The Villain Saint is my secondary account

At that moment, Ye Xiao suddenly realized what was happening.

Damn it, I can't waste any more time interrogating this guy. Since there's already been an assassination attempt against me, aren't Van Delian, who is obviously stronger than me, and Sivirif, the vice commander of the Ocean Legion, even more in danger?

Perhaps in response to Ye Xiao's idea, at that very moment, a loud and powerful roar came from outside the window.

The sound was exactly the same as the one they had heard near the swamp last night, followed by a chilling scream from outside the door.

"what's the situation!?"

Lyra cried out in terror. Ye Xiao frowned, his gaze meeting that of the crows guarding the castle.

Upon hearing the sound, the soldiers patrolling the city wall seemed to be under some terrifying curse, clutching their heads and rolling on the ground, screaming hysterically.

Under the moonlight, dense black lines began to appear on the skin of their faces, just like the wounds caused by the snake-shaped dagger earlier.

The soldiers of Morrowind Keep have been infected? When did this happen?

Ye Xiao was startled, recalling that nothing unusual had happened when she arrived at Morningwind Fortress at dusk...

I saw a ghost last night.

He recalled that the roar he heard at the camp last night did not sound as close as it does now, but the direction from which the roar came seemed to be towards Morningwind Keep.

This immediately made him realize that the castle had probably been attacked just like theirs the night before.

So there weren't many monsters in the camp last night, and no more enemies attacked in the latter half of the night.

With Femishel around, Ye Xiao subconsciously thought that the enemy's main objective might be to attack the princess, but now he realized that they were not the main target at all; Morningwind Keep was.

However, the enemy used some unknown means to keep the corrupted soldiers conscious for a period of time when they returned, until now, when they were finally reactivated.

This also means that all the Aslan soldiers currently filling this fortress will be transformed into monsters, and the entire castle will become a demon's lair from this moment on.

Chapter 54 The Shadow of War

As night fell, the boundless coastline outside Morning Breeze Castle appeared exceptionally secluded under the moonlight.

A mysterious ballad drifted melodiously across the sea, its sound seemingly originating from ancient times, carrying the weight of time and a sense of melancholy.

Immediately afterwards, countless figures slowly rose from the sea, crawling onto the beach, their movements slow but determined.

These strange figures crossed the beach, leaving trails of webbed footprints. The scales clinging to their skin reflected a chilling, eerie light, densely packed, resembling a monstrous army emerging from the sea.

A figure with octopus-like whiskers on his chin, gripping a long staff that emitted a dim light, walked slowly within the group. His gaze swept across the night sky, his eyes revealing not only ambition but also a thirst for revenge. His hoarse voice echoed in the night wind along with the trembling of the earth:

"We're finally back, the long-lost land. It's time... to reclaim everything that belongs to us."

The crows perched in the woods witnessed this scene, and Ye Xiao, who shared a similar feeling with them, also somewhat realized what was happening.

What kind of plan would make a castle a primary target for attack?

Considering Morningwind Keep's location on the coast, and the countless merfolk emerging from the sea like an undead army, the answer quickly became obvious—

war.

The merfolk, long forgotten in the depths of the lost city, have now finally revealed their true intentions—not only to regain their freedom, but also to conquer the land and reclaim the land that once belonged to them.

These guys' ambitions are even greater than Ye Xiao expected. Morningwind Fortress is the first line of defense standing on the coast of Bluemane Bay in Aslan. Their capture of this place is essentially to use it as a key stronghold for attacking the Aslan interior from the coast.

It is no coincidence that the Lost City is located at the bottom of the deep sea near Aslan. Just like jailers and prisoners, Aslan has many taboos. The power of magic flows in their blood, making them closer to the gods than other humans, simply because they also bear the responsibility left to them by the gods. As jailers, they guard the resentful merfolk hidden deep in the sea.

However, Ye Xiao couldn't care less about the massive army surging from the sea at this moment. The enemy had clearly been preparing for a long time, including the Dark Shepherds, various unseen underwater monsters, and most importantly, the Miracle Sorcerer family and the fake "Lydia" hiding in the seabed as the mastermind.

They launched a war by pouring their forces out from the seabed, and the number of powerful enemies within their ranks is immeasurable.

Not to mention the Aslan garrison in the Dawn Forest, judging by the size of this army, the entire Bluemane Bay is probably in imminent danger. And it's unknown when the Aslan fleet patrolling the open sea will be able to react to the impending fall of their rear.

But how to deal with the army that suddenly emerged from the seabed is now a headache for the Aslans.

Ye Xiao had already informed the Bluestone Fortress. If these Aslans were completely unprepared for any possible anomalies, it only meant that their corrupt regime deserved to perish.

