Approximately one month after the Lannisail explosion at Castle Reinhard, the reconstruction efforts were continuing. Elizabeth was still unconscious and recovering from Lord Wenmord's attack, causing her situation to be unknown. For this, Queen Bethnal maintained a solid information block. The full power of the Alzar Kingdom's informational control was revealed! Not a single hint of a rumor was leaked to the outside and no one suspected a thing. But that did not mean Queen Bethnal let this disgrace pass. The Whispering Shadow and the Lannisail Household committed an unforgivable crime against the Alzar Kingdom. To ensure their complete and utter annihilation, she wielded the full power of the Alzar Kingdom. Soldiers amassed in armies and fleets mobilized throughout Melgar! The Whispering Shadow's destruction was slow but certain.
A total of seven major bases and eighteen minor bases were raided by the military so far. Although the Whispering Shadow was a strong organization, it was not a militia in the end. Its fighting potential was severely limited to the Hands, five groups of extremely potent and deadly fighters that forced even Sir Winstin, the kingdom's strongest knight, to a standstill. To date, the First Hand, composed of Sword King Sin Quelldown and thirty other Perception Realm combatants, was missing in action. No one knows their current whereabouts or status except for the Sword King. The Second Hand, composed of Captain Julian and Vice-captain Julie, was killed by the Lannisail explosion. The Third Hand, composed of Captain Murvin and Vice-captain Uldat, was executed by Protector Avin alongside their companions in Firecast.
Two weeks prior, the Fourth Hand appeared and defeated two squadrons, or roughly one hundred soldiers. However, they were immediately surrounded and forced to surrender. Most committed suicide, while a sparse few pleaded for mercy. The captain and vice-captain were among the dead. It was unknown where the Fourth Shadow fled to. As for the Fifth Hand, according to investigations, an internal dispute broke out between the Fifth Hand and the Fifth Shadow. When the army arrived, the base was already deserted. Signs of a large-scale conflict were revealed with the corpse of the Fifth Shadow on display. The Fifth Hand's location was unknown, and it was assumed that they disbanded entirely.
Why the Whispering Shadow rapidly deteriorated was actually related to the Lannisail explosion. The organization could survive to the present day not because of its excellent leadership or strong foundations. It was nothing related to the organization itself. Instead, the true reason was the sponsors supporting the Whispering Shadow! Behind every shadow looms a larger shadow, and this time was no exception. Many nobles supported them from secretly, earning a part in this ridiculously lucrative slave trading business. In the face of profit, people could discard their morals easily. And it was not just regular nobles, but Grand Nobility Households as well! While none of them went as far as Lord Wenmord, practically every one of the twenty-five Grand Nobility Households had a hand in it! This was the true reason why the Whispering Shadow was such a thorny issue to the Royal Family.
But this situation took a steep turn one month ago. The Whispering Shadow dared to raise a blade against the Royal Family! And in the worst possible way too, by attacking and then kidnapping Princess Elizabeth. It was hard to say how insane it all sounded. Despite the Royal Family's unstable political situation, they were still the undisputable overlord of the Alzar Kingdom. They were the most powerful people in world! Attacking the Royal Family was equivalent to attacking the Alzar Kingdom. Adding onto that, the Lannisail explosion which obliterated a significant portion of Algard and killed many of the Grand Nobility, it sealed the deal. The Grand Nobility Households had decisively cut all ties with the Whispering Shadow!
Combined with the loss of the Hands, the Whispering Shadow lost all forms of resistance. It antagonized the Alzar Kingdom entirely by attacking Elizabeth and lost its support entirely from every sponsor. Furthermore, many of the Grand Nobles willingly offered information to the Royal Family to placate them. Prince Dannark and Lord Illion used this information and worked with the military extensively to siege every base at record-breaking speed. It was no wonder that the Whispering Shadow fell from grace so quickly. It seemed that this mighty criminal organization would disappear into the annals of history before long!
In a hilly stronghold surrounded by a forest, one man was looking out the window from the highest tower. His gaze was drenched in a deep sense of melancholy. Before him, he could see an Alzar brigade of five thousand men gradually approaching. They showed a frightening level of military discipline with every uniform step while their murderous aura seemed to swallow the sky. The man scowled and drank directly from a wine bottle. Judging from the label on it, the wine was one of few bottles produced every year. It was hard to fathom how overwhelmingly expensive it was, that even Grand Nobles would struggle to get one. Yet, this person was chugging it down like water. Despite the heavy alcohol, his face remained stoic and miserable. This man was unsurprisingly the First Shadow and the Leader of the Whispering Shadow!
"…What's the situation outside?" he asked to his butler.
The butler bowed. "The Alzar Kingdom has demanded our unconditional surrender, otherwise they will begin sieging in one hour."
"What about the escape routes?"
"I'm afraid that none are usable."
"Useless!" the First Shadow howled, hurling his empty bottle toward his butler. The butler dodged and it exploded on the wall behind him. "What about the First Hand? Where is Captain Sin?" A frantic look flashed through his face, reminiscent of a cornered beast.
"We still haven't heard anything from them. It is assumed that they perished in the Lannisail explosion."
"All because of the Second Shadow!" he hissed. The butler said nothing, creating an awkward silence. But it did not last long as the First Shadow began losing his balance. He fumbled over to his desk, shoving everything off it while trying to stabilize himself. His vision flickered in and out. An incredulous expression formed on his face aimed towards his butler as he screamed, "You poisoned me!"
"It won't kill you," the butler, who was removing his meticulous disguise, said. In a second, an entirely different face appeared. Even his voice transformed into a colder one.
This level of infiltration and concealment stunned the First Shadow. A name slowly rose in his mind. He shouted in fear, "You're a Royal Assassin!"
The Royal Assassins was an informal name for a group of extremely well-trained assassins employed by the crown. Tasked with all sorts of dirty work that required a specific set of unsavory skills, they were essentially the Royal Family's secret blade! This was why normal people would never hear their name. The only reason the First Shadow knew about their existence was because the Whispering Shadow dabbled in that business. Although the Royal Assassins fell short of Inari and his partner, nicknamed the grim reapers of Firecast, they were no pushovers. They could break into this stronghold, while all entrances were heavily guarded, assassinate the First Shadow's butler and replace him. Moreover, the assassin could even perfectly imitate the butler's mannerisms to a point the First Shadow did not notice!
The First Shadow collapsed in his chair as his body began shutting down. The poison was quick to show its effects, as expected of a weapon the Royal Family secretly funded. The assassin was about to tie him up when the First Shadow gave a fearless smirk. Alarm bells rang and the assassin rushed to stop him. However, it was too late. No matter how quickly the poison acted, it was not immediate. And when the motion was minor enough, for example, biting down on his teeth, then it could still be done! A small capsule filled with lethal poison emptied into his mouth. By the time the assassin reached him, the First Shadow was already dead! He committed suicide!
"Damn!" the assassin cursed.
It was out of his expectations, but not too surprising. The First Shadow could not become the Leader of the Whispering Shadow by being weak-willed! The assassin clicked his tongue and started rummaging through the desk. However, it was fruitless. In the first place, with how special the Whispering Shadow was, as a criminal organization, they would never keep many things written. This dogma was especially emphasized for the Shadows! Without a choice, he left the office as it was and rendezvoused with his other allies. Together, they gave the Alzar brigade outside the signal to invade! The brigade commander then began sieging and within a few hours, the stronghold was captured. In one month, the Whispering Shadow had officially fallen!