Lord Wenmord curled his lip in disdain. "I'll give you a helping hand. Don't worry… With my help, this is nothing hard."
"My lord, even with the First Hand…" Captain Julian said.
Wenmord said nothing but simply raised his hand. The two assassins were dumbfounded then slowly widened their eyes in horror. Wenmord instantly casted a magic spell! His speed was so fast that the effects immediately revealed themselves. Drowned in shock, they watched as their wounds healed at a visible rate as if weeks of recovery passed in a second! They could feel their body was strengthening again! But that was not all. Even their injuries and scars from long ago, deemed unhealable by countless professionals, were being healed! Soon, their condition far surpassed their peak, reaching newfound heights. If they clashed with Sir Winstin again, then the winner might not be so easy to decide!
Wenmord retracted his hand casually, as if such a thing were easy as breathing to him. However, the others could not restrain their shock and awe! Before they had merely fancied the idea of him being a deity, but now… They genuinely believed it! Fear and horror were replaced with admiration and reverence! On the side, the physicians were so tongue-tied and pale that they were nearly foaming at the mouth. They knew better than anyone else how miraculous this power was! It had far transcended the likes of the White Healer or the Hundred Lives Doctor. It could truly be called a heavenly divine wonder!
Julian clenched his fists as his knuckles popped with new strength. Every one of his muscles were tingling with excitement! He felt he could exert more than two hundred percent of his normal ability! It was a supremely intoxicating sensation that dressed glee across this stoic assassin's face. Julie was even more exaggerated as her smile was drawn from ear to ear. This genuine smile, combined with her bewitching figure, would corrupt even the purest of people! Yet, if they knew what she was thinking, they would reconsider. She was visualizing how easy she could kill people now! Her assassination techniques erupted like a volcano!
"I've also added an enchantment to your clothes. You should be completely undetectable to anyone below Rank 3," Wenmord said.
"Undetectable?"
"Rank 3?"
The two repeated, slightly stupefied. They had followed him for countless years, serving in his shadow and executing missions on behalf of the Whispering Shadow. Before this, Wenmord was nothing more than a cunning wolf in a sheep's clothing. His most powerful weapon was his mind. Although the two assassins treated him with great respect, they did not fear or idolize him. Wenmord was nothing more than their superior. That was all! However, they felt like the man standing before them was a stranger. He repeatedly revealed abilities that far exceeded the norm. He had power that pushed into the realm of divinity!
Thinking to this point, Captain Julian frowned inwardly. Lord Wenmord was the same as always with his appearance and knowledge. He knew perfectly about the Whispering Shadow and the Lannisail Household. There was no chance of an imposter! Yet, his demeanor had changed so rapidly. Julian could not help but fill with suspicion. And then there was the matter with the Royal Family. The Whispering Shadow had an unspoken rule to never interfere with the Royal Family. The consequences would be too dire otherwise! However, Wenmord had attacked the heir apparent no less! This was tantamount to declaring war!
Julian glanced up and met Wenmord's piercing gaze. He felt as if his soul was shaken to the core. In that gaze, there held zero room for doubt or hesitation! The only thing that was allowed was absolute obedience! Even if Wenmord ordered him to die, he would have to gladly do so! A second passed in real life, but Julian felt a year had passed. Slowly, his reasoning and thoughts were eroded with time. What remained was simple obedience… The same happened to Julie. Their subtle defiant gazes vanished! Wenmord retracted his gaze as the void in his eyes receded.
"You don't have to worry about anything," he explained. "Just bring the heir apparent back to me in less than an hour."
"As you wish, Second Shadow!" the two shouted and disappeared.
At the same time, on the top floor of Castle Reinhard was Queen Bethnal's private quarters. The queen was standing in front of her window, staring out into the dark night. Her heart was heavy and her eyes were cold as ice. Below her, the courtyard hummed with activity as guards rushed about. The place was crawling with elite soldiers that even Royal Guards seemed common now. Weapons were sharpened and armor was polished everywhere. Horses were being brought out and saddled. Orders were being given by the captain of the guard down to the officers. Strict security checkpoints were created every second. Even an ant would think twice about sneaking through here! Everyone's faces were solemn as if a grand enemy had arrived at the gates!
That was not all though. The main military reserve in Corasen was alerted too. Within an hour, they would deploy several brigades into Algard to fully secure it and await further orders! That was the combined manpower of at least fifteen thousand troops! The number alone would deter anyone, even if they arrived with an army. No matter how many assassins the Whispering Shadow had, could they match with the sheer military superiority of the Alzar Kingdom? These were soldiers that fought on countless battlefields across the kingdom, waging a never-ending war with the Xingyuu Empire. Could the Whispering Shadow match even a hundredth of its power? Impossible! The Whispering Shadow had truly stepped on the lion's tail now and they were about to face retribution of the highest degree!
She turned away and faced the people in her room. One was the current Master of Strategy and Leader of the Royal Assembly, General Illion Doro! He had been promoted following the battle with the emperor. By now, he had already gotten accustomed to the tremendous responsibilities that came with his position. Another was her son, Prince Dannark, who served as the Second-In-Command of the Quinvoren Army. There was also Sir Winstin, Sir Sebastian, and Lady Valentina, the three strongest knights in the kingdom. Aside from these, there were a few other highly influential and powerful figures! Together, they accounted for a vast majority of the kingdom's authority!
"Your Majesty, the military headquarters has issued a notice to all bases in the realm. The Whispering Shadow will have no place in the kingdom any longer," General Illion declared.
Queen Bethnal shook her head. "The Whispering Shadow… is but a pawn in this game. There is someone else behind them. They would never attempt this otherwise!"
"A Grand Nobility Household!" Prince Dannark added. "They must have planned this attack long ago to coincide with the princess's movements."
"To command the Second Hand though, this household must have very deep ties with the Whispering Shadow. Could this be the mysterious traitorous house in our midst?" Illion frowned.
"It's unlikely to be the ones behind the events half a year ago," Dannark said sharply.
Naturally, he referred to Elizabeth's first arrival to Castle Reinhard. It was her first-time meeting Lord Korogin and Sir Winstin. Back then, she learned the deep intricacies behind her birth as well as King Harth's long aspirations for her to become queen! The conversation was irrelevant, but what happened afterwards was! Not only had her unique status been leaked to the Xingyuu Empire, allowing her eventual capture in Port Silic, but she was also snuck out of Castle Reinhard! These two stains brought immense shame to the Royal Family's reputation. Sir Winstin reflexively flinched at the mention and held back a sigh.
The Royal Family had conducted an extensive investigation into it. Lord Korogin was fully intent on uncovering the traitors. To that end, he had upended the entire castle, searching everyone through and through, to determine the moles. People were being tortured, imprisoned, or executed daily. Castle Reinhard rarely had a day of peace back then. Lord Korogin's fury had shaken Algard and Corasen to the core and everyone had feared his wrath. Up until his death, he had found the traces of where the snake slithered but he had never discovered the snake itself, the traitorous Grand Nobility Household! It was one of his many regrets before dying.
"The Xingyuu Empire is too busy in dealing with their internal affairs already," Prince Dannark explained. "They're on the verge of a civil war and we've only maintained this status quo due to our unspoken agreement. By attacking the heir apparent, they would unify the Alzar Kingdom against them. They would be spelling their own death sentence. This must be a separate incident, unrelated to the Xingyuu Empire." Queen Bethnal and General Illion nodded as they reached the same conclusion.