The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 332 - A Promoted Pawn Moves Differently On The Board, While The Knight Seems Trapped

Chapter 332: Chapter 332 - A Promoted Pawn Moves Differently On The Board, While The Knight Seems Trapped

One of the younger Yecine elders slipped inside the room that a father-in-law of a certain illusionist was inside. His expression was grave as he offered a formal bow.

"Speak."

"Anper, I’ve received word from our contact near the southern trade routes."

The man’s jaw tightened, not half as upset as the other one was about to be - but neither was he half as good at hiding it. While Smoke was Anper’s Element and therefore not truly related to his spirit, he was nonetheless very good at hiding the fire from his face at most times.

It did not mean he lacked the temper, of course.

"A caravan was last seen two days ago, approaching the outer reaches of what is now being called the ’first disturbance zone’. Since then, no sign of them has been reported."

"You’re saying this is the group we have been waiting on?"

"Yes, Elder. A significant Voidling presence has been reported in that region, seemingly drawn to some kind of essence disturbances. The Continental Army has established a perimeter and the Order’s forces are joining, but they’re not venturing inside yet."

Anper slammed his fist against the nearby table with a neutral face, causing a map that had been on it to bounce and flutter to the floor.

"Of course. Of course something would interfere. I told them."

The younger elder hesitated to engage the man again. While he had no belief that he would be the one struck next, it was still not a good thing to anger a member of the family with... higher standing. His voice strained as he finally spoke.

"There’s more, Elder."

"What now?"

"The disturbance appears to at least be partially related to a Coiled Serpent Guild operation. The one that Qatrand er Yecine... had been assigned to help with if available."

Anper went still, his whole form hardening into an expressionless mask that betrayed none of the fury building within him. He’d read the mission report for this. He knew whose manipulative hand was behind getting things set up this way.

"Our ’heir’ is involved in this?"

"Yes. Speaking of them... have you heard?" freewebnøvel.coɱ

"Heard what?"

That was all the other man needed to know. While the story was still circulating through the region - and he himself had only just heard it at the other fort - it still felt like he was telling the worst possible person ’last’.

"After participating in a rescue operation of a town full of unevacuated civilians and slaying countless lesser voidlings, they also ended up slaying a leader-class Voidling in some sort of solitary stand when caught during a scouting mission for its location..."

The words entered the older man’s skull and rattled around. Gaining edges and angles that pierced and caught.

"Because of that, the commander at the fort apparently granted them a commendation and immediate approval for the Serpent’s mission. The stories of your child’s achievement are spreading rapidly throughout the defensive line."

A cold laugh escaped Anper er Yecine’s lips. The words in his head had formed a web of ideas that practically spelled out Elua er Goltbred to him.

"How convenient. First, our pawn refuses to stay in position. Then achieves something no Yecine has managed in well over a century. And now - inadvertently - blocks our supplier."

The younger elder shifted uncomfortably. While it was true that they were using Qatrand, it still always gave him a sense of wrongdoing that the girl’s father talked of her as a piece that was somehow both made to be placed in a certain way - and also... seemingly were in the way if they did not comply.

’Rather, he has always looked at the child like they are in the way. Why would the other Elders use him and her for this?’

In a way, he had always respected the child as they’d grown. While they struggled, they never complained. They kept trying to adhere to what was told to them. Had been molded into what was needed from them adequately.

And since then, had clearly kept growing in skill. With the competition results and these latest feats... the man wondered what more could any Yecine actually ask for from their child? In fact, he realized it somewhat risked skewing his own expectations for when he was allowed to conceive!

"What shall we do? The other preparations are in place, but without that artifact..."

"We adapt."

Anper replied, his voice turning to ice.

"Send word to the others. If we cannot have our elegant solution, we may need to resort to... cruder methods before the Descent is fully over with."

"Are you certain? We chose this way because it was not a guarantee of death. It kept us from being killers."

One Elder’s steel-gray gaze swept into the other’s pale green.

"Do you actually feel you have to stand here and remind me why we have chosen this farce over straight action? Do you think I would have put up with all of it I have, for nearly sixteen years, if I had wanted to resort to murdering Ondua and Yatrel?"

