This necromancer is going to seduce the beautiful girls who are already dead.

“I don’t need to expect anything from you. Just do your job well.” Kevin examined a ring on his finger and said calmly, “I will continue to give you opportunities until Gylvia reaches her base. Apos, don’t betray my trust in you. You know, once Gylvia reaches her base, we can no longer monitor her movements. This is a rule set by the Lord, and neither of us can break it.”

"Of course, my king, I understand. I will do my best to destroy the potions that Gylvia brought back from the Eastern Empire."

Apos was about to say something, but Kevin seemed to have guessed what he was about to say and interrupted him: "I know what you want next. The Dream Watcher is yours to decide. It doesn't matter if he dies. We don't have many opportunities. It's just the death of one Dream Watcher. We can just find a new one later."

“Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty,” Apos said, bowing his head.

“Alright, you can go now,” Kevin said. “When you leave, please pass on my decree: my palace needs more maids, with excellent pay, and only those who have experienced war will be hired. This is a special reward for the people who fought bravely.”

"You need..."

“For the Lord.” Kevin waved his hand impatiently at Apos, who was leaving. “Go do it now, don’t keep me waiting too long.”

"I understand, I'll take care of it right away." Apos left the hall.

After closing the door, a hint of disdain flashed across Apos's face, but the expression was so fleeting that neither the guards nor the maids waiting outside the hall noticed this subtle change in his expression.

……

It was already evening, and the convoy stopped in a relatively safe place to set up camp and rest for the night.

The guards lay quietly in their tents, fast asleep, but today, Gylvia wasn't tormented by nightmares as usual. She'd only slept for an hour, just as the nightmares were beginning, when the Abyss woke her. It was time to drink the potion and see if it could replace sleep and free her from the nightmares.

After drinking the fatigue-relieving potion that Rebecca had prepared, Gylvia felt her mind suddenly relax and her mood calm down. Although she didn't sleep, she felt as if she was sleeping, and the fatigue of the day was slowly being driven away.

“It really works…” Gylvia’s speech slowed down under the potion’s effect. “I feel my fatigue slowly disappearing, like I’m sleeping. The tension that has accumulated over a long period of time has also been relieved a lot. Rei, your potion is really useful!”

“Great!” Rebecca smiled triumphantly.

Abyss was also quite pleased. Gylvia was a vital food source for the Lord of Nightmares; this might just provoke Him. Once this cunning creature lost his temper, he might reveal a weakness…

Chapter 71 Gavial is fully healed

The convoy's journey continued, and according to Gylvia, they were now getting closer and closer to the Restoration Army's base in the Western Empire.

Since Abyss also intended to investigate Kevin, Gylvia sincerely invited Abyss and his companions to visit their base and discuss their plans.

The Abyss was happy with this arrangement. To defeat the Lord of Nightmares, it was essential to first dismantle His minions, preventing them from continuously supplying their master with provisions. Like in warfare, cutting off the enemy's supply lines was always highly effective. However, dealing with the Lord of Nightmares's minions couldn't be done by the Abyss alone—he certainly had the ability to completely dismantle the entire army of the Kingdom of Ossi within half an hour, but that would easily cause widespread chaos and panic, something the Abyss wanted to avoid. His war with the gods shouldn't come at the expense of the peace of mortals.

Gylvia was in a better mood than ever before, not only because Rebecca had somehow protected the potions she had bought, relieving her of the worry of protecting fragile items, but also because she had finally gotten plenty of rest.

Two days have passed since the last attack, and during these two days, Gylvia has been drinking a fatigue-relieving potion concocted by Rebecca. The only side effect of this potion is a noticeable decrease in reaction speed for a period of time after drinking it, but since she drank the potion at night, the decrease in reaction speed wouldn't have much of an impact on Gylvia. Compared to this side effect, the potion's positive effect—eliminating fatigue—has been a lifesaver for Gylvia.

With this potion, Gylvia no longer needed to sleep. She could simply drink it and wait for the fatigue to dissipate. It not only replaced her normal sleep over the past few days but also significantly relieved the exhaustion and stress accumulated from her nightmares. She couldn't help but admire Rebecca's skill, and at the same time, she was curious why such a highly skilled alchemist seemed so unknown in Lavoisier. Were all the alchemists in Lavoisier blind?

