Shadow of the Evil God

"Excuse me, sir, are you here?" the monk called out in a low voice.

Cesar discovered that Brother Miles was more attentive to the movement of personnel in the barracks than he had imagined. While local officers paid little attention to the roster of soldiers, the Brother, intent on organizing an orderly evacuation, kept a close eye on personnel changes, hoping to organize the evacuation of as many people as possible.

"Who is it?" he asked in a weary tone.

"It's me, Brother Miles. Do you remember when we met some time ago?"

Cesar stood up and looked at the other person through the dim light. "Yes, it's you, I remember." He said, "It's so rare that you can find me."

"We've got intelligence of a small group of beastmen approaching, sir. While they're currently just barbaric and ignorant hybrids, they're not far from a force capable of breaking through the Empire's multiple defenses," Brother Miles said. "What are you doing here now? Even if you're just a guest, shouldn't you at least stay in the main tent at the center of the camp?"

"I'm trying," Cesar said, choosing his words carefully, "to assess the situation on the front lines. You don't have to worry about me affecting things here, Brother. Just think of me as a digger. When it's time to leave, I'll have my own way."

"Well, I've heard rumors that you have some ancient methods, but the situation is dire right now. Not only are the Beastmen getting closer, but rumors are also spreading everywhere. Originally, the local militia was still in the dark, but recently, news of the extreme terror of the Corpse Eaters and Prince Tusos's escape from the battlefield has suddenly spread throughout the territory. There's panic everywhere, and in several places, camps have been bombed. In the west, a group of local militia and miners even teamed up to kill an officer and fled into the woods with the bandits. We might have had hope of holding out for a few more days, but now the Beastmen haven't arrived yet, and the place is already in chaos."

Cesar realized that a bad situation could only get worse. "Perhaps it's someone from Clefas's side," he said. "The original rumor was that his territory needed manpower. Now they're trying to further disrupt morale here and, incidentally, damage the Prime Minister's reputation, so it wouldn't be surprising."

"It's not surprising, but the local military officers are keeping a closer eye on us now. Supervisors have also been sent from the eastern provinces to search for spies spreading rumors and slandering the prince and chancellor. You'd better be careful," Miles said in a low voice. "If possible, it's best not to leave the tunnel before the battle begins."

"Sending supervisors to a place that's already doomed to fall? Okay, the lives of the militia here aren't important, but damaging their reputation would be a real problem. Did you organize the evacuation smoothly? Were you affected in any way?"

"It's a lot more trouble, but it's barely acceptable." The monk glanced behind him. "Those supervisors are keeping a close eye on us. Not only the militia, but the local officers are also nervous. I think they're here to kill people."

There were many overt and covert battles between Clefas and Heanria.

Chapter 280 My Good Niece

Although Cesar had nothing to do with how the two sides fought each other, considering that Brother Miles was going to evacuate his men, he decided to do something.

"Which supervisors' deaths will help you organize a smoother evacuation?" he asked. "I'll act at the right time. Just tell me who they are."

The monk fell silent upon hearing this, his expression struggling, but Cesar simply waited, for he kept thinking of the now anxious military camp and the route Cesar had promised to take from the fortress to Sodoris. After hesitating for a long time, he leaned forward and lowered his voice as much as possible.

"I'll tell you the movements and clothing characteristics of these people, and try to take action when the war is about to begin," said Miles.

......

A few days later, the patrol sent by Chancellor Heanria was still searching for the spies who had spread rumors about Clefas. They had already hanged several of them from trees, but even Cesar could see the small advance group of Beastmen. By collectively killing some of the inferior hybrids, the patrol boosted morale and dispelled many rumors, but they still did not relax their vigilance within the army.

All attempts to organize personnel and private meetings were strictly restricted, and Brother Miles rarely appeared because the supervision team was leading people to search the tunnels and trenches for any suspicious contacts.

Small groups of hybrid beastmen vanguards were gradually increasing, harassing the military camp with reckless abandon, sometimes even charging into the trenches and claiming several bodies. Even before the corpse-eaters arrived, Cesar had already seen many sleepless nights. By daylight, the usually energetic militiamen had sunk into fatigue, their shifting eyes revealing the frantic struggles of the hybrid beastmen before their deaths had intimidated many.

As long as those evil creatures were breathing their last breath, even if their limbs were broken, they would still bite the soldiers' legs with their teeth. Even if they were completely dead, their horns or fangs would still be stuck in the muscles and bones of the wounded.

