Chapter 376: Reasonable
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The area was infested with zombies and controlled by necromancers. Whether following the druids or the original plan by Fernando, caution was still the most important thing. Anfey was very careful as he followed the druids, who were even more cautious than he was.
The mercenaries lagged behind because they had a big group and it was harder for them to sneak around the zombies the way the druids and Anfey could. Unless they encountered a large group of zombies, the mercenaries would try to kill every zombie they encountered. However, they couldn’t disturb the druids, either. By the time they finish killing the zombies, the druids would be too far away.
Thankfully, they had Long and Ling, who were very skilled with tracking. Without the two, the mercenaries would have startled the druids or encountered large groups of zombies.
Ye tend to be a quiet man. Now, however, he was chatting and laughing with the druids. Usually, it was Anfey’s job to distract his opponents, but he was too occupied by his thoughts. He wanted to know what Manstuly wanted and what Shadow Empire meant. Moreover, he was very worried about Suzanna. He had to keep himself calm to see what the druids wanted.
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Somewhere deep in the Transverse Mountains, Suzanna jumped out of a tree with the unicorn and started heading north. Compared to only a few days ago, she was clearly thinner. She was starving and exhausted, but her eyes were determined. Her frowns indicated not suffering but thoughts.
What would Anfey do if he was in her shoes? She knew better than anyone how he acted. He was very aggressive, and she knew that he wouldn’t run from trouble the way she had been doing. He would try to find opportunities to make the most of his situation. Even if he didn’t have any opportunity, he would make one for himself. Suzanna knew she must look for a way out of this situation.
She knew better than anyone what kind of enemies she was up against. Whenever she thought she had escaped and could rest, the unicorn would warn her again.
Running wasn’t the solution. Suzanna knew her own capabilities and herself, and knew that she could find a way to protect herself if she tried hard enough. In reality, she was a very brilliant woman. Back in Gruce Principality, she was a maid to the public. However, her real identify was her father Darius’s guard. She was very loyal to him and never questioned any of his orders. In a place like that, she had nowhere to use her brilliance. After her escape, she met Anfey. She recognized his power and was willing to let him lead her. Back then, she could depend on Anfey and her friends for help.
Now, she couldn’t depend on anyone except her sword and her mind.
The unicorn whinnied and wiggled in Suzanna’s arms. Suzanna summoned some combat power and increased her speed. She patted the unicorn and the unicorn fell quiet. Usually, the unicorn was very mischievous. It almost never follow anyone’s orders, not even Anfey’s. Now, though, it was being very obedient and protective of Suzanna. It would never stray too far from her and would listen to her every word.
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Manstuly paced around in his room, frowning. There were a dozen other druids in the room, and all of them were clearly terrified. Even breathing made too much noise. A senior druid was standing in the middle of the room, shaking.
"This is the newest letter from Hotchbini," Manstuly said, waving a piece of paper in his hand. "They succeeded. Hotchbini used Suzanna’s name to approach Anfey. So far, he believes them. They are away from Shield of Light legion now."
The druids glanced at each other but none of them dared to say anything.
"Tony, I’ve always trusted you, but tell me. What did you do?" Manstuly walked over to the druid in the middle of the room and asked quietly. "Invite Suzanna over here? Did you even think about what you were doing?"
"I…"
Before the druid could finish, Manstuly punched the man in the face. The druid’s body stumbled and fell to the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed, but he soon scrambled up again.
"Take Hotchbini for an example," Manstuly said coolly. "She is an elf and, not that long ago, she knew nothing of intrigues. Now, she uses her situation to her advantage. She saw what men did to each other in Country of Mercenaries. She observed and she learned and she bettered herself. If she could use the tie between people as a weapon to gain trust, why couldn’t you? I encouraged you to go out there, to explore because I thought that it could help you learn. I see now that I am wrong. Imbeciles will always be imbeciles. I overestimated you. All of you."
Manstuly’s tone was calm, but the druids in the room were all sweating and shaking with fear. They knew that when Manstuly was calm, he was the angriest.
Manstuly sighed and turned to another druid. "Bardeson," he said. "What would you have done if I had given you this mission?"
The druid named Bardeson straightened himself and said hurriedly, "I would find Suzanna and tell her that Moramatch had fallen. I would say that Anfey was gravely injured to draw her towards it. Suzanna is an easier target than Anfey."
"Anything else?"
"I would try to cause chaos in Violet City to distract the people Anfey and Suzanna left there," Bardeson said. "Then I would take her sister Shally and force Suzanna to comply."
"Not the best plan," Manstuly said, shaking his head. "Shield of Light legion has already arrived at Moramatch. If the necromancers could destroy that legion, they are well equipped to take down the entire Maho Empire. As for Violet City…Baery is currently stationed there. That tactic would not have worked."
Bardeson paled and opened his mouth but could not say anything.
"However," Manstuly continued. "You are using your head, which is good. That plan, however flawed it may be, is still better than inviting Suzanna here, don’t you think, Tony?"
Tony lowered his head and did not say anything.
"Hotchbini must be laughing right now," Manstuly said. He patted Tony on the shoulder and said, "I’ve trusted you and groomed you for all these years. How did you repay me? You embarrassed me. Made a fool of me. How could you, Tony?"
Tony shook his head desperately.
"I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself," Manstuly said.
"This is not my fault, my lord!" Tony said hurriedly. "It’s Mauso’s fault! He didn’t only lie to me, my lord. He also deceived you! He promised that he would lend a hand but he stood there and he watched as Suzanna got away. I went to look for him later, but he was nowhere to be found. My lord, you have to believe me!"
The other druids all gasped at Tony’s words. They all knew that Manstuly and Mauso had reached an agreement and that Mauso had betrayed Manstuly’s trust. They also knew that they shouldn’t talk about it in front of Manstuly.
Everyone knew that Manstuly was cruel and sly, but he was also very proud. He remained in power due to the support of the elves, and he had always believed that he could trick someone, but not the other way around.
Now, everyone knew Mauso had tricked Manstuly. Manstuly wasn’t angry at his men. He was angry at Mauso.
"So you’re saying that it’s my fault that this happened?"
"No, my lord, I…"
Before Tony could finish, Manstuly rammed his hand through the man’s chest. Tony gasped in pain and struggled for a few seconds before falling limp. Manstuly wiped the blood on his shirt and glanced at the other druids, who were all shaking uncontrollably.