Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

Cassius frowned: "How long exactly will it take?"

"If their army were to advance, their mages would undoubtedly do everything in their power to maintain the magic array," Edwin said. "At that point, it would take me an hour to forcibly break it."

Cassius nodded: "An hour... is acceptable."

Edwin continued, "In addition, I brought three fourth-circle spell scrolls—[Ice Storm], [Fire Shield], and [Stone Skin]. I also have a batch of third-circle scrolls, enough to handle most situations."

"very good."

Cassius turned to Liana Shadowblade in the corner.

"Liana".

The scout raised his eyes, his fingers ceasing their caress of the dagger.

"exist."

How many men do you have left?

"The scout team has a full complement of fifty men," Liana said. "Eighteen have been sent out to scout, and we currently have thirty-two available."

Cassius nodded: "Have all your men go ahead and secretly infiltrate Rield City. I need to know everything Rield City does—their garrison movements, supply reserves, morale, and…"

"The army will need time to rest after arriving, probably around this place."

Cassius pointed to a circle on the map.

You must ensure that in the event of a surprise attack, you can relay intelligence to me promptly.

"Yes," Liana replied calmly.

"Hmm..." Cassius nodded in satisfaction. "I've always trusted you with your work."

He looked around and said loudly.

"Gentlemen, this battle concerns the history of the northern border of the Kingdom of Sassan and the southern border of the Kingdom of Eriland for the next fifty years. If we win, Rield City can become our outpost, and the gateway to the southern border of Eriland will be wide open. If we lose..."

He paused.

"We will never lose!"

Redmond grinned. "That's more like it!"

Liana tucked the dagger back into her waistband and stood up.

"I'll go arrange the manpower."

She lifted the curtain and disappeared into the night.

Redmond stood up, stretched, and cracked his bones. "Then I'll go and make some preparations. My men should be outside the north gate of Rield City by this time the day after tomorrow."

He strode out, and the curtains fell behind him.

Vera stood up and looked at Cassius: "General, is there anything else you need?"

Cassius shook his head: "It's alright, go ahead..."

"Yes."

Vera also left.

With everyone else gone, only Cassius remained in the tent.

He walked to the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp.

Standing in front of the map, Cassius stared at the location of Rild City for a long time without moving.

The candlelight flickered, casting dappled shadows on his face.

"Ryld City..." he murmured to himself.

A night breeze blew by, and the curtains swayed gently.

In the distance came the shouts of soldiers, the neighing of warhorses, and the creaking of wheels rolling over gravel.

……

Lance returned home from the city lord's mansion at three in the morning.

The moment I opened the door, I saw Cielsa curled up asleep on the sofa in the living room, covered with a thin blanket, her long silver-gray hair spread out on the cushions, and her breathing even.

Little Black was lying next to her. Hearing the noise, it raised its head, and its eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Meow~

The sound was very soft and didn't wake Cielsa.

Lance walked over, bent down and scooped up Little Black. The little guy immediately snuggled into his arms, nuzzling his head back and forth.

Why don't you go sleep in bed?

"Meow……"

Little Black flicked its tail and pointed at Sissa.

Lance smiled and gently picked up Cielsa.

She stirred, groggily opened her eyes, saw it was Lance, and mumbled, "Lord Lance...you're back..."

"Okay, go to sleep."

Sissa snuggled against him and then closed her eyes.

Lance carried her upstairs, gently placed her on the bed, and covered her with a blanket.

Little Black jumped onto the bed and curled up into a ball.

Lance stood by the window, looking at the deep night outside.

The Sassanid army of 30,000 was less than five days' journey from Rild.

This battle is likely to be quite large.

However, for him, this was both a danger and an opportunity.

So many enemy troops, they're all experience points.

If you operate properly, once you've mastered most of the three-ring spells, leveling up to level 6 or even 7 shouldn't be a problem.

He took off his outer robe, lay down on the bed, and closed his eyes.

She fell asleep peacefully.

I slept until 10 a.m.

Lance opened his eyes. Celsa was gone. Little Black was still curled up next to his pillow, sleeping like a cat pancake.

He reached out and rubbed the little black guy's soft belly. The little guy rolled over, kicked its four paws in the air, and made a "gurgling" sound, but it didn't wake up.

"She can sleep so much..."

Lance threw off the covers and went downstairs.

Cielsa was practicing her sword in the courtyard when she heard footsteps. She stopped, went back inside the house, saw Lance, and smiled, "Good morning, Lord Lance. I'll go prepare breakfast."

"No rush."

Lance sat down at the table and poured himself a glass of water.

Xiao Hei then slowly walked down from upstairs and jumped onto his lap.

Before long, Cielsa brought over breakfast—fried eggs, bacon, toast, and a bowl of hot oatmeal porridge.

"Lord Lance, what did the City Lord's Mansion say about yesterday's events?"

"Hmm..." Lance chewed on a fried egg. "The city lord has already ordered preparations for war. I'll go and check on their situation tonight."

"Tonight?" Cielsa frowned. "What about during the day?"

"During the day?" Lance took a sip of his oatmeal. "I plan to clear out the goblins in Ash Hills during the day."

Ash Hills was on the same route as Lance, and clearing out the goblins would allow him to obtain a few more third-level spells before sneaking into the military camp at night.

Sissa: "...?"

She paused for two seconds, her expression a little complicated: "Lord Lance, you didn't sleep a wink last night, and today you have to clear out the goblins, and tonight you have to go scouting... Aren't you tired?"

"It's alright." Lance wiped his mouth. "Besides, clearing out goblins isn't difficult."

"Then... I'll go too?"

"No." Lance shook his head. "If you go, I'll have to take on the responsibility of teaching one more person's [Flight] skill."

"All right……"

After finishing breakfast, Lance stood up, and Little Black jumped off his lap and looked up at him.

"Meow~~ What about me?"

"You can go, though."

Lance bent down and scooped it up. Little Black immediately snuggled into his arms, its tail wagging excitedly.

He patted Xiao Hei's head and walked into the yard.

The sun was shining brightly, its warmth gently caressing my skin.

He raised his head and looked at the southern sky.

Ash Hills is about 120 miles from Rild City.

At the speed of [Flying Technique], it will take a little over half an hour to get there.

"Let's go..."

Lance raised his hand, and a pale blue light emanated from his fingertips, falling on himself and Little Black.

My body instantly felt light, and my feet left the ground.

With a thought, it flew south.

A speed of thirty meters per second is truly astonishing.

The wind whistled past my ears, and my long, silvery-white hair fluttered behind me.

Little Black huddled in his arms, only its eyes showing, watching the fields and forests rushing past below.