The following night, another camp erupted in riot. The garrison, enraged, declared a thorough investigation of the spies who had spread the rumors. Not only did they fail to identify the culprit, but even Cesar couldn't figure out who was stirring up the chaos. The militia from the western camps gathered in protest, demanding an explanation from the garrison. Even across the maze of trenches and tunnels, Cesar could hear the clamor emanating from the rioting center: shrill shouts and thunderous roars.

These people were already suffering from the harassment from the hybrid beastmen, and since the rumors spread by the spies were true, it was not difficult to foresee this situation.

There was no way around it. Who had let the prince, who also served as governor, escape? If Tusos were a completely willful fool, he might have stayed and fought, but he only had too many fleeting thoughts in his mind, only knowing a little about each one, and never thinking deeply about anything. With his vision, he could naturally see that this was a dead end.

Cesar and Gouzi climbed up a tower and stood on the top of the empty watchtower to look around. In fact, the watchtower was occupied yesterday, but the sentry the day before yesterday was hanged on a tree branch. The sentry who was just assigned yesterday was participating in the riot in the west camp, so it was vacant today.

As he reached the heights, the clamor suddenly rose in volume, as if descending from the depths of a well listening to distant winds into the heart of the battlefield. He saw trenches stretching out in all directions, with military tents scattered across them in a chaotic pattern, like countless dots and lines, a beauty reminiscent of a geometric sketch. The vegetation was trampled to a pulp, and paths had been trodden into the mud, extending along the edges of the trenches and disappearing between the artificial canals and the cliffs.

Just to the west, a large number of militiamen gathered in the camp. Thousands of them were wearing dirty leather coats, their bodies and faces covered in mud, and they were waving farm tools at the supervision team that was led by a group of elite soldiers.

"Even though everyone here is dying, Heanria and Cleaves are still fighting over their reputations," Cesar said. "It's hard to believe these two sinister old men were classmates. The classmates at Olidan's side are completely different."

"Do you think there will be a crackdown, Master?"

"That's not necessary. The problem can be solved by the supervision team surrounding the camp. There are no officers commanding them, and naturally there is no discipline. If they can't form a battle formation to resist, they will just be a mob with farm tools, not an army. If they really form a battle formation, the suppression will begin quickly. But I think it will only take a few days."

Cesar picked up his binoculars and cast a glance at the supervisory group, carefully examining the officers leading the charge. These elite soldiers would surely disappear before the battle began, but by then, Miles wouldn't have had time to organize an orderly retreat south. For this very reason, tonight he planned to eliminate the officer in charge of Miles's camp. The two old men in the west and east were using the lives of their men as bargaining chips in their struggle, causing him considerable trouble.

"That's the one," Cesar said, nodding at the dog. "We'll turn him into a corpse tonight."

He turned and scanned the entire camp, searching for Clifas's suspicious spies, but the trenches that stretched across his view obstructed his view. The fort's northern front was about to collapse, but Clifas, worried, wanted to disrupt the situation and accelerate the collapse, forcing the Gural Fortress into a predicament even sooner.

This idea must have been considered by Cliface. Cesar has recently been very interested in these old things.

Knowing so much, he gradually became familiar with the whiff of conspiracy surrounding them. If the Corpse Eaters had laid siege to the fortress first, the old general's arrival wouldn't just be a siege, but a rescue operation in the name of fellow humanity. Once Cleface's army entered the fortress, hailing as saviors and making numerous demands, if Cesar mishandled even one of them, Cleface would easily brand him ungrateful and disregarding the greater good.

Once this happens, not only will he become the target of public criticism, his reputation will be ruined. It would take him several years to soak in the shit pit to be comparable to his reputation...

"Look over there!" Gouzi suddenly shouted. She grabbed Cesar's arm with one hand and pulled him to the east, while pointing to the widest part of the artificial canal with the other hand.

Cesar spotted a familiar figure walking from west to east. If one were to reverse the trend, he'd be coming from the western camp, heading for the network of tunnels beneath the trenches. He was covered in mud and dressed like a militiaman, but his gait wasn't. It was too regular. The local conscripted militiamen were all... The black-haired man glanced back, revealing a pair of clear, gray eyes that he knew well.

"Why is my good niece here in the north spying for Cliface?" Cesar frowned. "Is there something wrong in the south too?"

Chapter 281: Headless Knight

"Are you going to kill her?"

"You can try," Cesar said, "but it depends on whether other things go well. If you can't kill Isri completely, take her head away and put the invisible blade in the same box with her. I don't believe the monks can find her head without the secret stone interfering with the temple."