Ye Xiao ignored Layla's collar, who was still confused, and strode towards the door.

Sure enough, upon opening the door, the once brightly lit castle hall was now dimly lit, with screams and eerie roars occasionally emanating from unknown corners, sending chills down one's spine.

"What...what happened?!"

Leila followed Ye Xiao with faltering steps. She was completely bewildered to see that it was pitch black outside the door.

"Aren't you excited? Your companions have come to meet you."

Ye Xiao didn't forget to make a sarcastic remark about the unlucky kid.

With Ella's tentacle ball implanted, the voice in his mind could no longer communicate with Lyra, so Ye Xiao wasn't worried that this guy would cause any more trouble.

"Which room does Femsiel live in?"

"Well, Her Highness the Princess lives on the third floor, just like all the female students."

Leila answered somewhat nervously.

"Row."

After saying that, Ye Xiao grasped his staff and walked into the darkness.

"Hey, wait for me!"

Seeing Ye Xiao leave, Leila quickened her pace in fear, her algae-like hair bouncing with each step.

……

At this very moment, forty miles to the northeast lies the Qing Shi Fortress.

Princess Serendra, along with Academy Headmaster Elron and Sky Knights Vice Commander Teplo, were in a tense meeting room high up in the tower.

"What did you say?! The border has fallen?!"

It's no wonder that Serendra lost her composure. The Aslan Empire has enjoyed peace for over a hundred years, and war is a distant memory for today's younger generation.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The reply to Serendra came from a sky knight clad in dark green armor: "Our night patrol found the remnants of the garrison in the border forest. A large army is crossing the border from the Molten Mountains into the Empire. The eastern defensive pass has fallen, and the enemy is advancing towards Bluestone Fortress, estimated to be less than fifteen miles away."

"The entire border region's magic network has been blocked by unknown means. Magical messages cannot be transmitted, and war eagles cannot determine their direction. They rushed back to report the news following the instructions of the border garrison commander, and our people just happened to find them wounded in the forest."

"Where are the sentries? There are sentries all along the way from the border checkpoints to the Qing Shi Fortress. How come no one has lit a smoke signal to send out such a serious signal as the invasion of a large army?"

"Taplo asked."

"The soldiers at the checkpoints along the way have all disappeared, and we do not yet know the specific reason."

As he spoke, cold sweat dripped down the knight's forehead, a result of lingering fear.

When the enemy troops entered the territory, none of the sentries along the way reacted. If they hadn't been lucky enough to run into the wounded messenger squad, they probably wouldn't have reacted until the army was already at the city gates.

However, we are not far from the city gates now. Fifteen miles seems like a long distance, but if no one stops us, we may arrive in half a day.

"Which army is it? Our diplomatic relations with Molten Core have always been quite good. The dragons and dwarves shouldn't be launching an attack for no reason, right?"

Compared to the younger Serendra and Teplough, Headmaster Elon was much more composed.

Aside from being a Saint-ranked warrior, he was originally the top general in Aslan's army. Although there were no major wars concerning the survival of the nation at that time, he still participated in many large and small wars, traveling to other countries to support the defense against orcs or barbarians.

"Regarding this, the border guerrilla squad reported that the enemy seems to be... demons."

This answer was clearly a bit unexpected for the three of them.

"How could a demon... appear in the mortal realm??"

Teplough found it hard to believe; he had only ever seen the ancient terms used to describe this infernal race in mythological books.

Since the New Age of Gods, demons have not disappeared from the mortal realm, but they have appeared sporadically, possibly summoned by hell sorcerers or through malicious rituals performed by certain dark cults.

An army composed entirely of demons... Even the most senior of the three, the swordsman Elon, had never heard of such a thing.

Chapter Fifty-Five: The Evacuation Plan

"We don't know where this demon army came from yet, but right now, the most important thing is to get the information back to Bluemane Bay as soon as possible."

Elon stroked his beard. He hadn't expected that the academy's border expedition would be so unlucky as to encounter such a once-in-a-century event.

“We have never had any experience fighting demons, but if these things are capable of casting spells that affect the magical communications of the entire forest, it is not impossible.”

Teplo was initially puzzled as to what means could silently block magical messages from the entire border region, but now that he heard it was the appearance of a legendary race like demons, this incident seemed less surprising.

"The third group was attacked by the Dark Cult the day before yesterday. Now that I think about it, it may be related to this incident."

A hint of worry flashed across Celinedra's beautiful face.

There was no other reason than that her younger sister, Femisil, was still in Group Three, and now that she had discovered that the events in Group Three were likely related to the invasion of the demon army, she couldn't help but worry.

“We have already dispatched a small team from Group Three to provide support, and there are also Ocean Legion troops stationed at Morningwind Keep, so Your Highness need not worry. Moreover, compared to Morningwind Keep, we are closer to the border, and the demon army may soon attack, with Bluestone Fortress bearing the brunt.”

