Translator: CinderTL
After finalizing the plan with Avril, Roland quickly summoned Vanessa.
Like the elf girl, the Purple-Haired Witch merely covered her mouth and nose at the horrific sight before her, letting out a soft gasp before turning to examine it with keen interest.
It wasn't until Roland urged her on that she began planning a new route around the massive pit, one that would lead to Jade Rock Forest.
At Roland's instruction, Avril did not reveal the full extent of the pit's details to the soldiers.
Instead, she led the team along Vanessa's planned route, carefully bypassing the death zone and continuing toward Jade Rock Forest.
Perhaps the residual pressure from the transcendent battle had yet to dissipate, for both demonic beasts and wraiths had vanished without a trace from the surrounding mist.
This made the rest of the journey remarkably smooth.
As the silhouette of Jade Rock Forest grew clearer in the mist, the exhausted soldiers couldn't help but let out soft cheers, their footsteps quickening noticeably.
Yet unlike these oblivious soldiers, a persistent shadow remained in Roland's heart.
"Alright, everyone!"
Avril's voice was firm and clear.
"We're still some distance from Lord Graham's camp. Everyone, rest here for now. You, you, and you..."
Under her decisive command and with Lieutenant Barry's assistance, several seasoned and capable veterans were quickly selected. They silently infiltrated the Jade Rock Forest to conduct reconnaissance.
Roland, accompanied by Freddy, carefully inspected the camp's perimeter. After confirming there were no anomalies, he returned to his tent for a brief rest.
"Tracy."
At his soft call, the petite pixie agilely emerged from his pouch, her trembling butterfly wings scattering specks of bioluminescent light into the air.
"Can you sense your companions' presence?"
"Of course, Roland!"
Returning to her homeland seemed to fill Tracy with particular joy. She fluttered gracefully through the air, answering with delight.
"I can sense them... hmm... to the north! But their distance..."
Tracy closed her eyes, her brow furrowed in concentration. After struggling to sense for a moment, she shook her head helplessly.
"I'm sorry, Roland. I can sense their presence, but it's too faint... I can't determine how far away they are."
"It's fine; having a direction is enough."
Roland chuckled softly, gazing at the excited pixie before him, but his thoughts drifted far away.
Witnessing the horrific ruins left behind by the transcendent battle, his original plan had quietly shifted.
He had initially assumed that the Wolf King, who had taken root in the Mistland, was able to cause such chaos in the River Domain Nations primarily due to the mist—a substance saturated with magic elements.
Of course, he had also considered the possibility that the Wolf King was a transcendent professional.
After all, ordinary people couldn't survive in such harsh conditions for long.
Yet...
Recalling the completely reshaped landscape, covered in scorched earth and deep craters, Roland's brow furrowed tightly.
The Wolf King's strength far surpassed his expectations.
While different transcendent professionals had their specialties and obvious counters, the gap in raw power was often as vast as a chasm.
Though the River Domain Nations undoubtedly hid other transcendent beings unknown to Roland, their strength could never surpass Graham's.
Otherwise, the region could never have maintained the delicate balance between the three dominant powers: merchants, nobles, and the Knight Academy.
And now, the Wolf King...
Or rather, could it be that the beings under Graham's command possessed strength comparable to his own?
This news struck him like a sledgehammer, shattering his plan to rely on Graham's protection for a safe retreat from the Mistland.
Even if the situation didn't plunge into the worst possible abyss, the path to safety would be far from the easy and secure one he had envisioned.
So...
Roland's gaze refocused on the pixies flitting before him.
He had always been one to keep a backup plan.
Since the option of retreating safely with Graham's help was now impossible, the Spatial Magic of the pixie tribe, which Tracy had mentioned, became his other trump card for escaping this perilous place.
"However... everything still depends on the specific circumstances," he mused.
"What if the one who scorched the earth wasn't Graham after all... or what if... Graham utterly crushed the invaders with overwhelming force?"
Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, excited cheers erupted from the soldiers outside the tent.
Seeing this, Roland immediately lifted the tent flap and found Avril standing before him.
The elf girl turned her gaze away from the direction of the cheers and said softly.
"Roland, the reconnaissance team has returned. The army stationed in the Jade Rock Forest, led by Dean Graham, is all clear."
"That's good..."
A giant stone seemed to lift from Roland's heart as he exhaled a long sigh of relief.
Without delay, the group immediately followed the returning veterans along a forest path, heading deeper into the woods.
Moments later, as the trees thinned, a massive military camp suddenly loomed before them.
In stark contrast to Avril's team's rudimentary camp, this one was astonishing in scale, meticulously planned, and resembled a temporary forest fortress.
Towering wooden palisades formed a sturdy defensive perimeter, dotted with watchtowers.
Dark gray tents were arranged like a chessboard within the camp, with wide, straight roads between them.
Soldiers patrolled in an orderly fashion, and messengers galloped through the camp, every movement exuding discipline and efficiency.
Before the group even reached the gate, they were stopped by a patrol.
After a brief exchange, one of the soldiers returned to the camp to report.
Soon, they received permission to enter.
"Who is Roland?"
Roland, who was slowly entering the military camp with the group, looked up at the sound of the voice.
He glanced at the patrolling soldier who had spoken, frowning slightly, but still raised his hand.
"That's me."
"You?"
The soldier sized up Roland's youthful face, a flicker of confusion in his eyes, before stating matter-of-factly, "Lord Graham has ordered that you and Avril, the Shadow Envoy, be summoned."
"Understood."
Roland nodded gently, exchanging a glance with Avril beside him.
After briefly giving instructions to Vanessa, Freddy, and Mason, he and Avril followed the soldier down a different path.
As they walked through the tents, Roland couldn't help but frown slowly.
From the outside, the camp appeared strictly guarded and orderly.
But as they ventured deeper, he keenly sensed something amiss.
Many of the soldiers they encountered bore peculiar marks.
Some had thick bandages wrapped around their arms, moving stiffly.
Others had an unnatural pale blue gleam visible at their necks.
In the corners of the tents, figures huddled tightly wrapped in their robes, unable to suppress the faint trembling that shook their bodies.
Beyond the familiar scent of the military camp, a faint, icy mineral odor hung in the air.
They deliberately avoided crowded areas, hurrying with furtive glances.
Beneath the surface of order, the shadow of the crystal devouring disease had silently spread.
Witnessing this scene, Roland let out a soft sigh.
Soon, the patrolling soldiers silently led him and Avril to the heavily guarded main tent.
After announcing their arrival, a steady voice, though tinged with a slight hesitation, called from within:
"Enter."
As the words faded, Roland nodded gently at the guards at the entrance before stepping forward and lifting the tent flap.
The interior was dimly lit, and a thick, cloying incense filled the air.
Yet beneath this overpowering aroma, Roland's keen senses instantly detected faint traces.
A subtle, metallic scent, like that of old iron, seeped from the depths of the fabric, lingering persistently.
(End of the Chapter)
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