Louisa landed on Peggy’s back. She first cast a curious glance at Chen Yu’s round, gelatinous body, then gracefully performed a noble’s curtsy. "Louisa von Whitman. It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty the Slime. I trust we have arrived in time."
Chen Yu muttered, "No wonder you were so confident about breaking through Storm Fortress. It turns out you’re an Extraordinary Mage yourself."
Princess Louisa smiled faintly, not offering much of an explanation about the source of her power. Her gaze quickly shifted to the figure in the distance, locked in a fierce battle with the Flame Lord amidst the firelight. Her tone grew solemn.
"According to my investigations over the years, the Barnes Clan established a secret connection with the Demons of Golden Glow Valley over thirty years ago."
"I made a point to investigate Simo’s past in depth. The first half of his life could almost be described as mediocre. He participated in the Kingdom Knight training camps three consecutive times, but failed the Knight’s trial each time."
"But thirty years ago, on his fourth and final attempt at the Knight training camp, he took first place with an overwhelming advantage and was immediately assigned to the Fourth Legion."
"After that, his promotions within the legion were completely unimpeded. He accumulated distinguished merits in numerous battles against the demon tides, and finally, ten years ago, he successfully stepped into the Extraordinary realm."
Louisa’s voice carried a hint of coldness. "Without a doubt, he sold his soul to that Great Demon thirty years ago, seizing a power that was never meant to be his."
"Even so, the power he wields now is not to be underestimated. I fear my summoned creature won’t last much longer."
"We need the Demon Legion to break through Storm Fortress’s defenses as quickly as possible. Otherwise, if the fortress defenders catch their breath, or if Simo breaks free from his entanglement, the situation will become extremely disadvantageous for us."
As she spoke, her gaze landed inconspicuously on Chen Yu, her eyes seemingly hinting that His Majesty the Slime should also be displaying his power.
Chen Yu pretended not to notice. Just as he was about to command the legion to advance, a shadow suddenly fell across Peggy’s back. Nili emerged from it, poking her head out furtively and glancing around.
After seeing Louisa and Celeste, she gave a polite wave. "Yo, how are you two?"
Chen Yu hopped over, bounced up, and bumped into her. He asked through the Gel network, "What are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on the depths of Gor and looking for Yano?"
A good while had passed since Yano entered the depths of Gor to seek the power of his ancestors.
With no sign of him emerging, Chen Yu couldn’t help but worry that something had happened to his Knight inside.
Furthermore, the recent demon tides had been abnormal. Even troublesome creatures like Gargoyles were fleeing Gor, which meant the situation deep inside was likely even worse than usual.
"Hey! You’re a King now, you know. Can’t you be a little more mindful of your image?" Nili complained as she steadied herself. Then, she lowered her voice and said mysteriously, "But I’ve come with good news this time."
She leaned closer to Chen Yu and spoke quickly. "Those few lads who went deep into Gor before have all come back one after another recently."
"They said Yano took good care of them in there. If it weren’t for the demon tide erupting and making the environment so dangerous, they wouldn’t have planned on coming out at all."
"According to them, that Yano fellow is still pressing onward, into the even darker regions deeper within Gor."
"Also..." Nili’s tone shifted, and a cautious look appeared on her face. "I was just passing by to see the commotion, but I made an unexpected discovery."
’An unexpected discovery?’ Chen Yu hopped in confusion.
"See that terrifying guy who’s completely on fire?" Nili jutted her chin toward Simo, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Flame Lord.
"I was hiding in the shadows just now, observing for a while. I’m absolutely sure of it—his shadow is all wrong. There’s definitely a Stealth Master lurking nearby."
Her expression grew serious. "But that guy is highly alert. He’s already moved away from that Half-dwarf’s side. His stealth technique is incredible; he’s practically blended into the environment. Even I can barely pinpoint his exact location."
"Your Majesty, you’d better be careful. What if that guy is after you? After all, you’re quite the prize right now."
As she spoke, she ducked her head. "It’s a professional rivalry. Now that I’ve ratted him out, he’s definitely got me in his sights."
"My meager skills won’t be much help here. I’m outta here. You take care."
After speaking, as if terrified a dagger would stab out from the shadows at any second, Nili’s figure flickered and melted back into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
Chen Yu was a bit speechless at Nili’s hasty retreat, but his mind was already racing.
’Things really weren’t that simple, after all.’
The Demon’s minions had been operating in the Stormlands for so many years. How could Simo and Dominic be their only pawns out in the open?
’That assassin hiding in the shadows was probably also an Extraordinary.’
’No wonder Simo dared to fight the Flame Lord with his back turned to them. He was trying to lower their guard and create an opportunity for that assassin.’
’Damn, what a ruthless bastard.’
Chen Yu immediately raised his guard. He hopped over to Louisa and, through gel contact, quickly relayed Nili’s discovery and his own suspicions.
Louisa’s attention had been focused on the Flame Lord. Hearing Chen Yu’s message, she was stunned for a moment, then exchanged a look with Celeste beside her.
Celeste nodded slightly, confirming that Chen Yu’s suspicions were not unfounded.
’An Extraordinary Assassin hiding in the shadows...’
’For a Mage who needs to concentrate on casting spells, being targeted by such an enemy was undoubtedly bad news.’
’But if she knew about it in advance and could use it to her advantage...’
She decided to use herself as bait.
The thought had barely crossed her mind when she felt the Slime in her arms jiggle gently and convey a message that only she could hear.
Louisa paused, glancing down at the Slime in her arms. After pondering for less than a second, she made her decision.
She nodded and said to Celeste, "Celeste, while Simo is tied up with the Flame Lord, let’s go. We’ll head to the city walls and help Mr. Levin deal with Dominic!"
Celeste glanced at Louisa and the Slime in her arms, which was blinking its innocent eyes. Without asking any questions, she simply replied, "Alright."
Her form distorted once more, transforming back into a gray Giant Eagle.
Louisa, holding Chen Yu, leaped lightly onto the eagle’s back.
Celeste let out a clear, piercing cry. With a powerful beat of her wings, she carried the two of them into a low glide, appearing ready to fly over and provide support just like that.
This "reckless" move of theirs did indeed attract the attention of a certain hidden presence.
Just as Celeste skimmed over the front lines of the Demon Legion and was about to gain altitude, a blurry figure materialized from the void, appearing without warning on the Giant Eagle’s back.
The sharp blade in his hand, carrying an icy killing intent, silently lunged for the back of Louisa’s fair neck.
In the assassin’s mind, he could already picture the dagger slicing through blood vessels, envisioning the gush of fresh blood.
In that instant, the most unexpected thing happened.
The seemingly weak Slime, as if it had sensed his move in advance, shot out from Louisa’s arms, its round body ramming straight into his chest.
’A Slime?’
’Just an obstacle to be sliced through. My blade...’
The image in his mind of cleanly slicing the Slime in two came to an abrupt halt. The instant his dagger touched the green Gel, a terrifying force erupted from the point of contact, as if he had just collided head-on with a dragon flying at high speed.
The Assassin’s vision went black. His entire body was thrown backward uncontrollably, smashing violently onto the ground with a heavy thud and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He scrambled up from the ground in a wretched state, clutching a chest that felt like it was about to tear apart. His pupils trembled as he stared at the Slime that had landed opposite him.
’That power... Is that a Gold-rank Slime?!’
’A Slime can become a Demon Lord?!’
’What the hell.’