The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 296: Chapter 291 — War

Zephyrion stood calmly atop the southern fortress walls, overlooking the more than a thousand cadets gathered below. It was several minutes to dawn, with the sun only beginning to peek over the horizon, painting the clouds in a dim orange glow.

The morning air was cold, mixing well with the tension that clung to the southern cadets. The events of last night were still fresh in the minds of many.

Arcturus Aur Eryndor, a prince of the Ferran Empire, the Undying Prince, had single-handedly taken over a fortress. To the cadets, such prowess was difficult to fathom, especially when it belonged to a fellow cadet. Now, their minds couldn’t help but wander. What if Arcturus decided to come for them? What would happen then?

Their unease was written plainly across their faces, and Zephyrion could easily see it. Yet, throughout the night and even now, he made no attempt to address it. It just... didn’t feel necessary. If his goal had simply been to prove his overwhelming strength, the exercise would’ve ended already. He was in it for the Temper Points, and he was determined to milk this test for all he could get.

Then, he would deal with the Undying Prince.

”Two hundred shielders are spread throughout the army, my lord. Like you asked, most are concentrated at the front, but they’re positioned so we can cover any side at a moment’s notice,” Tobias explained.

The ward’s mood was better than it had been last night, albeit still far from the cheerful Tobias he knew. There was a lingering gloom about him, but also a newfound sharpness in his eyes. The look of someone who had been broken, yet realized he had no choice but to pick himself up and keep moving.

It was both sad and inspiring at once.

Though which of the two Zephyrion felt was anyone’s guess.

Zephyrion nodded once. ”Anything else?”

”They’re still tense after what happened last night, but judging by their faces, I doubt I’m telling you anything you haven’t already noticed,” Tobias said. ”Other than that, nothing worth reporting, my lord.”

Nedra, standing beside him, scoffed, disdain flashing in her eyes. ”Bunch of pussies. What kind of southerner pisses himself over some pretty boy with braids? Embarrassing. Hmph!”

Every member of the Eryndor royal family braided their hair, even the king. She had essentially just thrown a jab at the entire royal house, but did she care?

Not quite.

Still, Nedra made a point of glancing around, as though instinctively expecting a particular sharp-mouthed Kaelith to throw some smart-ass jab her way. When none came, she seemed to remember the fool was down with the army instead and visibly relaxed.

In fact, most of the head cadets were with the army, leaving only Nedra, Fiona, and Tobias atop the wall with him. Of the three, Fiona was somehow the quietest.

There was a dark cloud hanging over her, her gaze distant as though she were lost deep in thought. Even her usual habit of stealing glances at him was nowhere to be seen. Since last night, she had barely said a word to him.

Giving her a sidelong glance, Zephyrion almost sighed. His impulsive action last night seemed to have brought about an unintended consequence. One he wasn’t quite sure how to deal with.

’I’ll deal with it later.’

For now, there were more important matters.

Turning his attention back to the army, he confirmed their positions. As vanguards, Draven and Kaelion held the forefront alongside the heavily muscled cadets. Lucien Donvaire and the other rangers were positioned at the far back, while Kaelith and his siege corps occupied the middle.

Lumi stood just behind the vanguards, looking like a tiny dot amongst giants. She was special operations, one of those cadets simply tagged as monsters, and as such, no one else stood with her.

With everything confirmed, Zephyrion gave Kaelion a nod. His cousin responded with a firm nod of his own before turning forward, his aura steadily rising.

”Move out!”

His order was immediately echoed throughout the army, and within moments, the cadets began their march.

”Release the Far Eyes,” Zephyrion said.

Tobias nodded, bending down and opening a small case. Within it rested several sleek, black orbs, each small enough to fit in his palm.

He activated several with a click, and they immediately took to the skies, shooting after the marching army. Tobias then angled the case forward, and the next moment, its surface lit up, displaying a live view of the cadets below.

The wall fell into complete silence as they waited for the army to reach its destination.

...

”Stop.” Kaelion raised a hand.

”Halt!”

”Halt!”

Several cadets echoed his command, and the army came to an abrupt halt. Ahead of them, about a kilometer away, stood the northern fortress.

Its walls were packed with cadets, the hostility in their gazes palpable even from this distance. With the forest burned down and all their Guardian Pillars lost, they had seen the southern army advancing from several miles away. The element of surprise was the farthest thing they had.

’Now we wait. Great.’

Kaelion felt both nervous and excited at the same time. Being given the opportunity to lead the army had been a thing of joy to him, but now that he was actually here, the weight of that responsibility was beginning to settle in.

More than that, Zephyrion had given him a set of strange instructions he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around, especially since Kaiden had sent word of his successful infiltration last night.

But since childhood, Kaelion had learned that trying to understand that cousin of his was a waste of perfectly good brainpower. Zephyrion simply wasn’t built like normal people, and at some point, Kaelion had decided it was easier for his sanity to accept that.

Still, after losing to him time and time again since childhood, Kaelion had made himself a promise.

’One day, I’m going to beat you. Just once. Then let’s see you walk around with that damn face of yours.’

Admittedly, that goal seemed to be getting farther and farther away with each passing day.

But Kaelion was still far from giving up.

Your fear shouldn’t be failure. It should be giving up too early and never getting the chance to accomplish your goal.

His father’s words surfaced in his mind, and the nervousness slowly faded from Kaelion’s expression.

’Right. One thing at a time.’

”Get ready,” he said.