Teplo analyzed, "Given the current situation, Your Highness and the students' immediate departure to Blue Mane Bay is the best option. Even if the other side has extraordinary abilities, it is impossible to block the magic network in the entire southern part of the empire."

"As long as Bluemane Bay can spread the message to other major cities, legions from all over the empire will come to its aid, and even the demon army will not be afraid."

Teplo's plan was not wrong, but as he said, with the border falling, that army of unknown origin would soon push to the Bluestone Fortress.

The garrison at Qingshi Fortress was not large, with only about a thousand soldiers at most.

The majority of Aslan's main military force is stationed in the northern part of the empire, just like Loren, to guard against the invasion of desert barbarians and monsters north of Aslan during the winter.

The same applies to the Sky Knights; the group that Serendra and Teplo led to the south was only a small part of it.

Only the Ocean Legion is stationed in the south, but its fleet and main force are stationed in Bluemane Bay, which is quite far from the battle currently taking place in Dawn Forest.

This also means that when the demon army pushes to the Bluestone Fortress, this thousand-strong garrison will face the enemy alone.

"...Can we abandon the fortress and withdraw the troops directly?"

Serendra hesitated for a moment, then braced herself and asked.

For the Aslan royal family, known for their honor and courage, abandoning territory without a fight was something they found quite difficult to say.

Throughout history, empires have built fortresses in strategic locations. Abandoning the Bluestone Fortress is tantamount to completely abandoning the defense of the border forest and retreating to the main city of Bluemane Bay.

But Serendra vaguely remembered that there were nearly 20,000 troops stationed at the border checkpoint.

According to the soldiers who reported the situation, the large number of defending troops fell in less than half a day.

With only about a thousand men at the Qing Shi Fortress facing off against them, there was practically no hope of survival.

Even with the addition of Dean Elon, a Saint-level figure, it would be a drop in the ocean against such a massive army, not to mention the possibility of high-ranking demons appearing in the enemy ranks.

However, when Teplow heard Serendra's words, he just smiled slightly helplessly.

“I understand what you mean, Your Highness.”

“But while kindness is essential for governing a country, it is a major taboo in military affairs. Normally I would praise your compassion, but now you must be hard-hearted.”

"but……"

Serendra was about to speak when she was interrupted by Elon.

“Taplo is right. If Bluestone Fortress is undefended, even if we rush to Bluemane Bay, we risk being overtaken by the enemy's vanguard. Their advance is quite rapid, and reports have also indicated the presence of flying Terror Demons. Without terrain or fortifications to rely on, being dragged into an encounter battle in the forest would be several times more dangerous.”

"...The Sky Knights have griffin mounts. If it's just a message, sending a griffin squad to Bluemane Bay would be sufficient. They are unlikely to be intercepted in the air."

Serendra immediately retorted.

"But your safety and that of all the trainees are equally important."

Teplo raised a hand. “I admire your courage, Your Highness, but we must consider the other noble students and your sister. We cannot leave them in danger as well. In addition, we need to buy Blue Mane Bay time to set up defenses. Every second we delay here increases the chances that the populous Blue Mane Bay can withstand the enemy.”

Celinedra pursed her lips, and finally nodded slightly, unwilling to give up.

The Sky Knights, the most mobile and powerful unit, were divided into several groups: one group rushed to the aid and notified the other groups of trainees, another group went to Blue Mane Bay to deliver the message, and the third group escorted the eldest princess and others back to the city.

In the end, only fifty Sky Knights remained to guard Bluestone Fortress, along with the original Aslan garrison of over a thousand men, to block the advance of the enemy forces invading from the east.

As the vice-commander of the Sky Knights, Teplo naturally stayed behind as the garrison commander.

If he could, he certainly wouldn't want to go into danger, but the count in charge of the border army had already died with the garrison at the eastern pass, and apart from him, the highest-ranking officer left at the Bluestone Fortress was Viscount McFran.

It's not that I look down on viscounts, but officers who are idle in fortresses where there is no war year-round are not skilled enough to handle such difficult battles.

Or to put it more bluntly, if Teplow weren't watching, this guy might just turn around and take someone to play yo-yo.

But Teplow didn't demand that the garrison perish with the fortress; that was unrealistic. He only stipulated that the thousand or so men could hold out until noon the next day before retreating. One night plus half a day was enough time for Serendra and the others to create distance.

However, this was only in an ideal situation. When a group of students had formed a team to evacuate, Serendra informed them of the situation, and Greta then relayed the message to Ye Xiao, who was located in Morningwind Keep. Ye Xiao was quite taken aback.

There's actually a demon army advancing from the east?