Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 55

Leier’s revenge
Even as the moon began to emerge from behind the clouds, Henry and Leier continued to trail the enemies below. They were skillfully jumping from tree to tree, leaving no evidence of their presence, except for Henry’s glinting grey eyes. Those eyes seemed to rip through the night sky like an imperceptible comet, gazing intently at the invader’s spot.

Henry enhanced his eyes with Mana, allowing him to closely survey everything happening below. He observed their weapons and their arrangement, silently noting every detail that could help him win this battle without incurring into many losses. He already had a plan in mind.

“The North really lacks in strategic guidance” – Henry mumbled to himself as he perched on a tree, observing the army set up the camp for the night, their slow and uncoordinated movements illuminated by the soft glow of the Torch Trees – “They are terrible at moving in harmony, and the captains are all lazing around, not directing their troops even in strange grounds. It seems like my plan will indeed work.”

Henry left the safety of his castle and ventured out to confirm the feasibility of his plan and gain a better understanding of the enemy army’s composition. However, before leaving, Luther strongly insisted on joining him, even though Henry explained that it would attract too much attention and ordered him to oversee the construction work in the capital. Luther only felt at ease when his king said that Leier would be accompanying him in this journey.

“Leier” – Henry called out to his subordinate, without taking his eyes off the moving soldiers– “How confident are you on your abilities? Do you think you can infiltrate their barracks?”

Leier paused for a moment, her body seemingly melding with the surrounding darkness as she disappeared and reappeared in a blur – “It will be a piece of cake, my King.”- she replied confidently, tightening her fists.

At those words, Henry looked at her with a satisfied smile. He could only see her confident black eyes through the dark hood covering her face – “Excellent!” – He exclaimed, pointing towards a large tent being raised in the middle of the enemy camp. – “I need you to sneak into that tent and take every piece of report that can fit in your hands and then… burn everything down.”

Leier nodded, but Henry sensed a hint of hesitation hidden in her eyes. She wouldn’t dare to raise questions about her king’s decisions or thoughts. She was a fanatic subject. Henry patiently probed – “Do you have any questions or concerns, Leier?”

She hesitated for a moment before bowing her head, her loyalty to Henry preventing her from voicing any concerns or doubts – “It’s nothing, my king.”

Henry looked at her for a couple of seconds before saying with a nod of approval, choosing not to pursue it further – “Then you may proceed”.

Leier leaped from the tree with a simple step, melding into the darkness, like a crow flying through the night. The only indication of her presence was the faint and soft sound of something touching the shallow snow, only audible to Henry’s enhanced ears.

The king turned his eyes back at the army in the distance, especially at the blue-haired woman giving orders to the few soldiers around and organizing the bonfire for the night.

“Our Trojan Horse is going to be the Mines.” – Henry murmured – “We are going to destroy them.”

-x-

Leier landed on the ground with ease, making almost no sound as she touched down. The Tribal Tattoo of the Inverno Owl on her back had already spread to her neck, indicating that her body was becoming more and more accustomed to it.

During the invasion of Mirante, Leier was only able to meld into the surroundings and suppress the Mana from spreading too far from her body, being detectable only to those in the Fifth Stage. However, now, she was able to hide all her mana, but also her scent and the traces left on the ground. Leier’s abilities and even her personality was becoming closer to those of an Inverno Owl, patient, silent and deadly.

She moved swiftly, her body perfectly blending into the surroundings as she dashed forward. Her skin transformed, taking on the hues of the snow, the trees, and the shadows, making her almost invisible. Henry had once said that she was like an octopus, able to camouflage herself until the right moment to run away or to attack.

She could already spot three busy soldiers looking for dry wood to light the fire for the night. As she got closer, she could overhear their conversation.

“Ugh, I’m so hungry,” complained one of the soldiers, rubbing his stomach as he looked around, boringly kicking the snow.

“Me too. I can’t believe we’re stuck out here in the cold with barely any supplies. They didn’t even give us enough time to prepare the food for the journey.” – replied another.

“I heard that we are going to occupy the villages on the West. Hopefully we can find some food there.” – Suggested a third soldier.

“Maybe we can also find some great girls” – The first soldier said with a lustful voice – “I heard that Stahl’s women are great and can warm someone’s bed for a single piece of bread.”

“We can demand that stupid king for a wagon of bread then” – The third one added with a laugh that was followed by the others.

At those words, Leier felt her blood boil with anger and disgust. She knew she couldn’t act on her impulses and kill them right then and there, no matter how much they deserved it. Instead, she took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, her eyes still fixated on the soldiers with a cold intensity. She would make sure to kill them first when the plan finally goes into action. Unknowingly, these two soldiers were marked to die, even before the war begins.

When Leier was a few steps away from the soldiers, she noticed a frozen twig on the ground, and an idea popped into her head. She picked it up and took aim at one of the soldiers, who was busy staring off into the distance while looking for wood.

With a satisfying thwack, the twig hit its target and embedded itself in the soldier’s backside – “Ahhhhh!”- he cried out in pain, dropping to the ground.

The other soldiers quicky took out their rusted and dull weapons, looking around to spot any hidden enemy, only seeing their injured friend, with something coming out of his butt. Seeing that there was nothing dangerous around, they rushed to his aid.

“You’re a lucky guy.” – one of the soldiers sarcastically said to the wounded soldier as they helped him up. “I heard that getting hit in the butt by a twig is good luck in some cultures.”

Leier couldn’t help but stifle a giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation. She continued on her way, feeling a bit lighter after her moment of mischief and revenge. In her heart, Henry was like a god who allowed her to have a new chance in life and even though she was on a secret and sensible mission, she would never let anyone sully his name.