Kingdom Simulator: I, a Fallen Noble, Build a God-Level Kingdom!-Chapter 51: Boss, You Can Count On Me

Just as several of Stone Town’s officers were deep in discussion—

In the distance.

To the west of Stone Town, past dense forests and climbing slopes, nestled between high mountains, stood a fortress flying the Nightingale family crest.

This was Highmount Fortress—the Nightingale Territory’s town closest to Stone Town.

At this moment, the lord of Highmount Fortress was leading a team to the edge of the mountain, scouting the situation ahead.

"All of you keep your eyes peeled! This time the lord has given us a top-priority order. As long as we keep track of Her Highness the Princess’s movements, we’ve done our job. If she leaves the Stone Town area, we charge Stone Town immediately!"

"Yes, Lord Mangton!"

"Yes, Lord Mangton!"

"Got it, boss."

Lord Mangton of Highmount Fortress had just received a covert missive from the Nightingale Lord, pledging governance of Stone Town if they seized Thune territory.

To rule over two towns, collecting double the taxes, draining two towns dry—his family’s rise would be just around the corner!

Within three generations, surely a lord of their own would emerge!

Imagining his bright future, Mangton couldn’t help but adjust his iron helmet and stroke his brown beard.

Just then—

A hook-nosed guard suddenly spoke up. "Boss, look over there—something’s exchanging fire."

It was too far to see clearly, but they could make out beams of magical light shooting back and forth.

That location was right near Stone Town!

Seeing this, Mangton couldn’t help but feel overjoyed.

"Haha, must be that lord from the east finally making a move against the Thune Lord’s territory." Mangton said smugly. "That no-man’s-land used to be a poison swamp—nobody wanted it. That fool Romon Thune insisted on developing it at any cost, even reporting to His Majesty the King. That’s why the lord told me to keep a close eye on the Thune Lord’s territory. As soon as Her Highness the Princess leaves, we’ll flatten the Thune Lord’s family!"

Mangton finished and began daydreaming about himself, riding out in glory to destroy the Thune Lord’s house.

Unfortunately—

His hook-nosed subordinate interrupted his fantasy again. "Boss, something’s off. The crossfire’s running east-west—not heading north."

"What did you say?"

Mangton’s face changed. He hurried to the dangerous cliff’s edge, squinting his cloudy eyes to get a better look.

Even though they couldn’t see clearly, it was obvious that the crossfire was mainly running east to west. Any stray shots running north or south quickly corrected their aim.

Mangton realized this wasn’t the eastern lord launching an assault—there was something else going on. What’s more, the speed at which those magic shots were moving was simply too fast!

That kind of high mobility just didn’t look like anything a mage could pull off.

Even if there were such mages, they’d be rare as phoenix feathers—no way you’d see a hundred of them on a battlefield.

Who were these magic shooters, darting back and forth at high speed, constantly maneuvering and trading shots? What kind of force was this?

Assassins carrying mages on their backs into battle as a duo?

That would be utter chaos!

"Draven, get down there and see what’s really going on!" Mangton ordered at once. "This concerns our honor and our future! We can’t afford any mistakes!"

The hook-nosed man grinned crookedly. "Don’t worry, boss. There isn’t a single Phantom Assassin in the Thune Lord’s territory—except me."

The assassin ranks, from lowest to highest, were: Apprentice Assassin, Novice Assassin, Assassin, Phantom Assassin, Shadowblade Assassin, Master of Shadows, King of Assassins, Saint of Assassins, Emperor of Assassins, and Reaper. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

A Phantom Assassin was on par with an Archmage or Knight of Honor. Without equivalent skill, it was nearly impossible to detect a Phantom Assassin in motion.

Sending him as a scout would surely yield valuable intelligence.

"Be cautious, Draven," Mangton warned. "The lord’s orders are to monitor the princess’s movements—don’t do anything extra."

He longed to see his family rise, but he also knew exactly what kind of mistake could doom them to ruin, or even extermination.

Draven’s assassin skills were top-tier—he’d have a solid shot at taking out Romon Thune. But nobody had asked him to do so.

If he acted on his own, he’d just be serving the ambitions of those in power above him. If those people decided to sell him out, his whole family would be condemned, while they’d reap the rewards.

In this world, survival often meant playing dumb and keeping your head down, not charging ahead. When opportunity knocked, grab it. When it didn’t—who cared who was in charge? Just keep your head down.

"Boss, you can count on me."

With that, Draven vanished on the spot. His stealth was so effective that even his fellow bodyguards didn’t register his departure.

With skills like that, he could make a fortune doing dirty work—much more than he earned now.

However—

As he slipped swiftly down the mountain, darted across the long slope, and finally entered the misty, tangled woods, something strange happened: his signature stealth technique failed him for the very first time.

"What’s going on?!"

