Chapter 241: Time to Borrow Your Hands

Chapter 241

Time to Borrow Your Hands

“Did the Fernal family help you? If so, wouldn’t they be suspicious of why someone secretly wants to act against you?” Prince Jason was slightly surprised, but more concerned that the noble behind this might be too scared to reveal any traces.

“It’s unlikely, Your Highness. I was clear-headed enough to tell them that they might be after the magical equipment I was tasked with cleaning. The Fernal family simply checked the culprit and left.”

“Mmm, and then?” Jason had no further doubts. These people had informed him that they were assigned to clean magical equipment, a task that was labor-intensive but didn’t risk lives. Many viewed it as an undesirable job, so it was usually done by punished soldiers or those who weren’t close to anyone. It wasn’t surprising that the Fernal family believed them.

However, Jason was not like Ellie, who knew that the Fernal family was actually behind it. She didn’t believe that the Hart family would move on their own; they had always been assistants. Perhaps this help was to atone for something. That’s why...this led the prince to target the wrong people.

“Yes, Your Highness. We found this on the assassin’s chest.” The soldier immediately took out the command cloth. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary piece of cloth. However, Prince Jason, familiar with high-quality fabrics, narrowed his eyes dangerously.

“This is Lulan silk, the renowned silk of the Res family, isn’t it?”

“Huh?” The soldiers didn’t understand. For them, high-quality fabric was just high-quality fabric. How could it be divided into Lulan silk or other silks? However, Lulan silk’s characteristic was unique as it had a fragrance of Lulan fruits. Without being nearby to check, it was impossible to tell.

“Huh, huh...It seems I was right.”

“Uh, Your Highness, do you know who the culprit is?” They looked at each other. Even if this was Res family’s silk, so what? Couldn’t many people buy such fabric?

“The Res family is very loyal to my elder brother. I initially thought the only one who could make a move was him. If he could eliminate me during the war, it wouldn’t be suspected as fratricide but rather as my unfortunate death in battle. I always thought...the one to benefit most is my brother Joseph. Without any competitors, his throne wouldn’t be threatened!”

Jason clenched his fists tightly. He wanted to confront his brother immediately and ask if he truly wanted to kill him just for the throne. Why not fight openly? Why plotted behind his back!? All this time, he had tried to fight with his own strength. Many families wanted to lend a hand, like the Jarlon family of his fiancée, yet he hadn’t used any of their power for underhanded tactics. So why...

“Uh, I think...”

“I know. From now on, investigate more thoroughly! You must find more concrete evidence. Even if my brother uses dirty tricks against me, I won’t stoop to his level!”

Unbeknownst to Jason, he had already fallen into the enemy’s trap. It was true that the Fernal family had a young lady betrothed to Prince Joseph. Making Prince Jason suspicious of Prince Joseph wasn’t good, but it wasn’t bad either. They were destined to be enemies. This was merely borrowing the already strained relationship to their advantage. As long as there was no solid evidence against Prince Joseph, what could Prince Jason do but swallow his own resentment.

In the meantime, they could also reap the benefits from this situation. After all...the people of the Rhea Kingdom never intended to kill Prince Jason. And if they did want to, it would only benefit them even more, wouldn’t it? They wouldn’t need to find a way to eliminate Prince Jason to clear the path for Prince Joseph. Once Prince Joseph became the next Emperor, their daughter Vivian would become the Empress.

When that day came, they would amass as many benefits for their family as possible. And...the Setters family, who thought they have everything under control, would have to pay for it!!

While Prince Jason continued on the path set for him, and the Fernal family, the Hart family, and the people of the Rhea Kingdom were confident in their abilities, they remained unaware that someone was planning to counteract them!

The next morning, Ellie submitted her mission for the following week. So, from today, she had 13 days before she needed to submit her next mission. Ellie was unsure when the people from the Rhea Kingdom would arrive, but she was prepared for their visit.

Aman and the prince also returned in the morning. To avoid making the journey more difficult, traveling to the camp as quickly as possible while there was still daylight was a better option than traveling at night. So, shortly after regrouping, they set off.

Both of them brought weapons, potions, and various equipment for use in the camp. Once they brought everything, they left them with Ellie because they still had to be on guard while traveling back to the camp.

Before they set out, Ellie noticed some unusual movements among the soldiers. It seemed they were genuinely wary that Ellie might know something from the Apothecary Celey. But when they saw Ellie leave without any suspicious behavior, they were relieved. Moreover...the soldier Ellie had manipulated also helped by speaking about the matter. In the end, they left with a sense of complacency.

