Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Why are you here? Did that ship have anything to do with you? It's probably not the Earl who came to see you; you should be the one seeing the Earl!"

A vassal's vassal is not my vassal. This is a universal rule in this world, not to mention that Ryūka is not even the Harvey family's superior, so naturally they won't give him a friendly look. As long as they are under Autus's rule, Ryūka cannot easily take action against them.

But Ryuga remained unfazed, smiling as he approached the knight, and then delivered a resounding slap to his face!

He wasn't using any fighting spirit, but his insults were extremely strong! The knight immediately glared at him, but before he could speak, Ryuka pointed behind him:

"Did you see what that was?"

The knight looked behind Ryusha and saw lights slowly approaching on the dark river.

“Those are the ships of the Imperial Mission, and Her Highness the Thirteenth Princess is on board. Foreign spies have infiltrated Sochi to sabotage this trip, and they came from your Raven Ridge. Now, I ask you, does Count Harvey want to come over?”

Ryūka's smiling face instantly deflated the knight's temper, and he lowered his head and said:

"Yes, Lord Ryukatsu."

Then, he waved to his subordinates: "Quickly go to the main city and inform the Earl! And find some warm clothes and food for these sailors!"

A true man knows when to yield and when to stand firm. Liu Xia wouldn't make things difficult for these lowly soldiers; what he wanted was to use Earl Harvey to issue orders to Raven Ridge and the territories behind it, continuing the pursuit of this group of Bauhinia people.

The large ship behind them gradually approached, and upon seeing Ryūka, Melanie and the others immediately surrounded her, bombarding her with questions about what had happened. After Ryūka gave a general account of the events, Tipalotura asked first:

"So, how are you going to track down that magician named Monica?"

Liu Xia chuckled: "Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?"

Ryuka nodded: "Teleportation magic is not instantaneous; the time it takes to cast the spell and the distance to arrive are related to the distance."

Before he reached the Heavenly Rank, it took him less than thirty minutes to teleport from Sochi City to Linhu Town.

From the time he dispelled Monica's magic circle to when Monica appeared on the ship, approximately ten minutes had passed. This was even after she had to cast the spell the instant he removed the interference…

Tipalotura suddenly realized: "I understand now. As long as we follow this time, we can narrow down the area nearby, right?"

“That’s right.” Ryuka nodded.

As a Heavenly Rank cultivator, finding a Monica within this area wouldn't be difficult for him.

Chapter 12 Following Monica

"Phew... Damn it! What on earth happened to Greg?!"

In a mountain cave near the Long River Ferry in Raven Ridge, Monica leaped out of a magic circle, landing on the ground carrying a wooden crate. The heavy magical equipment in her hands caused her to stumble and nearly fall. Gritting her teeth, she straightened herself, took out a short ivory staff, and lightly tapped it on the crate.

"Floating, following".

Even after she let go, the box continued to float and follow her, like a conscious pet.

Hearing her voice, a fire lit up around the corner of the cave. Several Bauhinia Knights, disguised as travelers, approached carrying torches and, seeing Monica's disheveled appearance, inquired:

"Miss Monica? What happened?"

Monica didn't answer, but gritted her teeth and said, "Get rid of this camp. We need to leave Ravenhill as soon as possible!"

"Evacuate? But... isn't Otus's delegation arriving at Feather Lake Bay the day after tomorrow? Don't we need to cooperate with General Greg and his men on their mission?"

"Something went wrong. We have to abandon the mission and head straight to the next rendezvous point to prepare."

Monica's face was cold; she didn't know how to explain to her subordinates. For this mission, Bauhinia had dispatched several small teams, scattered along the delegation's route, ready to support her and Greg at any time. Of course, these troops were the elite of her Santier family, unlike Greg's Navel people. They only obeyed Monica's orders, so Greg hadn't been informed of Monica's communications with them.

The Bauhinia soldiers exchanged bewildered glances and immediately rushed to prepare the hideout. Miss Monica's expression was grim; who knew what had transpired between her and General Greg at the ferry crossing ahead? This mission was deep in Otus; a single misstep could mean certain death in a foreign land, without even a name left behind. Therefore, they acted swiftly, daring not to be careless in the slightest…

After the soldiers left, Monica tapped the wooden crate again with her staff. The crate opened like a treasure chest, revealing a perfectly intact enhanced communication crystal inside. Finding nothing amiss, Monica immediately used it to activate a spell and began calling out to the crystal ball:

"Our home country? We've run into a little trouble here..."