In short, for these reasons, Gylvia looks remarkably well now. Gylvia was already a beautiful woman with exceptional poise and looks, and now, without the haggard appearance caused by her previous nightmares, she appears radiant and even more beautiful and captivating.

“Your Highness, you can use this to get rid of the dark circles under your eyes caused by poor sleep.” Sitting in the carriage, Rebecca handed Gylvia a bottle of potion. “I brewed it last night and let it react until now; it’s finally finished. Would you like to try applying it to your eye sockets?”

Gylvia nodded, her trust in Rebecca's abilities allowing her little hesitation. Following Rebecca's instructions, she poured a few drops of potion from the potion bottle onto her fingertips and then gently rubbed them around her eyes.

A miraculous thing happened: the dark circles under her eyes, which would normally require a thick layer of foundation to cover, faded and disappeared in just a few breaths. Gylvia blinked, feeling a cool, relaxing sensation around her eyes after applying the potion. The main cause of her dark circles was fatigue from not closing her eyes for too long, and now that fatigue had completely melted away like snow. It could be said that after using the potion, Gylvia felt as relaxed and comfortable as an ordinary person enjoying quality sleep.

"Wow... Gylvia really looks so beautiful now." Because the carriage wasn't big enough, Leona was still sitting on Flora's lap. Looking at Gylvia's face, she couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "When we first met, Gylvia always seemed tired and tense. Although she was quite pretty, she always gave off a sense of weakness. Now she's completely different. Lei, your potion should really be sold to everyone in the world who is sleep-deprived!"

"Hmm... I think I'll pass on that." Rebecca waved her hand with a wry smile. "My potion recipes are always kept secret."

And that is indeed the case. Apart from a few potions that she has revealed, Rebecca almost never provides any potion recipes to the public. Everyone is very curious about this, but it seems that Rebecca is unwilling to talk about it, as if something unpleasant has happened.

“Now that His Highness has recovered his spirits, I think the morale of the Restoration Army will be greatly boosted if they see this,” Flora said with a smile. “His Highness traveled to the Eastern Empire as the fortune teller advised. Although he didn’t find a solution to his nightmares with Lanis, he has indeed temporarily escaped their torment. A saying of my ancestors applies here: ‘The flowers you plant with care may not bloom, but the willows you plant without intention may thrive.’”

Gylvia smiled and said, "I don't know how to repay you. You have helped me so much along the way. Although our destinations are similar and we are just passing by, your selfless help has really overwhelmed me. In the future... when I successfully restore the glory of the Kingdom of Osi, I will definitely write your story into history and let the people of our country remember your contributions, just like I told Mr. Abyss before."

“Of course you can,” Abyss nodded. “But I still maintain that you don’t need to write our names down. That would be too embarrassing.”

"Four heroes with extraordinary skills will appear in our epic saga." In high spirits, Jivia was already envisioning what would happen after their victory.

Abyss had no doubt that with his help, Gylvia would achieve final victory. Resisting unequal treaties was undoubtedly a popular and popular act in the martial kingdom of Ossi. Perhaps Ossi would face a difficult period afterward, but with a steadfast leader, they wouldn't fall so easily. Even though Ossi was a small country, as long as they united, they would not allow the currently weak Western Empire to gain any advantage.

"Abyss, when do you think those Nightmare Spirits will come and cause trouble here?" Leona asked Abyss after admiring Gylvia's beauty and then comfortably nestled in Flora's soft arms. "They definitely won't let this go. Want to guess together when they'll arrive?"

“I think they will definitely launch another attack before we reach the base,” Abyss said. “Givia herself said that although she was plagued by nightmares and harassed by Nightmare Spirits while at the base, it was the first time she had ever been harassed by them on her way to the Eastern Empire. She had never even seen these things before, which means that the enemy must be worried about something and dare not make a move at the base. So they will definitely hurry up. We will be at the base soon, and the enemy will definitely not hesitate for long.”

Pfft!

Just as the people inside the carriage were analyzing when the enemy would attack, one of the guards in the caravan suddenly rolled his eyes back and fainted, falling directly off his horse!

Chapter Seventy-Two: An Attack from the Illusionist

"Stop!" Santos, who was escorting them from outside, heard someone fall in the group and immediately turned around. After seeing the cause, he loudly gave the order.

Although the guards were very surprised by their comrade's sudden fall, their strong mental fortitude as Princess Wu's bodyguards allowed them to quickly calm down. With a loud shout, all their weapons were drawn, and those with shields immediately took them off their backs and automatically moved towards Jivia's vehicle.

