Global Beast Mastery: Only I Can See the Hints

General Sost’s decision to join the operation made both Charles and Zara very happy.

Without hesitation, the three of them left Withered Tree Fortress right away.

The vanguard of the Stellar Empire was already not far from the fortress. If they wanted to set a trap, they had to act quickly—time for preparation was running out.

As they walked away, High Priest Kent’s eyes stayed locked on their backs. His face was heavy with worry.

“Please, let nothing go wrong…” he muttered under his breath.

Kent never truly approved of Charles and Zara’s plan. But since the other three had already agreed, he couldn’t oppose them outright. All he could do now was pray that Charles’s plan would not go terribly wrong.

Just fifteen minutes later, Charles and his companions found the Stellar Empire’s vanguard.

By then, the enemy troops had already stopped moving forward. They had discovered a huge rock in the middle of the desert and used it as cover to build a defensive line.

“It seems their vanguard is very cautious,” Sost remarked. “They didn’t launch a direct attack. Instead, they chose to pause here, regroup, and then attack Withered Tree Fortress.”

He clearly approved of their approach. In his eyes, if the Serpent troops under his command had this same level of discipline, the Serpent Empire’s chances in the war would be much higher.

Zara’s face looked a little complicated. She felt both regret and relief.

Regret, because if they had followed her original plan, the mission would have surely failed. She never expected the enemy to stop midway and rest.

Relief, because Charles had taken over as the one leading the plan. He must have already considered the possibility of unexpected changes.

Thinking this, she glanced at Charles—and indeed, saw confidence written all over his face.

“This is the kind of setback we should have expected,” Charles said as he studied the enemy’s defenses. “Our enemies aren’t fools. They would never act exactly as we predicted.”

His eyes narrowed as he continued, “In fact, I suspect they already know someone is trying to set a trap for them. Just look at how carefully they built their defenses.”

Hearing Charles’s words, General Sost and Zara both turned their eyes to study the Stellar Empire’s vanguard defenses more carefully.

They had to admit, Charles noticed details they had completely overlooked.

“So what should we do now? Are we… are we going to give up the whole plan?” Zara asked nervously.

Sost shot her a deep look.

“Of course not. We didn’t come all this way just to leave empty-handed.”

Charles’s voice was firm.

“I’ve already thought through our next steps. All you two need to do is follow my lead.”

Then his gaze landed on Sost.

“I need you to find a chance to launch an attack on the vanguard. I don’t expect it to succeed—I only need you to draw enough of their attention.”

Sost agreed without the slightest hesitation.

“No problem. I’ll strike right away.”

With that, he dove underground. His plan was to creep beneath the sand and approach the enemy’s defenses unseen, then burst out from below to catch them completely off guard. That would surely pull their focus.

Once Sost was on his way, Charles turned to Zara.

“Stay close to me. As soon as Sost makes his move, we must launch our attack immediately.”

Zara nodded silently. A quiet thrill rose in her chest at the thought of fighting side by side with Charles.

Back in the underground rivers of Serpent’s Eye Lake Oasis, they had explored together, but there had been no real battles then. After that, they had gone their separate ways, and she hadn’t had another chance to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in combat—until now.

Meanwhile, within the Stellar Empire’s vanguard camp, a heated argument was breaking out.

This force was made up of three groups: members of the Ancient Academy, guards sent by the crown prince of the Stellar Empire along with Connell, and the elite warriors of Serpent tribes who had long since pledged loyalty to Aldany and the Empire.

Each side had a completely different view on what should be done next.

“I’ve told you already!” Maxwell said passionately. “We’ve received solid intel—Charles and his group will definitely strike tonight! That’s why I say we hold our ground and fortify our defenses.”

Maxwell wasn’t the strongest among the Ancient Academy’s people in the Atacama Desert, but as a third-tier Beast Master, he believed he had every right to speak up and command respect.

Connell let out a cold laugh and snapped,

“All you people think about is defense! Our goal this time is to take Withered Tree Fortress. Do you really think we can conquer it just by sitting here and defending? And if you’re so terrified of Charles, then why did you even come to fight?”

He was clearly eager to carry out the Stellar Empire crown prince’s orders as quickly as possible.

The guards sent by the crown prince agreed with Connell at once. They too began questioning the Ancient Academy’s intentions.

Aldany had been watching from the side with cold eyes. He was anxious as well, but his position was too sensitive for him to jump into the argument right away.

As Maxwell and Connell’s quarrel grew sharper, the whole camp grew restless and uneasy. Aldany leaned toward a Serpent at his side and muttered,

“His Highness should have appointed someone in charge. If this vanguard had a clear leader, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”

But the crown prince had purposely avoided naming a commander. He feared that if someone else led the vanguard, that person might claim more credit than him. Capturing Withered Tree Fortress was his greatest chance to secure the throne. If that credit slipped away, his path to becoming emperor would be much harder.

Maxwell raised his voice again, desperate.

“And what if we rush into an attack and fail? Then who will take responsibility?”

Unable to out-argue Connell, Maxwell tried to push the blame onto him instead.

Connell smirked, his expression full of scorn.

“You think such threats can scare me? I’m not afraid of responsibility. His Highness put me in the vanguard precisely because I’m eager to win merit quickly. If the attack fails, I’ll take the blame myself! Do you have anything else to say? Keep pestering me and don’t blame me if I draw my sword on you first.”

His eyes flashed with a chilling light as he spoke. The deadly intent in his gaze was enough to silence Maxwell.

Maxwell froze, stammering uselessly, unable to form a complete sentence.

At that moment, Aldany finally stepped forward. He knew that if he stayed quiet any longer, the quarrel would break into a bloody fight among themselves.

“I believe Connell is right,” Aldany said smoothly. “His Highness entrusted us with the vanguard because he has placed his hopes in us. We cannot betray that trust.

The defenses we’ve built here are already solid enough. Leave some men to hold them, and the rest of us can launch a strike on Withered Tree Fortress.”

His words were carefully balanced, pleasing both sides and leaving no room for attack.

Neither Connell nor Maxwell voiced any objection.

Connell had originally wanted everyone to abandon the defenses completely. But after hearing Aldany’s words, he gave up on that idea. If he really pushed for it, the others would surely start to question his true motives.

Maxwell, meanwhile, forced himself to calm down.

“Lord Aldany is right. We can’t be reckless. Even if we want to earn merit, we can’t throw every risk aside.”

As he spoke, he deliberately avoided looking at Connell. The ruthless glare Connell had shown earlier was still haunting him.

“Since we all agree, let’s prepare according to Lord Aldany’s plan. I’ll lead His Highness’s guards in the charge. The rest of you can stay here if you want.”

With those words, Connell turned on his heel and walked off. He had no interest in wasting more time arguing.

Watching this, Maxwell grew even more furious, convinced Connell was deliberately provoking him.

At that moment, Aldany stepped in smoothly.

“Don’t take it too personally. Connell’s family once committed a grave crime. He’s the last of his line. To restore his family’s honor—and to gain more power for himself—he has no choice but to seize this chance to win glory.”

Though Aldany had offered an explanation, Maxwell was far from convinced.

His voice was calm but solemn as he declared,

“Whatever the reason, I’ve taken note of him. When this war is over, I’ll make sure he pays a heavy price.”