-----------------

"Our country...is facing...trouble..."

A faint, intermittent voice came from a magic circle, completely obscuring what was being said. Inside the embassy ship's cabin, Ryūsha and the others were huddled together listening. The indistinct voice prompted Tipalotura to ask:

"Anjaberg, could you be any clearer?"

She glanced at the pile of 'junk' cobbled together on the table. These magical parts and crystals were hastily and crudely linked together, held together remotely by Melanie's magic. Meanwhile, Anjaberg was fiddling with something that looked like a slider, his face full of grievance.

"Your Highness, it's already quite an achievement that I was able to put together these on short notice..."

She was right. From the moment Ryūka explained the principle of the Bauhinia communication crystal to now, in just a few minutes, she had used the magical materials she had on hand to disassemble and piece together a makeshift device that could resonate with Monica's magic. In the eyes of any magical engineer, this could be considered a miracle.

However, it was impossible to understand what Monica was saying to the Bauhinia Kingdom from that voice.

"It's alright, at least it shows the plan is feasible." Liu Xia patted Anjaberg on the shoulder. "How long will it take to perfect this listening device?"

"Two or three days... If we have enough materials, we'll probably have to get some from Crow Ridge if we run out."

Anjaberg shrugged, but Ryusha squinted and asked again:

"What if you are exempted from punishment?"

Anjaberg's eyes widened instantly: "Punishment? What punishment?"

"Of course it's you at night... cough cough."

Melanie was about to say that Anjaberg had spied on Ryusha, her, and Hefren's enjoyable evening, but after glancing at Princess Tipalotura beside her, she decided to leave it at that.

Tipalotura understood what this meant and smiled as she pressured Anjaberg:

"You don't need to worry about the materials. I will have Earl Harvey arrange everything you need, so you can just focus on making it."

"But, after all, it's just me alone..."

It wasn't that he couldn't do it faster, but the thought of signing a pledge and failing to meet it, only to be tormented by Ryūka, made Anyaberg reluctant to agree. But before Anyaberg could finish speaking, Adela, the female slave who had been behind Ryūka, adjusting her new clothes, said:

"Master, you said that the magical equipment they use is somewhat similar to that of the Merchant Guild Alliance, is that right?"

"Is that so? Is there anything you want to say?" Ryūka looked at Adela behind him. Ever since he had trained this wicked woman, she had been behaving very obediently at all times. But Ryūka knew that she had not completely submitted to him yet. Her obedient and compliant behavior was just an effort to demonstrate her value in order to gain a better living situation from him.

“I also know a little about the basic principles, so I should be able to help Miss Anjaberg.”

“I…” Anyaberg’s face flushed red, but seeing that Ryuka’s teasing eyes were serious, he quickly whispered:

"A day and a half, that's the fastest it can be!"

It seems I won't be able to enjoy the water journey for the next couple of days... I was hoping to try the local delicacies of Crow Ridge.

Hearing this reply, Ryuka nodded: "Then I'll leave it to you. We should be able to pinpoint the location of this magical signal now, right?"

"Roughly to our west, the distance is no more than 20 kilometers, but the fan-shaped area is about 45 degrees..."

Twenty kilometers isn't a long distance for Ryūka; if he operates at full speed, he can get there in about ten minutes. And since they're moving at night, Monica and the others won't be traveling in the dark, which is even more advantageous for Ryūka.

"Okay, I'll go look for it."

After saying that, Liu Xia pushed open the cabin window and leaped directly towards the opposite bank of the river! The immense force caused the ship, which could hold hundreds of people and ample supplies, to shake twice!

His figure vanished into the night in an instant.

"He doesn't even take a break, he's really energetic..."

After Ryuga left, Anyaberg, who had just been threatened by him, couldn't help but pout and complain. Then, dejectedly, he picked up the broken instruments on the table and prepared to go back to his compartment to do research and development.

