Chapter 125: The Fallen General

Later that night, having wrapped up their preparations to set off for Northgard, Dion, the five girls, and Gina sat in the living room to go over their checklist one last time before departing tomorrow with General Dhorga. After reviewing the final details,

"Alright... looks like everything is set. We head out tomorrow as planned," Dion said, placing the documents down on the table.

"Right... that means tomorrow we can go take care of Sheila’s kingdom," Luna said, leaning her head against Dion’s shoulder.

"Thank you, everyone... for helping me clean up the filth my father left behind in the kingdom," Sheila said softly.

"So after everything is settled, are you going to become the Queen of Northgard?" Aria asked.

"Of course not. My home is right here. How could I possibly manage commuting back and forth? Once it’s over, I’ll appoint someone capable to rule my father’s kingdom," Sheila answered.

"Hmm... that makes sense. A new ruler means a new royal lineage... Besides, there are plenty of tribal chieftains over there already competing for the throne, right?" Mei noted.

"Yeah... but those chieftains are no different from my stepmother. My father had a mountain of enemies back in the day, haha," Sheila chuckled bitterly.

"We can figure that out later. The main priority is taking care of your stepmother and half-brother and making sure they haven’t already been wiped out by Damned Beholders," Dion said.

"Yeah... you’re right, Dion," Sheila said, gently taking his hand.

"Honestly... I’m really worried about King Alexius. Lutherias is located right next to Minatheras... being neighbors means Lutherias will definitely be targeted first," Cleo admitted, her face lined with anxiety.

"The Shadow Hand is gathering intel on that as we speak. Just hang tight," Mei said, patting Cleo’s shoulder.

"No need to worry so much, Cleo. Fergil is over there, and their knights and mages are among the strongest on the continent, even if their numbers are small," Luna pointed out.

"Exactly. Plus, the Kingdom of Thetor dispatched a division of holy knights to reinforce them. What’s actually concerning is... the grand abbot was killed. That means the Church of Hestalia is shaken to its core right now," Aria added, looking equally uneasy.

"Hmm... that’s true. But to be honest, I’m just as worried about Northgard. Mei’s father was right, if every kingdom is under attack, Northgard won’t be an exception... Should we go offer a prayer in front of Goddess Hestalia’s statue in the back?" Sheila suggested.

"Hah... don’t bother praying to that goddess. We’ll be just fine without her. Besides, she’s a little busy right now," Dion cut in immediately, waving a dismissive hand with a completely nonchalant look.

Hearing Dion’s casual brush-off, Cleo, Aria, Sheila, Luna, and Mei all whipped their heads to stare at him in utter bewilderment. Even Gina, who was munching on an apple at the table, paused mid-chew, her cheeks puffed out, messy with juice, staring at Dion with wide eyes. Dion instantly caught their stunned expressions and spoke up before anyone could react.

"Don’t read too much into it. My point is, praying is useless if we don’t put in the effort ourselves... so we might as well put in the work while keeping faith, right?" Dion clarified smoothly.

"Oh... that’s what you meant. Fair enough," Cleo said, letting it slide even if she still looked slightly unconvinced.

Suddenly, blam!

The front door slammed open. Dion, Cleo, Aria, Luna, Sheila, Mei, and Gina all snapped their gaze toward the entryway. They gasped as Nala stumbled inside, her breath ragged, her skin deathly pale, drenched in cold sweat as she leaned heavily on her staff to keep herself upright.

"What’s wrong, Nala?" Luna asked, springing up to meet her.

"The general... something happened... the general... he... he..." Nala stammered in sheer panic, barely able to form words.

"Hey... calm down, Nala. Take a deep breath and tell us what happened," Sheila urged, rushing over to support her.

"Here, drink this first," Mei offered, handing over a glass of water.

Nala grabbed the glass and downed the water in one gulp. Once finished, she pulled in a long, shaky breath and exhaled slowly to steady her nerves. Luna, Sheila, and Mei guided her to a chair. Once seated and slightly calmer,

"General Dhorga... has been assassinated... A Shadow Hand operative snuck into his cell... and killed the general. Harumi and Johan eliminated the operative because they happened to be nearby... It turns out... that Shadow Hand operative... was an undead," Nala blurted out.

"Hah... what?!"

Dion instantly scooped up Gina while Aria, Cleo, Luna, Mei, and especially Sheila bolted to their feet, their faces draining of all color.

"Let’s go, now!" Dion ordered.

They sprinted out of the mansion and sped through the city streets toward the holding facility where the barbarian forces were stationed. Upon arriving, they found a crowd of barbarian warriors, Shadow Hand operatives, and Thetor knights gathered in a dense huddle right outside the cell door. Dion and the group, along with Nala, shoved their way through the throng, the soldiers hastily parting ways the moment they recognized Dion. Inside the room stood Harumi, Johan, Astrid, Haruto, Olga, and Faramir.

