CHAPTER 103: NECRONOMICON [1] - SNEAK ATTACK

Seated at the very center of a beautiful flat terrain, Liora’s right hand moved elegantly as the paintbrush she was holding traced the canvas’s colorful surface.

The scene depicted in the painting perfectly matched her surroundings, giving the onlookers a sense of warmth and comfort.

Just then, she captured a faint movement right above her. Her hand immediately paused.

When she lifted her head, Liora discovered that the source, or rather sources, of that movement were two tiny white birds, whose wings gently flapped as they each soared in the opposite direction.

Her crimson eyes narrowed for a brief moment, and her brows furrowed before they gradually relaxed.

Returning to the painting, she added two white dots in the originally empty blue sky, finally completing her masterpiece.

Then, she turned to the side and calmly waited.

It didn’t take long. The person she had been waiting for arrived only a couple of minutes later.

"Lord.", Alpha called out as she quickly approached Liora, with a letter held in her hands.

"A letter has arrived from the Black Tulip mansion. It’s addressed to you."

Liora was not surprised. The earlier sight had already let her know.

She didn’t reach out to pick up the letter, but instead motioned Alpha to open it and read it.

Seeing this, Alpha did as told. Unsealing the letter, she took out the message that was hidden inside and began reading it.

Soon, Liora had an understanding of what this letter was about.

Just as she was expecting, the letter was sent by Eleanor, whose purpose was to report Baron Bloodshield’s recent movements.

According to Eleanor, the Baron seemed to have already learned about the raid on the caravan, and, furious, summoned a team of Knight Apprentices and set off.

Though it was not explicitly stated in the letter, the Baron’s target was clear—he wished to investigate what happened to the caravan and find the people responsible for the attack.

This didn’t go beyond Liora’s expectations.

Sooner or later, the Baron would learn about what had occurred, and he would face two clear options.

He could either come out and investigate what had happened, or he could choose to ignore it and stay in his mansion.

The chances of him choosing either option were basically fifty-fifty.

Thinking of this, Liora casually put the painting tools back and placed the painting away before turning to Alpha.

"Go and inform the Black Tulip Knights to get ready for battle. We’ll set off in an hour.", she ordered, her expression unreadable.

--

A few hours later, an unfamiliar team of Knights had arrived in a familiar location.

They wore thick black armor with the insignia of a bloody shield, while they subconsciously protected the middle-aged man standing in the middle.

Further away, a couple of scouts could be seen roaming around, leaning down from time to time and inspecting the earth.

"My Lord! We’ve found something.", one of them suddenly shouted, attracting everyone’s attention.

"We’ve confirmed that this is indeed the place where the caravan was raided. Although the culprit has cleaned up the blood and moved away the debris, a few traces of the battle still remain.", the person said as he pointed at the small cut on the ground that seemed to be the result of a sword slash.

"Even though it is hard to know the strength or number of enemies, it’s basically certain that their leader should have been a True Knight. Just like the advisors expected.", the scout added, fearfully examining the Baron from the corner of his eye.

He was afraid that his words would send him into a wave of fury, and he would have to suffer the results of the rage.

Fortunately, Baron Bloodshield’s reaction was much less intense than he had predicted.

He merely glanced at the battle traces indifferently before raising his head and staring at the horizon.

It seemed that he had discovered something far more important there.

As the scout followed the direction he was looking in, he immediately understood why.

Unbeknownst to them, a team of Knights had appeared not far away, retaining the shape of a formation as if they were ready to charge at them at any moment.

"Who are you? When did my Bloodshield family offend you?", the Baron stepped forward and questioned, his eyes staring at the leading enemy Knight.

With his intelligence, he understood that this team of Knights must be the people who had attacked the caravan earlier, and now, they were targeting him too.

Apprehension flickered in his eyes as he stared straight at the leading female Knight and cautiously approached her.

"I don’t know why Your Excellency is choosing to become my enemy. If I’ve somehow offended you, I’m willing to make amends.", the Baron spoke as a flattering smile crept up his face.

"If you’re willing to forgive me, I’m willing to handsomely reward you. I’ve raised a pack of Twilight Wolves in my mansion. I’m willing to offer them as a gift to make amends—"

Just when the Baron’s subordinates began to feel embarrassed by his cowardly behavior, the Baron’s expression changed dramatically.

The apprehension in his eyes vanished in an instant, while the flattering smile on his face was wiped out, replaced by utmost seriousness.

He reached for his sword with a swift movement and, after imbuing his Life Force into his right arm, swung it forward with all his strength.

This sneak attack didn’t only target the female Knight, but also the horse she was riding on.

At best, he could kill her with a single blow; at worst, he could throw her off and break her rhythm, gaining an advantage in the upcoming battle.

The Baron’s movements seemed complicated, but he actually performed them with extreme speed and precision. It was as if he had practiced them countless times before and had long been familiar with performing sneak attacks.

Instantly, the sword arrived before the horse’s neck, which—although of a special breed and possessing the strength of an ordinary Knight Apprentice—was unable to put up any resistance.

The sword cut straight through it and continued rushing toward Liora, its speed and power increasing rather than decreasing.