......

Of course, before the battle, Cesar would still be an obedient digger. Although very tiring, compared with his initial experience of trekking in the wilderness, digging day and night was nothing, especially compared with his experience of sitting in confusion for months or years under the gaze of the gods.

In the wasteland, there is neither stable distance nor stable time. There is no such thing as distance or day or night. Knowledge cannot understand it, and reason cannot evaluate it. If there is no one to accompany you, going crazy is the least of your worries. No matter what, this place cannot be more unbearable than the wasteland.

However, it was precisely because of the weirdness and horror of the wilderness that finding joy in suffering could give him a taste that surpassed reality. Although he and Diana had only known each other for a year in reality, they had already spent countless years together in the wilderness.

Cesar continued digging, shoveling dirt into the dump truck with his shovel, waiting for the dog to push the truck out and empty it, then moving on to the next load. Honestly, the side road was quite narrow, and the two of them, scrabbling back and forth, felt like two rabbits digging a burrow underground. Besides, he was essentially just feeling and experiencing, not trying to survive, let alone having any real interest in it.

Once he had fully mastered a trade and had gained an understanding of the people within it, he would move on to the next trade, capturing the first in a journal. This was part of his life experience, encompassing a pursuit of novelty and an exploration of the many different people and events in the world.

From the most powerful aristocrats to the most humble miners, there was nothing he didn't want to experience. In this sense, the powerful were not much different to him from the miners. He was like a worm craving a different kind of life experience, wriggling around on branches around the world, among the leaves of various people and events, chewing on the life experiences of others as his own nourishment.

In the middle of the night, the feeling of the shovel digging the soil suddenly changed, and Cesar realized that he had finally dug up something different. The soil was very soft before, like digging rotten meat, but now it felt different. It was obvious that he had encountered some kind of obstacle, most likely the outer wall of the tunnel compacted with clay.

The direction where the supervision team is staying is not far away.

Needless to say, Cesar dug a tunnel in one direction, aiming to reach the overseers without alerting them. Without this method, any approach would have aroused suspicion. At this point, the shovel was no longer able to penetrate, but he was incredibly strong. He groped his way through the darkness to the compacted barrier, ramming it with his shoulder. The barrier loosened slightly, letting the dirt fall. Then, with a kick, the barrier began to collapse.

With considerable patience, he dug up the collapsed soil, passed through the tunnel wall, and came to the tunnel on the other side.

Cesar smelled spices, a sign that he was indeed close. He had been digging for so long, and all he could smell was the damp earth beneath the ground, because the rations the militiamen were eating were completely flavorless. But the guerrillas were different; it was clear they had special supplies. They had cooks enough to open a shop in Anglan, and they served them freshly cooked food in the barracks, sprinkled with salt mixed with garlic powder and spiced with the finest spices.

As soon as they reached their side of the tunnel, an aroma wafted up from the tunnel under the trench. It was spices at first, and a few steps further, they could smell sausages and steaming bread. They must have never figured out that smell was also a way to call the threat of death closer.

Cesar slowed his pace. As the evil thought formed in his mind, he felt his fingers curl, growing claws. His mouth protruded and sharpened, and jet-black hair gradually spread across his body, perfectly embodying the characteristics of a beastman. Needless to say, he knew that Ajeh had been watching. After all, the perfect cover for this was a beastman murder. The hybrid beastman attacks were already frequent, so another insignificant attack was normal. This death proved nothing beyond the cunning and cruelty of the corpse-eaters.

He only needs to sneak into the camp, find the target and cut his neck, then walk away in the dark. The supervisor of the central camp will find that the tragedy has happened to him.

Cesar leaned against the tunnel entrance and heard voices and footsteps.

"Everyone in this place is going to die anyway," the leader said in an unbearable tone. "Why do we have to keep fighting with them? Besides, the ground is full of holes. How can we get in and catch the mice?"

"But the tunnel wall over there has collapsed," another man said. "The commander wants us to catch rats because the tunnel wall has collapsed. If our reputation is damaged, the commander will also ask us to catch other rats."

Cesar slowed down his pace, crawled back, and signaled the dog behind him to back off as well. Breaking the tunnel wall still made some noise. It happened to be two people, so they could handle it separately. Killing one's own kind is unacceptable anywhere else, but it is very common on the battlefield. Not only is it very common, it is even the duty of soldiers, including himself.

I feel it doesn't matter.

