Benedict was the next to wake up and the three rejoiced. Elizabeth was truly grateful that the princesses decided to help her friends. By all accounts, saving them in such a high-risk environment bore no rewards. There was little reason to do so for their enemies. If the princesses decided to abandon her friends to die, would Elizabeth know about it? She would not. If they wanted to cover up their deaths, it would be trivial! But they saved her friends regardless. That was enough for them to earn her trust for the time being.
More days passed and Freon eventually woke up. At the same time, Xai Shen reported to everyone that a massive Alzar vanguard fleet had arrived on the Yingjian Coastline of the Hoigon Bay! It landed somewhere close to the Yunyun Stronghold after defeating several Xingyuu fleets. Their momentum was unstoppable! By the Xingyuu Empire's estimates, the fleet contained over twenty thousand men. Furthermore, a second, larger main fleet was rapidly approaching. Their numbers exceeded fifty thousand! Such numbers were truly staggering and unbelievable! Fleets of this magnitude were as rare as a phoenix feather because of how difficult it was logistically to coordinate an attack across the Maelstrom Gulf. An immense amount of resources was undoubtedly dedicated to this!
With how large their numbers were, the Yunyun Stronghold sent an emergency summons for every army across the north! Although they had Xingyuu Empire had advanced notice for the Alzar Kingdom's arrival, their defenses were weak and crumbled without resistance. They could do nothing! Even Xai was in disbelief. An army approaching a hundred thousand warranted extreme preparations. It was not like the Alzar Kingdom could gather such an incredible force on a whim. Even the Li Family had heard about the kingdom amassing forces in Port Silic… For the Imperial Council to allow them to easily take the Yingjian Coastline… It was head scratching!
Elizabeth and her friends opened their eyes in realization. This was the war campaign that was recruiting for soldiers back in Port Silic a month ago! Shirley was also one of the soldiers who were chosen to participate. That was how Elizabeth and Shirley originally met, on the ship from Corasen to Port Silic. That was also the reason why there was such an immense military presence in Port Silic under General Illion's command. This fleet was none other than General Illion Doro's fleet! They were shockingly planning on taking control of the Maelstrom Gulf and eventually stage an attack on the north! This was an incredibly ambitious project by the Alzar Kingdom.
Benedict's mind stirred when he thought about his brother. Ever since that fight in Port Silic, he worried about Lorenzo's fate. After all, the Xingyuu Empire deployed twenty Imperial Sentinels to secure Elizabeth. Despite how accomplished his older brother was, he was a far way away from matching against a Perception Realm! Benedict's captors had little knowledge of what happened to Lorenzo since the ones who fought against him had died helping them escape. Even now, he did not know whether Lorenzo was alive or not… And perhaps he would never know. But the Imperial Princesses surprised him.
"We're returning the four of you to the Alzar Kingdom as planned, only we'll be taking you to General Illion's fleet instead," Ming said.
"Are you serious?" Elizabeth asked skeptically.
"This was always our intention. The Imperial Family never wanted this war to begin with. By escorting you back to the Alzar Kingdom, we hope that you'll be able to see our sincerity," Xiuying explained. Elizabeth said nothing in response.
"Did Your Highnesses receive any news on Lord Korogin?" Benedict asked. "According to Minister Linshi, the Imperial Council is targeting him, right?"
"That is what she said but…" Ming paused.
"The Li Family hasn't heard any news related to it," Xai said embarrassingly. The mighty Li Family's information network had surprisingly found nothing!
"Are you really from the Li Family?" Shirley mumbled, earning a vicious glare from Xai.
Then is it really an assassination? Elizabeth thought. But… How?
"It shouldn't be possible for an assassin…" Freon pondered. "Sir Winstin has achieved Perception Realm mastery. There is practically no one that can rival him in close quarter combat. A crossbowman might be feasible but Sir Winstin could react in time. There would need to be at least four or five Perception Realm to pin Sir Winstin down but sneaking in such a large force is impossible… Poison is also impossible. The amount of security checks in the castle is mindboggling. There is no way he could be in danger unless the Xingyuu Empire decides to directly siege the capital!"
Ming nodded. "You're correct in your assumptions. As an Imperial Princess, I am very aware of the means that the empire has. There is simply no way for the empire to assassinate the Master of Strategy, even if we try everything."
"Then it's a lie?" Shirley frowned.
"She had us cornered. There's no reason for her to lie to us," Xiuying said. "She could even double cast. She might have means that we don't know of."
"Double-cast?" Freon picked on that term. "Are you referring to an Arcanist's ability to cast two spells simultaneously?"
"Yes, we believe she mastered such a technique."
Freon was dumbstruck. One of the most difficult to master techniques in Arcania, when did it become possible for a random minister to learn? As an Arcanist, he knew exactly how hard it was. You had to perfectly divide your concentration in two to perfectly control your Magical Energy flow. If there was even the slightest hiccup, then both spells would backlash! The margin of error was unbelievably tiny while the risks was massive! Not even his sister, regarded as a one-in-a-century prodigy, figured it out yet! Look at how Freon nearly killed himself with his backlash in the previous fight. One spell's backlash almost crippled him entirely, destroying his potential for Arcania permanently. Imagining two spell backlashes at once… However, the payoff was truly unparalleled. By double-casting, the Arcanist's battle power would more than double!
"Regardless, we'll go as planned," Ming said. "We'll depart in a few days."
Altogether, they spent more than a week in this hideout in the Kuthong Forest. Xai's Shen Family had several of these hideouts spread across the continent as a haven for his family spies and a shelter from prying eyes. They were safe here for the time being, while the Imperial Council sought them out. Despite that, Qiang found the need to leave and lead his Li Family directly. The deaths of Jingyi and Juan did not come lightly to him. Although he did not reciprocate Juan's feelings, he still considered them to be close friends and family! He had known them for more than half of his life… Seeing their deaths firsthand had resolved him to wrestle back control of the empire from Minister Linshi and the Imperial Council! Their sides were irreconcilable now! Xai respected his wishes and helped escort Qiang out, while informing the princesses of the location of General Illion's landing force. It was up to them to get there.