Nether Mountains
The orc armies had launched a surprise attack! Silverymoon had been besieged! This was the earth-shattering news that Tiff had given Leylin. Tiff was a legendary of the dark world, and the network under his control passed this information to him even faster than Cassley did.
Leylin counted on this news when he made the decision to abandon everything. After all, the so called martial law, the rules and nobility of Silverymoon, was built on the basis that it still remained. What about when it was no more?
Looking at the larger picture, even if the defence of the city was ultimately successful, the chaos of war would continue to spread. In times of such disorder, what were the deaths of one or two knights?
Given his power in the region, those in Silverymoon could still be forced by the circumstances, giving out numerous rewards for Leylin to send his troops out to ‘save the country in times of danger.’
“However, the situation doesn’t seem good with the Goddess of the Weave. I’m afraid there might already be traitors in the alliance...” Leylin muttered to himself, “She’s still a powerful greater god, and she will definitely be unscathed. With her status as a Chosen, Alustriel will probably be safe as well. The ones who suffer the most in war are the commoners, who are at the bottom of the hierarchy...”
Of course, none of these had anything to do with Malfoy. The pitiful knight had been rendered completely lifeless after hearing Leylin’s words.
Only when the soldiers began to drag him out did he begin to yell, “Ah... forgive me! Please forgive me, Sire Leylin! Lord Leylin!
“Silverymoon needs you! I guarantee that as long you bring me back, I’ll tell my father to give you everything you want... Everything! Ah...” After a short period of pained cries, Malfoy’s voices came to a stop with a grunt.
Leylin’s underlings had gotten used to these scenes and were expressionless. Only Rafiniya looked slightly disturbed.
In her eyes, no matter how hateful the other party had been, Leylin had gone too far, and her heart was a little shadowed by the traumatic experience.
“What was he saying about Silverymoon at the end?” Since Leylin had whispered those words directly into Malfoy’s ears, the girl did not know the full story.
“Just some nonsense!” Leylin carelessly chuckled, “My butler has already given me the newest information. Thanks to the Goddess, those simple-minded werecreatures only have thoughts of occupying the Moonwood and then come out and rob people. They have no interest in allying with the orcs to eliminate the Silverymoon alliance...”
“Thank the gods!” Upon hearing this, Rafiniya heaved a sigh of relief. She hated the idea of this beautiful city being destroyed just like this.
“In that case, what was it you said about the Nether Mountains?”
“That’s nothing. Since it isn’t that dangerous here, I’m planning to do something private and explore some ruins that I found a while ago!”
Leylin now looked relaxed and satisfied as he flung the horsewhip, “Didn’t you hear my orders? We’re changing directions towards the Nether Mountains!”
Leylin’s authority had solidified over the year. Even in front of these ordinary troops, it was necessary to emphasise the need to obey superiors, much less one like Leylin.
The troops of Silverymoon had planned to risk their lives against the werecreatures, but with Leylin’s personal troops inciting them, they soon went with the flow and obeyed the orders. The army of men and horses changed direction, heading west towards the Nether Mountains.
‘Cassley... I hope you like the present I left behind for you...’ Leylin snickered inside. In this sort of situation, it was difficult to understand what exactly the werecreatures were thinking. In addition, once his main forces retreated, Cassley would face with the brunt of the pressure from the werecreature armies.
When the time came, would he retreat to Silverymoon and ask for support or stay behind to take care of the werecreatures? Leylin anticipated his choice.
“He... He’s changed...” Rafiniya watched absent-mindedly as the groups of men and horses brushed past her, looking to be in disbelief. The Leylin just now was very different from the one she was used to.
While he was as handsome, straightforward and refined as always, he had a domineering aggression to him. Or rather, the aura of impetuousness and a devilish charm.
“He’s like a completely different person. Why...” Rafiniya’s mind was now turning black as a huge sense of fear appeared.
“Captain, are you alright?” A knight nearby asked in concern after seeing how she was acting.
“I- I’m fine!” Rafiniya managed to spit out. She urged Nick to catch up to the troops ahead, but her brows furrowed further.
......