Melanie couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. To her surprise, Tipalotura had actually said what she had been thinking:

"This is how boys react when they see a fun toy. I heard there's a beautiful female magician among those Bauhinia people, right?"

Seeing Tipalotura's slightly joking expression, Melanie finally couldn't help but chuckle softly...

-----------------

“I understand the general situation. It does sound like something sinister is going on. The people of Otus probably already know that someone is interfering with the formation of the delegation…”

"Then what's our plan?"

Hearing Monica's somewhat agitated voice, the voice on the other end of the magical communicator was silent for a moment before speaking again:

"The plan remains unchanged. You know your aunt's personality. No matter what, you must delay the arrival of Otus's people by about a month! If necessary, you can sacrifice Greg's group."

"But……"

"There are no 'buts'!" The male voice from the crystal ball was resolute. "Monica, you must understand, this is a great undertaking that can change the fate of the Bauhinia! We only need this one-month window of opportunity! Nothing is insurmountable in the face of this goal!"

After saying that, there was no more sound from the crystal. This made Monica bite her lip.

Nothing is sacrificial... including her, right?

Bang! She kicked the wooden crate, without using any magic, purely to vent her anger. Her subordinates, hearing the commotion, rushed over, but after being glared at by her, they dared not utter a word.

"Are you all packed? If you are, let's get going! Their search will be much more difficult after daybreak!"

……

A faint lantern illuminated the rugged mountain path, and a group of 'travelers', lightly equipped, cautiously rode forward. Monica, in the middle of the group, had changed into a jet-black cloak and was constantly using magic to maintain a silent spell, appearing quite prudent.

In the darkness of the night, a figure had already caught up with the group in an even more silent manner atop the treetops of the mountains.

"Another dozen or so people, the lowest rank being a full-fledged officer. Besides Monica, there's also a high-ranking knight. If you look at the route from Sochi to Bauhinia, there's a group like this every so often. Bauhinia has really gone all out this time..."

In the Otus Empire, a Grand Knight could easily rise to prominence in even the most remote and impoverished areas. Even without any family background, they would at least be a guest of honor of some counts or viscounts. For a kingdom whose territory wasn't much larger than the Sochi province, even a wealthy one wouldn't be easily sent to another country on a high-risk mission!

After all, the main class is already at the top of the regular combat force.

It seems there's something truly significant behind this. The more this is the case, the more Liu Xia wants to play the long game. He located Monica not to capture her, but to gradually uncover their intentions without alerting them.

So even though their direction of travel gradually deviated from Tipalotura's and the others' course, Ryuka silently followed behind, without any haste or impatience.

"If I had known there would be risks, I would have brought Linor along. She must know something about the Bauhinia. Hmm, perhaps it's not too late to send someone to bring her here now?"

Ryuu couldn't help but touch his chest; beneath his clothes hung the Bauhinia National Treasure pendant around his neck—the gem that sealed the Demon Sword. He felt most comfortable keeping this on himself. Just as he was considering whether to put both Linor and the Bauhinia Tears in the same basket, Monica and the others ahead began to slow their pace.

Dawn was breaking, and the knights' fighting spirit and stamina were nearly exhausted. Controlling their horses at high speed using fighting spirit on a dark mountain path was no easy feat. Now that they were certain they had escaped the search area of ​​the Raven Ridge soldiers, their bodies and minds, pushed to their limits, began to seek rest.

“Miss, there’s an abandoned fortress ahead. Why don’t we rest here for a while before continuing our journey?”

Monica took out the map and glanced at it. There were no buildings marked here, which made her frown. But she was indeed exhausted, not to mention her bloated stomach that needed to relieve herself. Even a great mage has to go to the bathroom, especially since she was a pampered young lady.

"You two, go check and make sure there aren't any bandits or outlaws."

Hearing their conversation, Ryuga also looked up at the abandoned fortress ahead. The weathered stone walls, covered in vines and moss, had been abandoned for at least a decade. Not only was it not marked on Monica's map, but even the Otto map that Ryuga knew well didn't show any information about this place. But looking at it, it was indeed an ideal location for setting up a camp, easy to defend and difficult to attack. As long as a fortress was built and a few hundred people were stationed there, several mountain passes on the left and right could be controlled.

