extraordinary luck or impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female adjutant, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually with a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almis Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almis Academy without your so-called ‘smiling tiger’ reminders. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred within thirty imperial miles of Almis Academy, you can’t expect me to just stand by, can you?”
“Heh, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy is connected to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first—you don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine all you want. But he’s mine,” Mura said with a wave of his hand, hoisting a massive horse-cutting sword almost as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-bearing gesture, though he quickly regained his composure and spoke with a smile.
Before his words even fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao’s figure had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader.
*Snap!* With a light wave of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then flicked his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was neatly cut away, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it casually but immediately showed a look of disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Syndicate is being extra cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin immediately fell back to the ground with a loud *thud*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, flashing to the assassin’s side in an instant. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Calit? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they sat in the flying car returning to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Heh, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said with a smile, his gaze so intense that it momentarily silenced the highly capable adjutant.
“Heh, what kind of ‘alerting us’ relationship could there be between the Syndicate and us? Although the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years—how could they not have their own intelligence network?” After a long pause, Lei Miao finally retracted his piercing gaze and resumed his unsettling smile.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Calit was meant to muddy the waters of the tournament. While Zhang Wen and Calit were being attacked, the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan were likely targeted as well. Their next move will surely be to have their puppets issue more declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest ahead of schedule.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that the Syndicate, if cornered, might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Heh, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied with a smile, shaking his head immediately after Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If our goal was simply to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could just notify the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Casares? Heh. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid. They won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order to me was only to bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, they’ll just have to rely on their own extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just attended the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female adjutant, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be busy investigating the security situation at Almisius Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao, with his ever-present eerie smile, addressed the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisius Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, nodding toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders His Majesty gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almisius Academy, you expect me to just stand by?”
“Ha, no need to get worked up, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to inspect him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Inspect all you want, but he’s mine,” Mura declared, casually hoisting a massive halberd nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s gesture before he quickly regained composure and spoke with his usual smile.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in an instant.
*Snap!* With a light wave of Lei Miao’s hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao flicked his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was neatly sliced open, revealing a square cut. Lei Miao glanced at the exposed area but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being a lackey. The Syndicate is being too careful, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a loud *thud*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, quickly appearing beside the assassin. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Carlet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they sat in the flying car returning to the Governor’s Mansion.
“Ha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former superior. Speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao stared at Isaya with a gaze so intense it momentarily silenced the highly capable adjutant.
“Ha, what ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Though His Majesty gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed His Majesty for so many years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate wants, and they know what we want. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Carlet was meant to stir chaos during the competition. While they were attacked, it’s likely that the Themis Academy group and Governor Karayan were also targeted. Their next move will probably involve having their puppets issue more attack declarations, forcing the two academies to cancel or postpone the competition and enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The worst-case scenario is that the Syndicate, if cornered, might take them hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest early,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest early? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao immediately shook his head with a smile.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was confused, her serious expression showing a hint of bewilderment.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares? Ha. Isaya, what His Majesty wants is the Syndicate’s heads. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid. They won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of the academies…”
“His Majesty’s secret order only requires me to bring back the Syndicate members’ heads. As for the babysitters of those youngsters, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or some impressive performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and a woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just attended the banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female adjutant, Isaya! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back casually with a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be at Almis Academy investigating their security? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle Almis Academy’s situation without your so-called ‘smiling tiger’ reminding me. Besides, this isn’t just your business now,” Mura retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring Princess Sophia’s safety. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almis Academy, you can’t expect me to just stand by, can you?”
“Haha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to drive you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first—you don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine,” Mura said, casually swinging a massive horse-cutting sword, almost as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s action, though he quickly regained his composure and smiled.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in an instant.
*Snap!* With a slight wave of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then flicked his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was cleanly cut off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Society is being too careful, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body fell back to the ground with a heavy thud, his head hitting the pavement with a loud *crack*.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side. He grabbed the man’s arm and hoisted him onto his shoulder in a few quick motions.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Society attack Zhang Wen and Calit? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us and revealing their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful adjutant, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Haha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring the bad habits you picked up serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking me such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao smiled, his gaze so intense that even the highly capable Isaya was momentarily speechless.
“Haha, what kind of ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Society? Though the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Society didn’t know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Society wants, and they know what we want. So, I believe the Society’s attack on Zhang Wen and Calit was meant to stir chaos during the competition. While they were targeted, the teams from Themis Academy and Governor Kalayan might also face similar attacks. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing declarations of further attacks. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing an early entry into the Sandra Forest.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Society will become much more complicated. The most concerning possibility is that the Society, if cornered, might take them hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should act now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Haha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao immediately shook his head with a smile.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression now tinged with confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Society’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Kasares? Haha. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Society. If we block the academies, the Society isn’t stupid—they won’t walk into the forest to die.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only demands the heads of the Society members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it handle it. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female deputy, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion! The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his long silver hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at Almis Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almis Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almis Academy, do you really expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Ha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to drive you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want. But he’s mine,” Mura said, waving his hand dismissively before hoisting a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever… If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s sword-wielding gesture, though he quickly regained his composure and spoke with his usual grin.
