CHAPTER 697: SILENT WINGS, BOLD HEART ( 697 )

The next morning, the smell of grilled meat mixed with the fresh, crisp air of dawn as Liana turned a few sizzling pieces over the portable grill. Nearby, Gloria knelt carefully, preparing herbs and sliced fruits with her usual grace and precision.

A few steps away, Javier was crouched near the open grassy area. With a small, confident smile, he reached into his magic storage and pulled out an unusual object. Sleek, matte-black, with four steady rotor fans.

New transport drone.

Slowly, the hatch opened with a gentle hiss.

Javier put on a pair of magic-enhanced glasses. The lenses flickered with glowing lines and interface grids. He watched the live feed from the drone.

Meanwhile, several of his special operation puppet knights began to move. One by one, they entered the drone’s hatch with perfect coordination. Calm, disciplined. Each carried mana rifles, their armor shining clean, with subtle runes etched along their arms and legs.

They moved like trained soldiers, silent, swift, organized as they took seats and locked into place inside the drone.

"Young master?" Liana called out without looking.

"Hmm?" Javier answered, still staring at the feed.

"Looks like another new invention."

"Yeah... kind of," Javier replied with a faint smile. "It’s an air transport. Designed to carry my special troops into high-risk zones. It can deliver supplies, passengers, even mana containers if needed."

Gloria looked over, her curiosity clear. "So, we’re going to ride that?"

Javier casually check the glasses.

"Nope. We’re not going to ride it," he said simply.

"Why?" Gloria asked again, tilting her head.

"If we ride that..." he pointed lazily at the drone, "what about our Pekkos?"

"Oh." Gloria blinked, understanding.

"Yeah, agree." Liana nodded as she flipped more meat. "Pikko and Peanut would pout for days if we left them."

Javier smiled. "Besides, I prefer riding Pekko better. You can feel the wind. Hear the land. Smell the air. It’s more enjoyable to see the world that way."

He glanced at the drone again as its hatch sealed shut, with the puppet knights now inside, in standby mode.

"This drone is just for deployment, rescue, or long-distance missions," he explained.

Liana and Gloria looked at each other and exchanged a knowing glance.

Gloria smiled softly. "Ara~ So considerate, young master."

Javier tapped the side of his magic glasses. The large transport drone slowly lifted into the air, creating gentle gusts of wind as it ascended. It hovered quietly, stabilized by its four mana-powered rotors.

Adjusting his glasses again, Javier connected seamlessly to the Sky-Eye drone already high above.

A real-time tactical overlay appeared before him, a glowing holographic map floating in mid-air. It showed detailed terrain, coordinates, and enemy locations.

The map pulsed with tiny red dots, each one representing patrol squads from the Human Kingdom, carefully scattered along the border wall, moving in precise, disciplined patterns.

Javier zoomed in, narrowing his eyes as he studied their positions and movements.

"Young master?" Gloria softly called, noticing his sudden serious expression.

Javier didn’t look away from the map. His focus was entirely on the strategic deployment.

"Hmm... I need to deploy ten units here," he muttered, pointing to a spot just east of the border.

"...and another ten over there," he added, marking a location further west, still within striking range.

Quickly, Javier entered these two deployment zones into the drone’s control system. The coordinates were locked in, and the drone silently adjusted its heading and altitude.

Inside, the special operations puppet units sat motionless, gripping their mana weapons, waiting for the order. Ready, quiet, deadly.

"Deploy," Javier whispered softly.

The drone moved swiftly toward the designated drop points, slipping through the clouds silently and unseen.

Liana and Gloria watched quietly, then resumed setting up breakfast. They knew better than to disturb Javier while he was in this focused, strategic mode.

Meanwhile, Javier stayed attentive, arms crossed, observing the drone’s progress through the tactical display, calm and in control.

He turned his gaze slightly, bringing up the full-scale holo-map and expanding the battlefield layout. His fingers moved with practiced ease, highlighting troop zones, enemy movement paths, and terrain elevations.

I’ve prepared the Special Operations Unit just in case they fight back...

But if they surrender, these units won’t attack. That’s the rule.

The holographic field pulsed softly as he zoomed in on a wide clearing just beyond the effective range of the Human Kingdom’s long-range magic archers and magic casters.

He marked the safe zone with a glowing circle.

Once I reach this area, their enchanted arrows and most elemental range spells won’t be able to touch me. At that point...

I’ll deploy twenty thousand of my mithril-class puppet knights.

Images floated in the air, silent silhouettes of metallic warriors standing in formation, gleaming in pale silver tones. One unit wielded large tower shields and broadswords.

Another will carry magic crossbow and magic spear.

Javier smirked, slightly shaking his head in amusement.

If I upgrade all of them with the newer modern type weaponry... this won’t even be a battle.

But where’s the fun in that?

As a real man who grew up loving fantasy... sword-and-shield knight formations still look cooler than auto-firing turret drones.

He exhaled slowly, satisfied.

We fight with style. Even if no one understands why.

The wind rustled faintly around them as the sky drone disappeared into the distance, already en route for its silent mission.

Behind him, Liana quietly placed a plate of grilled fish near the campfire, stealing a glance at her young master

"Young master... breakfast is ready."

Javier’s eyes lit up. He turned with a wide grin.

"Coming!!"

He slipped the glasses back into his pocket and marched over toward the two beautiful maids .

"Now I need my appetizer!! Chuuuu!!"

Liana raised a brow, placing the plate of grilled meat down on the wooden mat, and slowly stood up.

Javier leaned in with puckered lips.

She chuckled softly and leaned forward, their lips meeting in a gentle, sweet kiss.

"Ehehe~" Javier laughed, savoring both the moment and the flavor of love.

"Ara... how shameless so early in the morning," Gloria teased, already pouring some tea into a cup, her tone calm but her eyes playful.

"Hey, hey, don’t be jealous," Javier turned to her with a mischievous smirk, arms open. "Your appetizer’s waiting too."

Gloria set the cup down, stood, and leaned over slightly, adjusting his collar before planting her lips on his with quiet affection.

( End Of Chapter )