With a few neighs of horses, the caravan halted once more. Santos skillfully directed his well-trained guards to immediately form ranks, ready for any potential enemy attack.

"Abyss? Another enemy attack?" Gylvia lifted the curtain and glanced outside, then turned back with some concern. "Our people suddenly fell down. Could the enemy have mages?"

“I can’t detect the enemy’s presence yet… Leona, I’m leaving this to you. I’ll support you from the rear,” Abyss replied seriously.

Leona, who had been eager to try it out, immediately sprang into action upon hearing Abyss's command. The rear support Abyss referred to was actually the sharing of senses and thoughts, as well as spell relay, achieved through the bond of necromancy. During their previous journey, because Rebecca greatly enjoyed this feeling of direct mental communication, Abyss had spent considerable time practicing mind-sharing magic with her three familiars, and now Leona, in particular, was very familiar with the mechanism. Since the three girls didn't dislike this feeling, Abyss was able to maximize the magical properties of the necromancy bond.

Leona jumped directly out of the car. As a powerful aura warrior and a high-ranking undead enhanced by the Abyss, she wasn't worried about any danger that might arise after jumping out.

"Leona, just search the area quickly, and I will use my magic to help you." Abyss's voice rang out in Leona's mind at that moment.

"I understand." Leona didn't waste any words and rushed out quickly.

At that moment, another guard suddenly fainted and fell off his horse. Fortunately, someone nearby caught him in time, preventing him from breaking his neck.

Seeing this, Leona increased her speed even further. Following the Abyss's instructions, she began searching the convoy in circles. She could sense that the Abyss's magic was radiating outwards from her as a relay point.

hum...

At that moment, a soft vibration echoed in Leona's mind, followed by Abyss's reminder: "That's it! Follow the direction of the magical fluctuations! The enemy should be there! It's an illusionist; he can't do anything to you, but don't get too close!"

Leona smiled slightly, and with a powerful push of her feet, her body shot out like an arrow towards the direction from which the energy wave originated.

hum...

Leona rushed into the dense forest on either side of the road. The sound of magical fluctuations grew closer, and she ran towards the sound, soon spotting a mage. This mage was very similar to the half-headed Nightmare Mage Leona had encountered before, except they wore different mage robes. He seemed unaware of Leona's arrival, muttering some incantation under his breath.

"Using illusions to dismantle our fighting strength one by one? If it weren't for the Abyss, you really would have succeeded!" Leona scorned the enemy's despicable tactics, then without hesitation, she used her battle aura to condense a longbow, nocked an arrow as she approached the enemy, and fired. An orange arrow transformed into a streak of light and pierced directly through the opponent's chest!

Leona had been tricked once before by using fists and feet, and was almost knocked unconscious by the enemy's strange hypnotic smoke. How could she possibly fall for it again this time?

Bang!

The aura arrow beautifully pinned the enemy to the ground. Driven by Leona's will, the arrow, formed from pure aura, exploded instantly, blasting the nightmare spirit's body to smithereens. Foul-smelling black mud sprayed out, which Leona nimbly dodged.

"Abyss, mission accomplished! The enemy used an illusion mage this time, and I've already taken them out. I wonder what their next plans are!" Leona immediately reported to Abyss.

"Search the area again! I'll take charge of guarding the convoy!" Abyss's words echoed in my mind.

Leona nodded, and her body shot out like an arrow.

After thoroughly searching the surrounding area, they indeed found another mage, Nightmare Spirit. Leona used the same method, tearing the enemy to shreds with her battle aura, leaving them no chance to try anything funny.

"That's it? That's it?" Having finished everything, Leona returned triumphantly with Abyss's approval, smoothing her silver twin tails that had become messy from the high-speed movement. "Your Highness, Abyss, I've dealt with the surrounding enemies. Now we can see those who were affected by the enemy's illusions!"

Using illusions to imprison an enemy's mind, causing them to lose consciousness and collapse, is a common tactic among illusionist mages. Illusionist mages typically fight silently and unexpectedly, which is one reason why they were able to succeed twice even with Abyss nearby (of course, the main reason is the Nightmare Spirit's ability to reduce presence). As a professional mage, Abyss jumped down from the carriage and began examining the affected guards.