Before his words even fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader in the blink of an eye.
*Snap!* With a light wave of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then flicked his finger, and the upper part of the assassin’s right sleeve was neatly sliced off, revealing a square patch of skin. Lei Miao glanced at it casually but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a minion. The Syndicate is being extra cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The assassin’s body immediately fell back to the ground with a loud *thud* as his head hit the pavement.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll be responsible,” Mura complained, flashing to the assassin’s side in an instant. He grabbed the assassin’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his last word reached Mura’s ears, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Jaliet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Ha, Isaya… Isaya. When you’re with me, don’t bring over the bad habits from serving your former superior. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his grin unwavering as he stared at Isaya with an almost tangible pressure that left the usually composed deputy momentarily speechless.
“Ha, what kind of ‘alerting’ could there be between us and the Syndicate? Although the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, retracting his intense gaze and resuming his unsettling smile.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya said expressionlessly, then continued, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Jaliet was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were attacked, it’s likely that the delegation from Themis Academy and Governor Karayan were also targeted. Their next move will probably involve having their puppets issue some attack declarations. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest earlier.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. What’s most concerning is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now, preferably by preventing the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao replied immediately, shaking his head with a smile.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was baffled, her serious expression showing a hint of confusion.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares Planet? Ha. Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Syndicate. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid. They won’t march into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of the academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and one woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the captain of the Eagle Guards, and his female adjutant, Isaya, who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion. The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao, though he was more robust in build, with long silver hair tied back by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almisus Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao greeted the silver-haired man with his ever-present eerie smile.
“Cut the crap! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your reminders. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” Mura retorted, gesturing towards the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with the safety of Princess Sophia. With an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter happening less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, you think I’m just going to stand by?”
“Relax, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to shoo you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine all you want, but he’s mine,” Mura declared, hoisting a massive halberd nearly as tall as himself onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. I’d love to duel you someday,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at Mura’s action before he quickly regained composure.
Before his words fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body floated up as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured, and a square section of the assassin’s sleeve was neatly cut away. He glanced at the exposed arm but quickly showed disappointment.
“Just a small fry, not even worth mentioning. The Society is being too cautious, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, retracting his finger. The assassin’s body thudded back to the ground, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’re responsible,” Mura complained, swiftly moving to the assassin’s side and hoisting him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile, and by the time his last word reached Mura, he and his beautiful adjutant had already vanished from the street.
“Captain, why would the Society attack Zhang Wen and Carlet? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Isaya, Isaya. Don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former commander here. Speak your mind directly. Asking such a foolish question, are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao’s piercing gaze made even the formidable Isaya momentarily speechless.
“The Society and us, what’s there to fear about alerting each other? Although the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Society didn’t know our true purpose here, they’d have been uprooted long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for years surely have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized, her expression unchanged. “As you said, we know what the Society wants, and they know what we want. I believe the Society’s attack on Zhang Wen and Carlet was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were attacked, the Thamis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan might have also been targeted. Their next move will likely involve their puppets issuing attack declarations, forcing the two academies to cancel or postpone the competition, thus pushing them into the Sandra Forest prematurely.”
“Once the students and teachers of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Society will become much more complicated. The worst-case scenario is the Society taking them hostage if cornered. So, Captain, I think we should act now to prevent the academies from entering the forest early,” Isaya suggested earnestly.
“Prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao immediately shook his head with a smile.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was confused, her serious expression showing a hint of bewilderment.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them? If we just wanted to disrupt the Society’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to the planet Kasares? Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Society members. If we block the academies, the Society isn’t foolish enough to walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But if we let them go, the teachers and students of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Society members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it handle it. Otherwise, let’s hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said indifferently, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
“But… but if we leave them alone, what about the teachers and students from the two academies…”
After the flying car vanished into the night, three figures—two men and a woman—suddenly appeared at both ends of the street where Zhang Wen had left the leader of the assailants. The man and woman standing together were none other than Lei Miao, the Eagle Guard captain who had just been attending a banquet at the Governor’s Mansion, and his female deputy, Isaya. The other man, surprisingly, was also dressed in the exact same Eagle Guard uniform as Lei Miao. However, he was more robust in build, with his silver long hair tied back casually by a hairband.
“Well, isn’t this Captain Mura? Shouldn’t you be investigating the security situation at the Almisus Academy? What brings you here?” Lei Miao said with his ever-present eerie smile, addressing the silver-haired man.