Draven’s eyes widened. He was sure he was still stealthed, even circling carefully around the swirling patterns of fog. But on the other side of the trees, a massive beast stared straight at him, blood-red eyes fixed directly on his position.

He was certain—the beast wasn’t looking past him or behind him. It was staring right at him!

Stealth broken just like that? You’ve got to be kidding!

Draven refused to believe it. He crept forward, even more cautiously.

But before he could take another step, a massive wolf paw slammed down right in front of him.

"Awooo—!"

The stench of its breath hit him like a wall, accompanied by a deafening roar that instantly blasted away the surrounding fog. Draven’s stealth technique was forcibly dispelled, his form flickering fully into view.

"Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf King?" Draven was baffled. The Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf King was supposed to live on the great plains—what was it doing here in the Misty Forest?

And that wasn’t all.

As the wolf king’s growl echoed, pairs upon pairs of red eyes began emerging from the white mist, gathering around him.

Draven was surrounded.

Still, he didn’t panic. Except for the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf King, the rest were ordinary bloodthirsty wolves—he could handle those. Thankfully, not every wolf had the strength of a king.

"Easy there, fellas. Cut me some slack, will you? If I have to slink back now, my colleagues will never let me hear the end of it." Draven’s left hand slipped slowly toward his lower back.

He stared into the eyes of the Bloodthirsty Demon Wolf King, giving the appearance of surrender—but in reality, he was preparing to strike.

With a pack of magic beasts, there was never any point in negotiating. Even if he wanted to retreat, he’d have to carve his own path out.

Meanwhile—

Romon, who was still monitoring the Magitech Drone stress test, suddenly noticed a flashing red warning icon on his Simulator Blueprint.

Zooming in, he saw that some clueless fool had wandered right into the wolf king’s alert zone—and was now showing hostility toward the king.

The wolf king was his pet. Anyone who threatened the king was threatening him.

"Perfect. Time to test the drones’ suppression capabilities against ground targets," Romon thought.

He immediately issued a command to Lukoff: "All dwarves eliminated from the test, pilot the new Magitech Drones and follow me!"

A total of 1,000 Magitech Drones were participating in the stress test. The first round had tested 255 units, leaving 746 waiting for their turn.

Over a hundred dwarves had already been eliminated—just enough for a second round of impromptu testing.

The edge of the Misty Forest marked both Stone Town’s border and one of the boundaries of the Thune Lord’s domain.

Going further west would take you into Nightingale Territory.

Granted, the Nightingale Lord’s declaration of war was still in effect, but even if Romon entered Nightingale Territory himself, at worst he’d just have to fight a guerrilla skirmish or two. The distance wasn’t exactly short, but it wasn’t insurmountable, either.

Romon took out his spellbook and flew ahead, while the dwarves ran after him on foot—not especially fast, especially since they had to remote-control the Magitech Drones at the same time.

So, halfway there, Romon ordered them to stop and let the Drones cover the remaining distance on their own.

Moments later, he arrived above the Misty Forest with over a hundred Magitech Drones trailing behind.

Looking down, the thick fog made it difficult to see what was hidden under the canopy, but the area where the wolf king was fighting the "intruder" was clear enough—the force of their clash had blown away a wide swath of mist.

Romon made a hand gesture to the swarm of drones.

The dwarven operators saw the signal and immediately guided the Magitech Drones to swoop in closer.

"BZZZZZZZZZZ—BZZZZZZZZZZ—BZZZZZZZZZZ—"

By the time Draven heard the droning above, it was already too late: the Magitech Drones’ weapon ports were trained right on him.

Meanwhile, the wolf king, having already caught Romon’s scent, quickly retreated from Draven’s vicinity. This wolf king, with its magical intelligence, was no fool; it instantly widened the distance between itself and the assassin.

Almost simultaneously, over a hundred rapid-fire magic blasts rained down on Draven’s position. These dwarven operators were all the ones eliminated in the first round of testing, and now, with a second chance, they poured all their frustration into the attack.

A single rapid-fire magic shot might not be much, but a hundred-plus of them—firing in relentless volleys—packed more punch than a combat helicopter’s autocannon!

Incandescent beams lanced down from the sky, slicing through the forest and clearing swathes of trees in a single barrage.

Draven didn’t dare slack off for a second. If even one blast hit him, he’d be slowed and quickly overwhelmed by the rest. Injury meant death—plain and simple.

The bombardment was so intense he had no chance to observe what he’d come to investigate. He could do nothing but scramble like a rat through the underbrush, desperate to dodge the magical barrage.

He couldn’t risk leaving the forest, either. At least here, the trees provided some cover. Out in the open, he’d be nothing but a sitting duck.

The dwarf pilots couldn’t care less about collateral damage. Their only concern was firepower: wherever the Magitech Drones went, they razed the forest with energy beams, carving a bald, charred swath through the Misty Forest.