"How are they?" Santos asked, somewhat worried. "The enemy's attack methods are too difficult to defend against."

“That’s right, the enemy used a classic ‘mind-sealing’ spell. These people’s minds were forcibly sealed, making them unable to control their bodies, which is why they fell into a coma—essentially removing their brains without causing external injuries.” Abyss carefully examined the two unconscious guards. “If we had waited any longer, they might have become idiots. Fortunately, we cleared the area quickly, and the caster has been eliminated. I can dispel the spell on them, but they need to rest and wait for their minds to return to their bodies naturally.”

"It's good that they're alright!" Santos seemed very happy. Abys looked up and gave him a friendly look. This Santos was a high-ranking general, but he still cared so much about his soldiers, which made Abys feel very good about him.

Abyss easily dispelled the illusions surrounding the two men. Judging from his senses, the two Nightmare Spirits who attacked were probably around level six or seven, not particularly strong. The other guards temporarily placed the two still unconscious unfortunate souls into the cargo wagon, and the convoy resumed its journey after confirming there was no danger.

……

However, just half an hour after the convoy embarked on its journey, two pairs of eyes silently opened inside the dark boxcar.

Chapter Seventy-Three: Heavy Losses?

The creaking of the axles mingled with the clatter of hooves as the caravan moved smoothly along the road. The easy battle hadn't caused them much trouble. Gylvia was relieved to hear Abyss say that as long as the two unfortunate guards rested and their consciousness returned naturally, they wouldn't suffer any lasting effects. Aside from the minor bruise suffered by the man who had initially fallen from his horse, the caravan had suffered no losses in the attack.

“If we ride at full speed, we should be able to reach the Restoration Army’s current base soon.” Jivia smiled as she lifted the curtain of the carriage, pointed to the road ahead, and said to Abyss and the others, “The scenery here is becoming more and more familiar, and our soldiers are within reach. Soon, this batch of potions will be delivered to them.”

Gvia's face was beaming with excitement, and the sunlight streaming in from the window accentuated her delicate features, making her a beautiful sight.

Leona, sitting beside her, was captivated by Gavial's profile. Gavial's beauty was not something that any elegant noblewoman, beautiful young lady, or charming socialite could possess; it was a unique quality belonging to a people's leader, gentle and reassuring.

Unlike Emperor Kampel the Great of the Eastern Empire, who commanded respect through his wisdom and domineering presence, Givia won hearts with her unique affability, courage, and delicate sensitivity. Compared to Kampel the Great's bold and decisive actions, Givia's subtlety was more suited to a small kingdom like the Kingdom of Ossi. She resembled Princess Helen in some ways, but unlike Helen, she was more grounded, more understanding of worldly oppression and the suffering of the people—a skill she had acquired through long periods of wandering and hardship.

"Wait... there seems to be magical energy emanating from that carriage over there..."

Just as Leona was contemplating the future of the Kingdom of Ossi under Gylvia's rule, a whisper from the Abyss suddenly pulled her back to reality.

Everyone inside the carriage became more alert.

Just as they were reacting, a loud bang suddenly came from the shed outside.

Boom!

The massive shockwave terrified the horses in the convoy. These horses, already easily frightened, had been repeatedly attacked on the road in recent days. The guards fought desperately to calm them down.

"Impact!" Abyss immediately recognized the spell's name. Without a word, he jumped out of the carriage and looked towards the source of the magical fluctuations—it was the very wagon that had just carried the two guards who had been stunned by the illusion spell; now it had been blasted to pieces by the immense power of the magic. Two figures leaped out from the wrecked wagon.

Abyss raised his hand, preparing to suppress the magic of the two men, when he heard one of them speak.

"These two are now under our control. Are you sure you want to suppress their magic? Just a heads up, if they try to use their magic while you're suppressing them, they'll rupture their blood vessels and die."

Abyss narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two people who had already been controlled by the enemy.

It turns out that the illusionists were just the first step in this attack! Their ultimate goal wasn't to use the illusionists to weaken the convoy's fighting strength, but to put the people in the convoy into a coma, and then manipulate their bodies through some means when their consciousness returned! This is a new method of the Nightmare Lord, which hadn't been revealed to the Abyss before! It turns out he can control mortals even in their sleep!

Boom!Boom!

In the brief moment that Abyss was thinking, the two controlled individuals launched a relentless attack on the other boxcars around them.