Although the tunnel was extremely narrow and only allowed one person to fit through, turning around was extremely difficult, and squeezing in a second person was even more impossible. However, Gou Zi was a faceless person, and she had her own way to squeeze through him and the dead body.

"Never mind the rats, this is just a pointless hassle," said the leader. "If the commander doesn't let us evacuate, I'm afraid once the beastmen surround the camp, we'll all be doomed along with the clueless peasants here."

"Even a peasant with a weak mind will spread the news. The higher-ups want to credit the prince's military achievements. If things get messed up, we'll be in trouble. Don't you know Clefas's reputation? That old fellow is great at using power to pressure others. Once he finds a flaw, he'll push them into the abyss. If the prince gets into trouble, those of us who didn't clean up his mess will be doomed along with him."

Cesar pulled his dog into a side passage, watching the first trooper pass through his sight, then the second. He extended his claws and brushed the man's neck, gently closing them before he could even utter a sound. He felt the soldier's larynx and spine shatter easily in his hands. Cesar held the body to prevent it from falling, feeling it slither across his back like a snake, gliding across the corpse and onto the soldier who couldn't even turn around.

The soldier's torch fell, tumbling several times. By the time Cesar set the body down, there was no one in sight except Gouzi. Like a snake, this creature had devoured a man taller than her, grinding him into bone and debris like a meat grinder, without even a drop of blood. And her face, still fair and delicate, looked like an eerie shadow in the earthy, earthy tunnel.

Cesar stared at her for a moment before tossing the corpse to her. It was getting in the way, so it was best to get rid of it quickly. With the memories of two soldiers, she would be familiar with the distribution of personnel in the Overseer's camp.

Everything ended quickly, leaving only two pieces of mud-stained clothes on the ground. However, the dog's abdomen was a little bloated, and it seemed that it had eaten too much.

Cesar extinguished the torch and listened carefully, confirming there was no movement before he told her to continue forward. It took a while for the two soldiers to investigate the situation and report back, which was enough time for him to stage a beastman attack on the camp.

Then he suddenly heard a sound—a barely audible breathing in the darkness not far ahead. A faint, direct thrust came towards him. It was a dagger, its blade piercing his wolf's mouth and exiting from the back of his neck. While the dagger, the short sword, and the short stature were undoubtedly advantages in the wartime tunnels, his inability to shrink was actually a hindrance. In open areas, he might have been able to avoid it, but here, it was impossible.

Whose breath was so light that even he didn't notice it?

He lowered his wolf's mouth, holding his breath, feeling his blood drip down the blade, forming a line of blood. He also crouched on the ground, seemingly collapsing. In an instant, the dog pounced from behind him, a ghost in the deep darkness. The white mask unmistakably depicted her as the invisible assassin.

The man quickly retreated, swung his sword forward, and the blade pierced through the dog's mask like a flash of lightning, piercing her mouth. Cesar could hardly see the long sword in his hand, it was too fast.

But alas, it was useless. When the Faceless One disguised herself as a human, all her vital points were fake—a series of long, tightly knit limbs. Killing her with the same skill you'd use on a human would leave people dead, never understanding what went wrong.

Once again, the incident ended swiftly. Cesar rose from the ground, touched the sword wound at the back of his neck, and then looked down at the unidentified body on the ground. He lifted his cloak and removed his mask, revealing a pale face shrouded in black hair, eyes wide open, as if in death. He recognized this person... It was Isri, but she hadn't realized he was Cesar. Was she trying to feign death?

Cesar pried open her clenched fingers, took the exquisite short sword, and with one swipe, severed Isley's head. The creature didn't react, seemingly still feigning death. Did she think she was merely killing soldiers of the warband, and somehow became a beastman attacking the camp?

You'd better pretend for a while, Cesar thought. This guy had hindered him so many times out of hatred, and each time he failed seemed like a joke, and finally falling into his hands seemed like a joke. It was really a black humor.

He wrapped the cloth around Isley's head, tied it tightly, and then wrapped it several times before pinning it to his belt. As for her headless body, he didn't have the luxury of carrying it, nor did he have the inclination to flee with a corpse on his back. If her headless corpse could move on its own, she could become a Dullahan, since she had been a sought-after young knight in her lifetime. If not, he didn't care if she rotted away here.

Cesar had a lot of questions to ask her one by one.

Chapter 282: The Corpse Eater's Hunting Net

......

After news of the Beastmen attack spread, Cesar and Gouzi continued digging in the tunnels, waiting for the situation to develop. Meanwhile, Brother Miles sent a messenger. He announced that the attackers were no longer limited to small groups of Beastmen, but that many of the militia lines in the rear were also being harassed. While the combined casualties of Beastmen far outnumbered the militia, the casualties and panic they had caused were unimaginable.

