[Vol. 1] Chapter 32: Before the Great Battle
Several days later, in a temporary camp near the northern edge of the 'Low Whisper Plains'.
Princess Lilya was carefully reading a letter in her hands. A small, pure white pigeon with distinctive feathers on its tail was perched on her delicate shoulder, seemingly quite familiar with her and completely at ease.
"How's it going?"
After composing a new document and placing it into a small wooden cylinder attached to the leg of the pigeon, which was specifically used by the kingdom's military, Lilya gently stroked its feathers, fed it a bit, and then released it into the air. Only after that did she casually ask, "Well?"
"It's okay. The situation at the Wanhe Fortress is still calm for now. The second wave of Beastman attacks has yet to be launched, and the other border cities are in a stalemate. There haven't been any worst-case scenarios like a breach."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"It is a good thing, but something doesn't seem quite right…"
Lilya lowered her head. In front of her and Violet was a strategic map that covered the entire western border battlefield.
Red arrows representing the Beastmen were overwhelming, completely dominating the entire western border of the Human United Kingdom, but they hadn't managed to break through anywhere.
This was an abnormal situation.
In previous autumn wars, even the elderly and weak Beastmen sent out to die would inevitably breach a few small cities, causing some damage to the kingdom. But this time, with the elite forces of the Beastman Kingdom deployed, they were being staunchly held back at the border. Could this be possible?
The current situation seemed more like the commander of the Beastman army intentionally refraining from breaking through, exerting maximum pressure on the western defense line.
Two questions arose: First, what was the purpose of creating such pressure? Second, if the goal was to increase the kingdom's pressure, why not attack the crucial Wanhe Fortress?
For a moment, several scenarios crossed Princess Lilya's mind, but none seemed entirely reasonable.
Lilya also considered whether Violet's presence intimidated the enemy. However, firstly, the Beastmen didn't know who performed the miracle that day, and secondly, Violet had only used her abilities once during the siege, albeit spectacularly…
But if that alone could make the beasts hesitate, the Beastman Kingdom wouldn't be causing so much trouble for humans.
There must be some information she didn't know.
After much thought, the princess still couldn't come up with a plausible hypothesis, so she decided to let it go. Regardless of the enemy's motives, her goal remained unchanged.
For this operation, Lilya brought along 2000 elite light cavalry, including the Shadow Guards.
Half of them were the Silver-armored Guards directly brought from the capital, and the other half were skilled soldiers selected by Leyton from the garrison at the Wanhe Fortress.
All these warriors had at least the strength approaching mithril. With the addition of magical mounts provided by the Western Border Army, 1st-tier magical beasts known as Unicorn, this force possessed incredibly high mobility. Even if they encountered beastman wolf riders, they could easily shake them off.
To ensure efficiency, Lilya even discarded her luxurious attire symbolizing her status as a princess, opting for a practical and defensively capable light silver one-piece armor. Her blue hair was tied into a ponytail, complemented by a matching battle skirt and a slender sword hanging at her waist, giving the seemingly delicate princess a touch of valor.
With Lilya's strong support, Flora, who was accompanying them as a guard, also changed her casual leather armor for a high-quality purple suit of armor provided by the Wanhe Fortress.
According to Leyton's introduction, this ancient magical equipment, named the "Veil of Roses," was created by a powerful mythical kind, a prince-level female vampire.
Although it was incredibly light, its defense capabilities rivaled heavy armor. It also had various powerful effects, such as reducing presence, increasing speed and strength, but it could only be used by legendary-level individuals.
Furthermore, the "Veil of Roses" was a female-only equipment, so Leyton had simply gifted it to Lilya, allowing her to allocate it as she saw fit.
Despite the name suggesting "veil," the "Veil of Roses" was actually a light purple form-fitting miniskirt embroidered with intricate floral patterns. While it didn't quite reach the gold-level status, it had the ability to automatically adjust to the wearer's body size.
This feature alone shattered Violet's preconceptions of equipment from her gaming experience. She marveled at it for quite some time when she first saw it and found it to be a completely novel concept.
Flora's short bow, as she described it, was also a powerful piece of magical equipment. When combined with the "Veil of Roses," her combat prowess reached an astonishing level. Even in the Beastman Kingdom, where strong individuals were abundant, there were probably not many who could surpass her.
Compared to the two girls in their military uniforms and the well-disciplined troops, the only outlier was the priestess. She still wore her unchanging, pure white holy robe and looked somewhat out of place in the group.
Lilya had once suggested that she should wear more defensive equipment, but Violet gently declined.
She didn't know how to explain… the effects of the [Feather Robe Graria] could only be understood by the wearer. And due to its inherent concealment effect, it gave off no magical aura, making it seem purely ornamental.
But it was undoubtedly a [Divine Artifact].
Possessing a significant level of sentience, it could automatically protect its owner and was bound to Violet's identity. Only she could equip it.
Even among the scarce artifacts in [Illusory World], the [Feather Robe: Glaria] was an outstanding masterpiece. Essentially, it served as a symbol of Violet's identity in the game.
Do you recall the skill [Divine Feather] that Violet frequently used? The original name of this skill in the skill tree was "Angel's Wing". It automatically evolved into this new exclusive skill with improved speed and effects because of the [Feather Robe Graria].
In the game [Illusory World] there were a plethora of hidden skills, equipment, quests, items, dungeons, NPCs, and more. As a result, due to the varying opportunities and the immense amount of randomness, it was rare to find two identical player templates. This was one of the key reasons behind the immense popularity of [Illusory World].
As for how they designed so much content, opinions among players varied, and the [Illusory World] official team didn't provide a straightforward explanation, only mentioning that it took extensive preparation and a substantial investment in resources, and so on…
But let's set aside this digression and return to Princess Lilya's situation.
After several days and nights of continuous travel, the surprise attack force led by Lilya had successfully bypassed the extensive beastman blockade and reached the northern bank of the Black River in the Low Whisper Plains.
Once they crossed this river and proceeded westward through the sparsely inhabited area, they would enter the territory of the Beastman Kingdom.
The reason for stopping here was twofold. On one hand, they might face combat in the near future, and it was essential to rest and replenish their strength after the exhausting days of travel.
On the other hand, Lilya had already made her decision. This moment was the perfect opportunity.
Retracting the map, Violet and Princess Lilya entered the temporary tent they had set up, instructing the guards not to disturb them. Even Flora was temporarily asked to leave.
What followed would be the moment of witnessing a miracle.