Answers caught in the younger man’s throat. Because the amount of bloodlust coming off of his relative was confusing. It was hard to tell if it was aimed at him... or someone else.

"The prize remains the same. Only the path changes. Which is why we must inform the rest of the faction and discuss our next course."

After the younger elder saluted and departed in a hurry, Anper ’calmly’ retrieved the fallen piece of canvas. His gaze lingered on the rough location of the ’first disturbance zone’ based on where he knew his daughter was stationed and the gravity anomaly had been found.

His fingers traced a path from there to the spots where Ondua and Yatrel were last rumored to be stationed. He knew the wife would not have moved yet, unless absolutely necessary. That fort was one of the larger ones meant to fall back *into* as the war began.

Like the one Qatrand and Elua had just entered and left a day before. Only now, it looked like he would not have to rush to the Goltbreds to bring them somewhere ’out of the way’. Somewhere their daughter was supposedly in trouble, as had been the ploy.

To play on their sentimental weaknesses as family and have them abandon their duties before disappearing. A fingernail scratched over the fort that the Crystal cultivator should still be in.

"So, your daughter continues to be a thorn in my side solely because of her love for mine. Perhaps it’s time I stopped underestimating her... and started using her for that."

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

What had once been a barely marked trail now stretched wide enough for supply wagons. With its edges even lined with (now useless) essence-detecting markers at regular intervals. Cultivators from the Steelbound Tempest Brotherhood patrolled along the route closer to the location, looking out for signs of Voidlings.

Elua too assessed the area with her spiritual sense constantly, looking for anyone suspicious as usual. Though she wasn’t limiting her focus to eldritch creatures. Her obsidian mirror spun lazily at her back with a small exercise in essence manipulation as she further calibrated herself to the changes happening in the area.

"A task of multi-regional and multi-Guild importance. I’m sure the Ironclad were a little miffed to let their sister guild field the defenses this time. Even though we were already stretched thin with the number of mortals that have migrated since the last Descent."

By tone and content alone, Qat knew that her wife was speaking to her in private. So she only sent back a feeling instead of a sentence. Though if it were to have been voiced, it clearly would have been her usual ’be good’.

The raven-haired cultivator walked alongside Master Jevri, who gestured animatedly as he described the modifications made

"...and after implementing the containment modifications your wife suggested, we’ve managed to reduce fluctuation spikes by nearly forty percent! Of course, my husband insists it would have been sixty if we’d gone with his experimental alignment pattern, but-"

"He’s here for this too?"

Qat interrupted him to ask. Her pigeon blue eyes scanning the forest ahead with renewed interest. While his talk was not exactly boring, she had never yet met the primary man who had taken an interest in his wife during Guild training.

’I want to thank him for keeping her occupied back then...’

She only regretted that she hadn’t brought a gift of some sort.

"Where else would he be? He practically threatened to follow us with his own privately hired cultivators if I hadn’t stamped his transfer."

After a harsh laugh, his expression abruptly softened. The quick switch rather reminded the swordswoman of a facade using mint-drop.

"Well, despite our academic disagreements, there’s no one I’d rather have alongside me for something this important."

Four paces behind them walked Elua er Goltbred, with the fox still trotting obediently at her side. Mint eyes continued to comb over every detail of their surroundings, noting the newest defensive sigils etched into twisted trees and stones at strategic intervals. Many seemed ’freshly carved’... their patterns rather familiar to her.

As the designs she had ’innocently’ suggested the last time she was here. So she pointed it out!

"These boundary markers seem quite elaborate. More so than standard military deployments in an open environment."

"Oh yes. We’ve incorporated techniques from three different Guilds for them. The Void Defense Society provided a sigilist well versed in spiritual suppression methods. And the Earthen Fellowship sent someone to reinforce things with physical stability."

"And the third?"

"The Coiled Serpent’s own essence containment systems."

He stated proudly to Qatrand’s follow-up question, before turning a little sheepish and gesturing to the heiress. It didn’t exactly hurt his pride to admit it, but it did sound better to claim it as Guild knowledge. To attract even more sigilists to join.

"With some special modifications from a particularly insightful young prodigy, that is."

Follow current novels on freewe(b)novel.c(o)m