Chapter 1044: An Unexpected Solution

Whoosh!

Cassiopeia appeared beside Elina and bowed her head respectfully.

"Princess Elina, I have news for you."

Freya and Evalyn, who had been in the middle of a discussion, were startled by her sudden appearance.

Elina turned toward Cassiopeia and gave a slight nod.

"Speak."

"The enemy forces have headed to the Andros Plains in the west."

"The Andros Plains?"

Elina, Evalyn, and Freya widened their eyes in surprise.

"How dare they go there?" Freya muttered coldly.

The Andros Plains were a dangerous area covered by a harmful magical field.

Although the area wasn’t particularly dangerous for ordinary people, the magical field could still harm anyone who entered it, even damaging their internal organs.

Spending just one day on the plains could cause a person’s physical condition to drop by as much as ten percent. They might also experience dizziness, nausea, and vomiting.

"They’re completely crazy," Evalyn muttered with a long sigh.

She had underestimated the rebels.

"When did they leave?" Elina asked coldly.

"Yesterday morning, to be exact."

Elina’s breathing grew heavier at that answer. Yesterday morning was when her troops had been preparing to engage the decoy force.

This meant the leader of the rebel forces had predicted their arrival at Butterfly Wing Valley with remarkable accuracy.

"There’s a traitor among us."

Evalyn’s sudden remark caught Elina and Freya’s attention.

The two exchanged meaningful glances.

Elina closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded heavily.

"I understand. Thanks for the information, Cassiopeia."

Cassiopeia straightened up and bowed slightly.

"Is there anything else?"

Elina rubbed her chin, then suddenly remembered something.

"What about Draco and Phoenix? Are they back yet?"

"Yes, they are."

"Great!" Elina smiled slightly. "Have them map out an alternate route to the Andros Plains. I want the map finished by this afternoon. Understood?"

Cassiopeia nodded silently before disappearing.

"Have you figured out who the culprit is, Elina?" Freya asked.

"Unfortunately, not yet."

Elina shook her head with a regretful expression.

"But I suspect Duke Malvain is behind this."

"Oh? How sure are you?"

Freya blinked curiously.

Elina raised one hand and held up five fingers.

"Fifty percent."

"That’s not much."

Freya chuckled softly before raising both hands and holding up nine fingers.

"I’m ninety percent sure."

This time, Evalyn was the one who looked taken aback.

"W-Wait, Your Highness Freya! What do you mean? How can you be so certain that Duke Malvain is the culprit?" she asked in astonishment.

Freya crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged.

"Just a hunch. But my hunches are never wrong."

Evalyn’s mouth twitched at that answer. Accusing someone based solely on a hunch seemed absurd and illogical.

Still, she couldn’t simply dismiss Freya’s words.

Their position in Butterfly Wing Valley was all thanks to Duke Malvain’s guidance.

Yet, the enemy forces had somehow managed to pinpoint their location and avoid an encounter with them, which seemed implausible.

After all, they had moved stealthily and silently, like a breeze.

It didn’t take long for Cassiopeia to return with a map in her hand.

"Everything is ready, Your Highness. Draco and Phoenix have mapped out a safe route for intercepting the enemy forces."

Elina took the map and nodded in satisfaction.

"Thank you."

Cassiopeia nodded before disappearing from view.

Elina unfolded the map and laid it on the table.

It was the same map they had used before, but this time, it was covered in markings indicating the enemy’s movements.

Freya picked up a thirty-centimeter wooden stick and pointed it at a black, cloud-shaped mark.

"These represent the enemy forces," she said calmly. "If they keep heading east from the Andros Plains, they’ll reach a landmass called Corvil."

She moved the pointer to Corvil, which was located not far from the Andros Plains.

Corvil served as a bridge between Andros and the deeper southern region.

The territory was home to several large cities ruled by counts and marquises.

It was also the last line of defense before the enemy could reach Duke Malvain’s territory and eventually the capital of the Empire.

If the enemy reached Corvil, things could get really dangerous.

"I see. So, we need to reach Corvil before they do. But what’s the fastest way to get there?" Elina asked, rubbing her chin.

They were leading tens of thousands of troops, so their advance was naturally slow.

What’s more, the enemy forces had already entered the Andros Plains.

It was only a matter of time before the enemy forces reached Corvil and attacked deeper territories.

Freya didn’t answer right away. Instead, she carefully studied the map, looking for another way.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t find a good alternative. Most of the other routes went through deep chasms, dangerous valleys, or rough mountains.

These routes could get them to Corvil faster, but the risks were too high. They would almost certainly suffer heavy casualties.

"If we cross the Andros Plains, our mages will be in danger," Evalyn whispered as she studied the map.

Mages who dared to cross the Andros Plains would suffer severe side effects. Those with weak mana might even die on the spot.

As such, crossing the Andros Plains to reach Corvil would be tantamount to suicide.

"What if we use teleportation magic?"

Elina’s suggestion startled Freya and Evalyn.

"Teleportation magic?"

"That’s right."

Elina nodded slightly, a mysterious smile spreading across her face.

"We have plenty of mages on our side. With Cassiopeia, Draco, and Phoenix helping out, they should be able to cast a massive teleportation spell to take all of us to the Corvil Plains."

Freya’s heart raced at the thought.

Teleporting tens of thousands of people at once would be impossible, even for a Celestial-level mage.

But it was a different story when thousands of mages worked together alongside three Celestial-level mages.

"Great idea!"

Freya nodded enthusiastically.

"Let’s do it tomorrow."

...

The next morning...

Tens of thousands of soldiers stood in neat formation.

Elina, Freya, and Evalyn sat on their horses, facing the troops.

"Everyone, we’re going to teleport all at once! Stay calm and keep your formation!" Elina shouted.

"Understood!" they replied in unison.

Elina nodded in satisfaction before calling out, "Cassiopeia, let’s do this."

"Okay."

Cassiopeia, Draco, and Phoenix appeared in the sky, hovering at a distance from one another and forming a triangle.

They brought their index fingers and thumbs together before pointing their hands forward.

"Teleport!" they shouted in unison.

Whoosh!

A surge of mana erupted from the mages below and rushed toward the three of them.

Fueled by this immense supply of mana, a giant blue magic circle appeared above the troops.

The magic circle began to spin slowly, gradually emitting a brilliant blue light that engulfed everyone below.

In the next instant, tens of thousands of people vanished into thin air.