Some claim that the leading beastmen were once murdered humans. The beastmen curse their human captives, twisting their flesh and blood souls, and send them here as pioneers. People believe that only when the cursed have killed enough of their former human compatriots and proved their bloodiness and cruelty can these new beastmen be recognized by the tribe and become so-called true beastmen.

By mid-afternoon, Brother Miles had arrived, his face grimacing. "Our men saw their families from the north among a group of beastmen," he said. "The rumors are true. The captives, cursed and soulless, nearly pounced on and killed our son who was trying to reunite with them."

"Is organizing the evacuation team going smoothly?" Cesar asked him.

Miles nodded in agreement. "The obstructionist detachment is in disarray," he said. "Three officers have been killed by the beasts, and two others are missing entirely, their bodies nowhere to be found. Some report seeing a fleeting glimpse of the beast in the darkness, like a human figure. Most others have no idea what happened."

So, Isri's headless corpse had actually escaped. It was like a cockroach, its vitality ridiculously tenacious. Cesar had considered having the dog devour her, but her recovery seemed to have nothing to do with flesh and blood, only with her soul. Cesar didn't want her to take the risk of swallowing something like the Faceless, something that could still survive even if it was shattered.

"I'll report the situation to the fortress," Cesar said. "When you lead your team through, the city gates and roads will be sealed. By then, the beastmen's army will send a large number of troops westward. The pressure on the city defense will be less than expected, but it will still be under pressure. If possible, I hope you can call on a group of people to join the defense, monk. The safety of Sodoris, south of the fortress, and its future development depend on this battle. If all goes well, that place may become a turning point for the reputation and prestige of your Hiel Temple - I think this is also the hope of the Shawl Society."

Miles took a step back at Cesar's gaze, seemingly unable to believe the image he described, and horrified by his understanding of the temple. If, as Diana had said, the gods didn't care about the names and ministries bestowed upon them by the world, and it was simply humans defining the gods based on their own limited understanding, then the transformation of the temple was inevitable.

In essence, obtaining the authority of a physician and exploring the development of medical skills are not the actions of gods, but the temple's desire to occupy authority in a certain field in the secular world.

Once authority in the field is obtained, it is the temple's own choice as to how to define Xiel, including the appearance, temperament and clothing characteristics of the statue, which will also change accordingly.

If the image of the lost demon Xiel that Fils showed Cesar was genuine, then the current Xiel statues were in fact fabricated images. These false statues served only to interpret the temple's texts and ideals through artificial art and beauty, and bore no relation to the true deity. After all, from what he had witnessed in Noyen, no matter which sect, even those declared heretical by the Grand Temple, could receive Xiel's gifts. Therefore, this matter was ultimately worldly, not transcendental.

To fight one temple, winning over another is undoubtedly the best option. The Temple of Sagaros has the opportunity they're looking for, and naturally, the Temple of Hiel will too. The former wants to promote social change in Olidan, thus establishing connections with the nobles. The latter aims to dominate the field of medicine, so Cesar naturally has no reason not to take advantage of this opportunity.

Brother Miles left, and Cesar continued his digging. He sealed Isri's head with the invisible blade to prevent her headless body from bringing the temple's men with it. To protect his identity, he had no plans to communicate with her for the time being. He had intended to continue digging until midnight, then return to the wasteland to speak with Diana and ask her what to do with Isri's head. But then, at night, a messenger from Brother Miles arrived with news that the soldiers in the watchtower had discovered something.

He and his dog rushed to the watchtower, which had fallen into the hands of the monks, and found Miles already organizing his men in the barracks. They were preparing to evacuate, and everything was self-evident. As for Heanria's supervisory troops, it was obvious that due to the chaos last night, these elite soldiers had not had time to evacuate in time.

"We've spotted the Beastmen's battle lines to the east and west, looking like a tidal wave." The monk's face was grim. "Those Beastmen have already used their vanguards to scout out our weaknesses and know there's no need for a frontal attack. They plan to stretch out their lines to encircle everyone. It's like a fishing net, suddenly opened to catch as many fish as possible. I suspect anyone who isn't frightened mad will retreat south."

Cesar pondered the meaning of this for a long time. "I suggest you go see the princess as soon as you arrive at the fortress," he said, winking in the direction of the supervisory team. "If the supervisory team and their elite soldiers also want to retreat south, let Your Highness control these people. Before, you have to rely on their attitude, but once you reach the Gular Fortress, it will be

They look at your face.”