Dion spotted Dhorga slumped against the wall, his entire body covered by a sheet stained with dark blood. Haruto crouched on the floor alongside Harumi and Johan, who was adjusting his glasses as they inspected the unmasked Shadow Hand operative.

The assassin’s face was desiccated like a mummy, its skin resembling wrinkled wood, its body withered to bare bone. Hollow sockets stared back from a severed skull bearing deep green flame scorch marks. Next to the torso lay severed arms and legs, the stumped edges still smoldering with ghostly green fire.

Sheila walked over to Dhorga’s body and pulled back the sheet. She immediately slapped a hand over her mouth. Dion stepped up, visibly stunned by the gruesome sight. Luna and Aria pressed close to Dion, burying their faces against his arms, while Cleo, Mei, and Nala stood frozen, their faces a whirlwind of shock and grief.

Dhorga’s throat had been brutally slashed, with deep claw gouges ripped across his chest, clear evidence that the general had put up a fierce struggle before succumbing. Sheila knelt down and gently closed his staring eyes. Dion turned back toward Haruto, a visibly shaken Harumi, and Johan, who were still crouching beside Olga and Faramir.

"What happened here, Lord Sion, Lady Olga, Lord Faramir?" Dion asked sternly.

"This Shadow Hand operative was part of the unit I dispatched to investigate Minatheras, the one we lost contact with... It appears he bypassed city security under the guise of an active operative... We were completely blindsided," Haruto answered grimly.

"Ugh... I tried stabbing and slashing him, but he just kept moving... even after his arm was cut off, he kept charging at me. If Brother Johan hadn’t arrived... I would’ve been killed," Harumi recounted, her frame still trembling.

"Thank goodness you’re alright," Mei murmured, suddenly appearing at Harumi’s side to pull her into a tight embrace.

"That’s right, Lord Dion. Astrid and I rushed over after hearing screams while heading home. When I investigated, that thing was still attacking Harumi even after losing an arm," Johan reported, turning to Dion as he adjusted his glasses.

"The real question is... why would they dispatch a creature like this here?" Olga asked thoughtfully.

"Indeed... it’s strange. They targeted General Dhorga specifically, almost as if they were desperate to prevent Lord Dion from marching on Northgard," Faramir added, narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Hmm... did they somehow catch wind of our plan? How is that possible? The only people who knew about this plan are the ones standing in this room... Is there a traitor among us?" Dion questioned, his sharp gaze sweeping over every face in the room.

A heavy silence fell over the room as everyone exchanged uneasy glances. Dion then turned his focus toward Faramir.

"Where is Lord Elrond?" Dion asked.

"He is currently at the bridge covering my shift. He briefed me on your entire operation before I came down here," Faramir explained.

"It couldn’t possibly be Lord Elrond... shadow operatives are stationed along the bridge as well... My apologies, Lord Faramir, but we must maintain total vigilance. Beyond Treevalley’s bridge, there are Shadow Hand members posted at Mageford’s bridge too, so nothing passes through undetected," Haruto assured him.

"I am well aware, Lord Sion. No offense taken, and I doubt Lady Olga minds either," Faramir replied smoothly.

"Nala... were you the one who alerted Lord Dion and the others?" Olga asked, turning toward Nala standing near the door.

"Um... yes. I ran into Sister Astrid as she sprinted out of the building in a panic, and she asked me to fetch Lord Dion right away," Nala answered, glancing toward Astrid.

"That’s correct, Lady Olga. I instructed her to fetch Dion," Astrid confirmed.

Silence settled over the room once more as everyone studied one another. In secret, Dion quietly prepared his Recall holographic interface. Suddenly, Haruto reached down and plucked an object from beneath the undead operative’s corpse. As he examined the item, his expression stiffened, draining of all color.

"Princess Sheila... this is the royal seal of Northgard," Haruto said, presenting the coin-like object to Sheila.

Sheila took the artifact and instantly dropped it to the floor. It was the bottom half of a official royal crest die.

"That’s impossible... that’s the palace seal," Sheila whispered, stunned.

The room plummeted into a chilling hush once more. The evidence pointed to a terrifying likelihood: the missing Shadow Hand operative dispatched to Minatheras had been turned into an undead asset, sent to Northgard, and commanded by someone inside the royal palace to assassinate General Dhorga. Dion stared down at the corpse at his feet.

"Something major is happening inside Northgard... If my suspicions are correct, targeting General Dhorga makes total sense given his massive political clout over there... Damn it, they beat us to the punch," Dion thought to himself, his mind racing through the dangerous implications.