But it wasn't just this place that was eerie; even the mountain path beneath Monica's feet had widened considerably, though overgrown with weeds, making it unrecognizable as a main road. Only the occasional fragments of bricks and tiles scattered among the grass seemed to whisper tales of a bygone era of prosperity…

At that moment, a guess popped into Ryūka's mind. And then, a confused "Eh?" suddenly came from within his consciousness, further confirming Ryūka's suspicions!

"Ravenhill, the place where its former master fought his last and perished. It's also where Atina's father, Old Maia, participated in the war against the heretics, and where he obtained the demonic sword Idunir..."

The cold morning wind howled through the ruins like the wailing of ghosts! As Liu Xia gathered her spiritual power and looked ahead, the desolate city before dawn was filled with a dense aura of death!

Chapter 13 Spying? No, this is called surveillance.

"It seems this is Rose Fortress..."

In its heyday, Ravenhill wasn't called Ravenhill, and its owner wasn't Count Matt Harvey, but Viscount Noor Antony. After his castle fell, he led his last army into the fortress nestled in these mountains. The combined forces of the Papacy and the local forces of Ottus paid a heavy price to breach its defenses. The protracted war left the corpses unburied, and the swarms of black crows nourished by these bodies gave this land a new name—Ravenhill.

The castle that was originally Viscount Antony's was renamed Black Rook Castle by the Harvey family. And this ominous place, which buried the last knight of the Antony family, was erased from the map.

Despite it being dawn, the abandoned fortress before him still exuded a lingering chill, like a place haunted by the dead. This made Ryuka's lips twitch involuntarily.

"Why did you have to go to such an ominous place? Monica, Monica, if something happens to you here, don't blame me, Bauhinia Kingdom..."

Fantasy worlds are never short of monsters. To farmers and rural militia, the word "monster" might just mean annoying little creatures like slimes and goblins. But in remote, uninhabited places, the word "monster" can be dangerous, especially in places filled with eerie and sinister atmosphere.

“Crowne once said that many powers and phenomena in the world that ordinary people cannot understand are caused by ‘spirits.’ The souls of the dead are powerful spirits, and too many vengeful spirits can even alter reality, causing a large number of monsters to be created. At this time, it is necessary for the ‘gods’ who govern various places to guide them… Unfortunately, that was a matter of ancient times. Now, these tasks are done by the Vatican. But it seems that Carmela’s defeat back then has made the Vatican very secretive about this place, to the point that it has simply abandoned it…”

Judging from this, there is a high probability that there are indeed some unclean things in this fortress.

As for the familiar feeling this place had to offer, Yu said in Ryūka's mind:

“I feel… there’s something familiar here, it’s calling to me.”

"Hmm?" Ryuka was somewhat surprised. According to Crowell, the "Yu" was likely a special entity created from the interplay of Carmela's various powers, combined with her battle with the past demonic sword [Idunir]. It was most likely a fragment of the demonic sword [Rukrati] that Carmela possessed. Could it be...?

"Does this fortress still contain the remnants of Ruklati's power?"

With this in mind, Ryuka became interested. Meanwhile, Monica and her group had already set off into the fortress; it seemed she really would have to go in herself…

-----------------

"Let's pack up quickly and hide here to rest. The people of Otto probably won't give up the search easily. Our group is too conspicuous during the day. We'll continue our journey at night."

At the watchtower at the fortress entrance, Monica was issuing orders to her men. Although dilapidated, it still resembled a dwelling, better than the wilderness. And it seemed the Ottus rarely set foot here, as it was overgrown with weeds and vines, making it an ideal hiding place.

If anyone were to search this place, they would be able to spot them from their elevated position very early on. The fortress's maze-like terrain serves as a natural barrier, allowing them to play hide-and-seek and escape through other exits.

Thinking this through, Monica was quite satisfied with the fortress. She walked into the watchtower on her own; the rooms on the second floor looked relatively intact, and she planned to use them. With a wave of her wand, the scattered magic blasted away all the decaying tables, chairs, and weapon racks. Some scattered skeletons were also swept out of the room…