He turned to the north, realizing the corpse-eaters were quite skilled hunters. He would have to be cautious going forward, but that would come after he began his escape. Currently, the corpse-eaters had formed a long, thin web, blocking both the west and east. This made it perfectly suited for him to break through the western web. While inflicting casualties on the corpse-eaters' western hunting web, he would have Ajehe exude as much of the Firstborn's aura as possible, leaving a trace that could be tracked. Then, a large number of corpse-eaters would pursue him from the west.

Clephas wanted to quickly collapse the front, leaving Artinia with no time to build a stable defense and plunging it into a precarious position. Then, his army could intervene under the guise of rescue. Cesar also considered using himself as bait to lure the corpse-eaters westward. When these two plots collided, who would prevail depended on their respective approaches and responses.

However, he still had to inform Diana. If nothing unexpected happened, he wouldn't be able to stay in the wilderness for too long. The escape would surely be long and torturous, leaving little time for sleep and respite.

Chapter 283 Our Children

Cesar wasted no time, as the camp was already in turmoil. The soldiers of the Supervisory Corps, as if suddenly awakened from the attack the previous night, actually broke out in curses. Many people in the militia camp pointed at the Supervisory Corps, which in turn led to more curses.

He headed straight for the tunnel, striding through the increasingly uncontrolled crowd. He was now dressed in the clothes of a digger, unsuitable for battlefield action. He needed armor; he didn't want to reveal his identity to anyone, not even as a beast. Besides, without the armor Diana and Firth had repeatedly modified, he would have difficulty maintaining his balance.

Even when the crowd threatened to lose control, some still managed to feign emotion and shout, urging everyone to flee. Cesar recognized one of them; he knew that lately, he had been exuding confidence and arrogance, like a human being forced to live among livestock. But even now, his emotions were tinged with fear and uncertainty, and he was only able to hold on through his mental fortitude.

This man was undoubtedly Cliface's informant, and Cesar's senses could clearly sense that he was different from the others. Although he was terrified, he was still determined to carry out the mission assigned by the general, which was quite surprising.

But he seemed to be talking about south rather than west.

South, Cesar thought, was the direction of Fort Gular. Considering Brother Miles's statement that he had only organized a small group of people, could it be that this man, a representative of a group of spies, had also organized some militias to escape to Fort Gular?

It seems that Cliffords is very keen on throwing down multiple chips at once. They may not all come in handy or achieve the desired effect, but as long as one chip works, the old general will be one step closer to achieving his goal.

As spies entering the fortress as refugees, they could not only exchange intelligence with those within the fortress who had been bribed, but also further strengthen Clefas's infiltration and control of Gural Fortress. Furthermore, they effectively organized multiple militias to escape the pursuit of the corpse eaters and reach the city. Artinia would certainly value these militias and their leaders, at least more than Count Villars' former subordinates who had been bribed.

If they also displayed some appropriate qualities, they would receive additional favors and even have a heart-to-heart talk with the princess. In the end, they would naturally declare their allegiance at the right time, switching from the prime minister's banner to the princess's.

Judging from the history of the Kasar Empire, exiled princes and princesses tend to pay more attention to officers and generals of commoner descent. Cesar's understanding of Artinia's character suggests she would indeed do so. Clefas was deeply interested in Artinia and was well-versed in her history and military accomplishments, practically a person he knew well. With that in mind, it wasn't surprising that the old general would specifically address Artinia's needs.

This is merely a larger consideration. On a more personal level, a young princess, unwilling to be controlled, wandering the world, believing she had spotted trustworthy individuals among the fleeing militia, only to discover they were all spies arranged by her own elders. This is inherently terrifying. These individuals will demonstrate their expected qualities, gradually gaining her trust, and eventually, under the guise of being her own subordinates, they will gather around her, forming a circle of advisors she completely trusts.

This kind of advisory circle can not only isolate the inside and outside, but also report all the recent situations of Artinya to Clifas, ensuring that all details are taken into account. It can also use appropriate suggestions to influence her decision-making and even shake her original intention.

Although the old general's reputation was much rougher and more courageous than that of the prime minister, he was completely superior in terms of grasping and controlling people's hearts.

What a horrible elder, Cesar thought, and he makes people feel very uncomfortable.

Cliface seemed to let his juniors do what they wanted and gave them due respect, but in fact, he had already made arrangements to monitor all the movements of the princess and even to shake and influence her silently.