Chapter 502: Those Who Live And Die In The Shadows [Part 1]

The blitzkrieg attack on Stoneguard Fortress succeeded without the Aslan Tribe suffering any casualties.

Since the Kingdom forcefully recruited more than half of the fortress’s defenders to help the generals, it didn’t take the powerhouses of the Aslan Tribe much time and effort to overwhelm the leftover guards on the ramparts.

But the real driver behind this overwhelming victory was the all-time high morale and anger of the Aslan Tribe.

Morale from their chieftain defeating the Aurelion Army with the blessings of the Earth Mother.

Anger from the audacity of certain people to harm the family of Leone, whom the Aslan Tribe cared for very much.

So, the moment Kael ordered the mobilization, all of them heeded the summons.

The rest of the tribes of the Borderlands waited for Lord Azar to connect the teleportation gate of Stoneguard City to the teleportation gate of Aslan City.

The Pteranodons, Sky Drakes, Dread Condors, and the Gryphon Battalion were all mobilized for the night raid.

The Black Hawks and the Red Hawks, alongside their riders, had also been added to this roster.

Soon, hundreds of flying monsters made their way toward Stoneguard Fortress, taking itt residents by surprise.

Even though the Gryphon Battalion didn’t join the battle and simply observed from the sky, the guards of the fortress were no match for the powerhouses of the Aslan Tribe.

Brann, Kael, Jason, Ulric, Otto, Logan, Khan, Rasta, Brent, Astravor, Blitz, and Lord Azar descended upon the defenders like War Gods that came for vengeance.

Vlad rode on his Sky Drake’s back and directed the battlefield from the sky.

Since most of its remaining defenders were asleep, the teleportation gate was easily acquired.

The moment the barbarian tribes led by Troy entered the city, they lost any remaining chance they had at winning.

As the warhorns of the different tribes reverberated across the entire fortress city, panic and chaos ensued.

The soldiers who surrendered were spared.

Those who didn’t were killed.

Kael banned any form of looting, pillaging, and rape. He was familiar with his Great Chieftain and knew that he didn’t wish for that to happen.

In less than an hour, the flag of the Aslan Tribe was raised on the highest tower of the fortress, signaling that it now belonged to the allied tribes of the Borderlands.

The moment the battle ended, an emergency meeting was held in the conference room of the fortress.

The one who presided over the meeting was Hassan.

"I will take the Gryphon Battalion with me to rescue my Young Lord’s family in the Frontera Viscounty," Hassan declared. "Since both I and the Gryphon Commander are familiar with the lands of Britannia, we will be able to move swiftly and efficiently."

Hassan then shifted his attention towards Conall, who led the mercenary group Lost Paradise. The two exchanged a glance, prompting the mercenary leader to nod in understanding.

Leone’s safety was their top priority, so Lost Paradise would take over as the young man’s bodyguards after he was transferred to Stoneguard Fortress.

Kael promised that the moment Leone opened his eyes, he would be on Britannian soil.

That being so, Yuni and Aria volunteered to bring Leone with them under the heavy escort of the Elite Warriors of the Aslan Tribe.

They then discussed the roles of each tribe, who would be managing the fortress while waiting for Leone to wake up.

As for Armand, the former commander of the fortress, he and his wife were sent to prison, guarded by the warriors of the Darkmane Tribe.

Hassan said that Leone might have a use for the commander, so he didn’t kill him earlier.

When the meeting finally ended, Hassan merged with Blitz’s shadow.

The Gryphon Battalion, as well as Astravor, flew toward the northeast where the Frontera Viscounty was located.

Meanwhile, the rest stayed behind to wait for orders.

———————

Somewhere in the Kingdom of Britannia...

The Shadow Guards traveled from one teleportation gate to the next using the special emblem that belonged to the King.

The gates they used weren’t the ones used by the common people.

These gates were exclusive to their secret order.

Nearly all the cities and major hubs in the Kingdom had a teleportation gate for them... except for the Frontera Viscounty.

They didn’t deem their territory important enough to have a gate installed in their viscounty.

So, they were currently at the teleportation gate located in the north of the viscounty.

This territory was the Argus Earldom, the direct superior of the Viscount of Frontera.

Both families had been allies for a very long time and enjoyed a very warm, friendly relationship.

Just like the Gryphon Battalion, the Shadow Guards were allowed to ride Gryphons as their mounts when undertaking missions that required speed and mobility.

Forty Shadow Guards were mobilized for this operation.

They were the best of the best, having accomplished many successful missions given by their King.

Of course, they also knew that the Frontera Family had been an eyesore to the King for quite some time.

This was why, when the order was given to capture their family, they thought that the King had finally decided to erase this family from its very roots.

Due to their powerful mounts, they arrived at their destination in less than thirty minutes.

They almost failed to find the main residence of the Frontera Family. It might be big, but they couldn’t see it if all lights were out.

A few encircled the residence, making sure that none of them would be able to escape. The rest infiltrated the house stealthily.

However, it didn’t take long for them to realize that their targets weren’t there.

What was more suspicious was the fact that there were no guards, no maids, and no signs of life in their immediate vicinity.

They didn’t rule out the possibility of their targets hiding in a secret passage that led to an underground shelter or somewhere far from their residence.

Most high-ranking nobles had that kind of escape route, so they did a very thorough search and discovered a few of these hidden passages.

But an hour later, their search came to a dead end.

"Sir, I think they escaped," one of the Shadow Guards reported to their captain. "There are signs indicating that the house was still used a few hours before our arrival."

"Burn the house down," the Captain of the Shadow Guards ordered. "After that, let’s split up into four teams and follow the roads out of this city. My team will head southward. Team 2 will head west, Team 3 east, and Team 4 the city. I’m sure they left clues somewhere.

"Once you find them, take custody of them at once. If they have guards with them and you feel like you can’t take them on, use the secret signal."

All the Shadow Guards nodded in understanding.

If the Frontera Family had escaped by carriage, they could overtake them with their flying mounts.

If they were in the city, Team 4 could find them without fail. Each team was equipped with tracking artifacts, which they used when hunting their targets.

The only downside was that it had a maximum range of two miles. This was why the teams needed to be split, so that they would be able to cover more ground.

Meanwhile, on the road that headed to Stoneguard Fortress, Helen frowned when the safety device that she had left back home activated.

It meant that someone had entered their home.

She had already anticipated that the King would order his Shadow Guards to capture them. But she still underestimated how fast they moved.

"Zero, I think they will overtake us soon," Helen said while looking outside the window of the carriage.

"Worry not, My Lady," Zero, who remained hidden, replied. "We will protect you and your family without fail. It doesn’t matter how many there are. If they try to harm you, they will die."

The voice of Helen’s guardian was firm and filled with conviction.

"Thank you," Helen replied before shifting her attention towards Alphonse. "Alphonse, no matter what happens, prioritize protecting Eliza at all costs."

"Yes, Mother," Alphonse replied. "I will protect her with my life."

Helen nodded. She had full trust that her son wouldn’t let her down.

She had no idea how many pursuers were after them. But if it ever came down to a fight, she would not hesitate to show her true colors to protect her family at all costs.