The Nether Mountains were a straight vertical stretch in the north. While there was nothing horizontal across it that created a divide between the northern lands and the wilderness of the vast Sunrise Mountains that belonged to the orcs, it was an important dividing line in the northern lands. It clearly divided the Moonwood and the orc organisations.
The mountains had a terrifying spell pollution and energy isolation. Even the Weave was a little weak here, and in some areas it was even impossible to detect. These places were known as magic-dead zones, and whether they were wizards or priests everyone turned useless in these regions.
Due to the terrifying contamination, the plants and animals in the Nether Mountains went through a bizarre transformation. Not only were they more powerful, they were also more savage and bloodthirsty.
Legends said that this was a result of the battle between two divine soul saints which completely changed the geography, turning the place into a forbidden zone for life.
A group of human soldiers had abruptly entered these mountains on this day, cutting the trees and thorns as they moved on, relying on the strength of powerful spellcasters and warriors to enter the depths of the mountains.
“The Weave seems to be much better here compared to those dead-magic zones.” Leylin had gathered all the senior officers in the heart of their camp at night. There were two factions among them, Leylin’s personal troops and the officers of Silverymoon.
“I have gathered you to discuss our current target: a fully grown red dragon!” Leylin announced in a low voice as he looked at the huge Nether Mountains’ map on the wall.
Tiff did not voice any objections upon hearing this, evidently knowing of it. However, the officers of Silverymoon caused a storm of protest with Rafiniya at the head.
“An adult dragon? That’s a legendary being!” Never in Rafiniya’s wildest dreams did she think that Leylin harboured such insane thoughts as those of slaying a dragon. Dragons were all in the legendary realm, and were even more powerful than equivalent humans!
“Mm, it’s not like we don’t have any legendaries on our side.” Leylin pointed towards Tiff, and he exploded forth with terrifying energy. It was like the might of a dragon itself, the roars of an ancient beast.
“Legendary?” Rafiniya gaped, looking towards Tiff and then at Leylin, suddenly feeling bitter, “Is that what you’ve been preparing for? The wealth and glory of slaying dragons?”
“All I need is for you to do is deal with some dangers in the surroundings to restrict it from a distance. You don’t need to deal with it head on. How about it?” Leylin sighed ruefully. If not for having an army of a thousand Professionals, it would be difficult to enter the Nether mountains. The endless monsters they had met on the way were already enough for small adventuring groups to be wiped out.
“Understood, commander!” The officers who had come from Silverymoon looked towards each other. While it wasn’t surprising that senior officers of the army would use their troops to do personal work, it was rather rare for people to be so brazen and unbridled.
However, after watching Tiff who seemed to be a regular fighter let loose his aura, as well as Leylin’s personal troops staring at them intently, they decided to submit.
This actually was possible thanks to Leylin gathering all communicative tools from them. Because of the geography of the Nether Mountains, this group temporarily had no contact with the outside world. If not, and they learn that Silverymoon was in a siege, they could possibly have descended into complete chaos.
Leylin could suppress the dragon with his own troops when the time came, but this obviously would weaken his battle power.
“Alright, I’ll assign your roles now,” he ordered without inhibition, especially satisfied with this situation.
Once the meeting was over and the officers had left, Rafiniya stayed back alone. The female knight stared at him, “You haven’t answered my question.”
“Oh, that,” Leylin nodded, coming to a sudden realisation, “I came to Silverymoon to obtain more information on spells. After finding out about the existence of the red dragon, I started to make plans regarding it. Is there a problem?”
Leylin’s utter honesty caused Rafiniya to be at a loss. It felt like her heart broke at this moment, and it hurt.
The female knight bit her lips, “Alright then. I’ll help you this time, but I’ll leave after that.”
‘Is this girl finally aware of the cruelty of reality?’ Leylin’s quirked up in a slight smile, “Of course. I’ll also give you a portion of the wealth from slaying the dragon.”
“I don’t need it! Take that filthy wealth of yours and die.” Rafiniya flipped the entrance of the tent and jogged away, leaving Leylin scratching his head, “While she knows this is cruel, she’s still not practical enough...”
Whatever it was, Leylin’s plan was still carried out well. With a legendary in charge as well as the temptation of glory and wealth from slaying a dragon, these officers and their underlings were very enthusiastic.
The good news came soon enough. The exact location of the dragon had been found.