“Tch! I’ll handle the situation at Almisus Academy without your reminders, you grinning tiger. Besides, this isn’t just your business anymore,” the silver-haired man retorted, gesturing toward the unconscious assassin leader in the middle of the street. “I don’t know what orders the Emperor gave you, but I’m officially tasked with ensuring the safety of Princess Sophia. Now that an assassination attempt on the Governor’s daughter has occurred less than thirty imperial miles from Almisus Academy, do you really expect me to stand by and do nothing?”
“Ha, no need to get angry, Captain Mura. I’m not trying to chase you away. It’s just that this guy is related to a secret order I received. I’d like to examine him first. You don’t mind, do you?”
“Examine him all you want, but he’s mine,” the silver-haired man said, waving his hand dismissively as he hoisted a massive horse-cutting sword, nearly as long as he was tall, onto his shoulder.
“Captain Mura, you’re as captivating as ever. If I get the chance, I’d love to duel you,” Lei Miao said, his eyes briefly lighting up at the sight of Mura wielding the sword, though he quickly regained his composure and smiled.
Before his words had fully reached Mura’s ears, Lei Miao had already appeared beside the unconscious assassin leader. With a flick of his hand, the assassin’s body began to float as if controlled by some mysterious force. Lei Miao then gestured with his finger, and a neat square cut appeared on the assassin’s right sleeve, revealing the skin beneath. Lei Miao glanced at it casually but immediately showed disappointment.
“Tch, just a small fry, not even worth being called a lackey. The Syndicate is being too careful, leaving no traces. Fine, he’s yours,” Lei Miao said softly, retracting his index finger. The unconscious assassin fell back to the ground with a thud, his head hitting the pavement with a sharp crack.
“Hey! Be careful! If you turn him into an idiot, you’ll have to take responsibility,” Mura complained, appearing beside the assassin in a flash. He grabbed the man’s arm and effortlessly hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know my limits,” Lei Miao said with a smile. By the time his words reached Mura, he and his beautiful deputy had already vanished from the street without a trace.
“Captain, why would the Syndicate attack Zhang Wen and Juliette? Aren’t they afraid of alerting us to their presence?” Isaya, the beautiful deputy, asked seriously as they rode back to the Governor’s Mansion in the flying car.
“Ha, Isaya… Isaya. Don’t bring the bad habits from serving your former commander when you’re with me. Just say what’s on your mind. Asking such a foolish question—are you doubting my intelligence?” Lei Miao said, his gaze so intense that it momentarily silenced the highly capable deputy.
“Ha, what kind of ‘alerting’ relationship could there be between us and the Syndicate? Although the Emperor gave me a secret order, if the Syndicate didn’t even know our true purpose here, they would’ve been uprooted by the Emperor long ago. Those who’ve opposed the Emperor for so many years must have their own intelligence network,” Lei Miao said after a long pause, his unsettling smile returning.
“I’m sorry, Captain Lei Miao. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Isaya apologized expressionlessly before continuing, “As you just said, we know what the Syndicate is planning, and they know what we’re after. So, I believe the Syndicate’s attack on Zhang Wen and Juliette was meant to muddy the waters of the competition. While they were attacked, it’s likely that the Themis Academy delegation and Governor Karayan were also targeted. Their next move will surely involve having their puppets issue declarations of attack. This way, they can pressure both academies to cancel or postpone the competition, forcing them to enter the Sandra Forest early.”
“Once the students and faculty of both academies enter the Sandra Forest, dealing with the Syndicate will become much more complicated. The most concerning part is that if we corner the Syndicate, they might take the academy members hostage. So, Captain Lei Miao, I think we should take action now to prevent the academies from entering the Sandra Forest prematurely,” Isaya said earnestly.
“Ha, prevent them from entering the Sandra Forest? No, we’ll do nothing,” Lei Miao said, shaking his head with a smile as soon as Isaya finished speaking.
“Do… nothing?” Isaya was confused, her serious expression showing a hint of bewilderment.
“Exactly. Why should we stop them from entering the Sandra Forest? If we just wanted to disrupt the Syndicate’s plans, we could simply inform the academies to cancel this year’s exchange. Why go through all the trouble of using Princess Sophia as an excuse to send us to Cassares Planet? Ha, Isaya, what the Emperor wants is the heads of the Syndicate members. If we block the academies, the Syndicate isn’t stupid. They won’t walk into the forest to their deaths.”
“But… if we let them go unchecked, the students and faculty of both academies…”
“The Emperor’s secret order only requires me to bring back the heads of the Syndicate members. As for the babysitters of those kids, let those who enjoy it take on the role. Otherwise, we’ll just have to hope they have extraordinary luck or can impress us with their performance,” Lei Miao said nonchalantly, his smile growing increasingly chilling.
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