Knowing how skilled the prince and Second Young Lord Aman were, the soldiers didn’t send anyone to follow them during the journey. Otherwise, it might have aroused the prince’s suspicion and made him more cautious. They knew that soon the soldiers of the Rhea Kingdom would take action, so there was no need to exhaust themselves...

After arriving at the camp, there wasn’t much to do. Aman trained with the additional resources he had received, and so did the prince. Ryker and Wint took turns ensuring the camp’s security, while Zoey remained with Duchess Ellie.

“My lady, are you sure...you don’t want to tell anyone about this?” Zoey was slightly worried. She wanted Ellie to tell either Second Young Lord Aman or the prince about this matter. However, Duchess Ellie insisted on keeping it a secret. To deceive the enemy, they must first deceive their own. So, she asked Zoey to act as usual and not to be overly cautious. Ellie would handle everything else.

“Mmm. If this reaches the prince’s ears, he certainly won’t stay still. He might make unusual moves that could be noticed. You see him as he is, but his nature is too straightforward. He doesn’t like being betrayed, especially by friends, and he doesn’t want to see his friends in trouble because of him.”

“If he knew everyone at this camp was in danger because of him, he would take drastic action to send everyone back to the city. If that happens...getting rid of the scum from the Rhea Kingdom would be difficult.”

“They use poison, so their fighting style isn’t normal. If it’s next time that we didn’t know how they would attack, it could be a disadvantage for us. But this time, we know in advance what will happen.”

“Do you understand what I mean?” Ellie asked Zoey again. She wanted the girl to learn to handle everything calmly. Ellie knew Zoey was scared of what was coming. Since learning that someone intended to kill all the students at the camp, Zoey had wanted to rush back and warn everyone to be prepared. However...Ellie told her to keep quiet. Zoey must be very confused.

Ellie’s plan was to turn the tables on them. Since they believed no one knew their plan, let them proceed complacently. In the end, they would find out who they were really dealing with!!

“I...then what will you do, my lady?” Zoey swallowed hard. As Ellie expected, Zoey was very scared. But seeing Ellie unfazed by the situation, how could she show weakness?

Despite her fear, the young girl nodded firmly. Whatever Ellie ordered next, she would do her best. Her mentor had already taught her that as a knight, she should never fear sacrificing her life for her master when necessary!

Zoey remembered this lesson well. She couldn’t let anything happen to the kind person who had given her so much money!

“Duchess Ellie, you can order me to do anything. Since you said not to speak about this to anyone, your only assistant is me. So...whatever you need me to do, I’m ready to do it.”

“Really? Such a good girl.” Ellie laughed softly. Zoey’s peculiar demeanor was quite endearing.

This was the young girl’s first fight. In her first year, she already faced such danger. It was commendable that she didn’t break down in tears.

“Th-thank you, my lady. So, what would you like me to do?”

“Mmm, could you please go and fetch Lady Nadia for me? Ask her to come privately and tell her I want to discuss the stratagems with her. Don’t let anyone else become suspicious,” Ellie thought for a moment and finally assigned Zoey a task she could handle well.

Although Zoey was a bit surprised that her task seemed too easy, Duchess Ellie wasn’t joking. She spoke seriously, so Zoey rushed out of the tent immediately. Shortly after, Nadia arrived at Ellie’s tent...

.....................

“What I asked you to do shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

“Hmph, are you underestimating the skills of the young lady from the Ryuger family? Why wouldn’t I be able to handle such a task?”

“That’s right. In that case, I’ll leave it to you. I heard you usually try to create stratagems, right? So, just change the type of stratagem you’re creating. Will that be a problem?”

“It’s no problem. If the noble Duchess Ellie asks for it...” Nadia shrugged indifferently, but Ellie knew this was just to maintain her image. If Nadia didn’t really want to help, she wouldn’t have come to the tent immediately after Zoey fetched her.

If it was in the past, she would have responded with, “Why should I go to her? If your duchess wants to say something, she should come here herself. Such rudeness!”

The relationship between Ellie and Nadia had improved a lot since they were in the same camp. Ever since Nadia was chosen to be in the same mission group as Ellie, she had become much friendlier, although she still maintained her proud demeanor.

This time, Ellie asked Nadia and the students from the Stratagem Creation Branch to help create as many level 1 “Wind Flow” stratagems as possible, with Nadia leading the effort. Once each stratagem was completed, they were to be installed around the camp. Ellie didn’t hide her reasons for this request.

She told Nadia that the Rhea Kingdom had previously invaded the Fragrant Held Forest and almost managed to take dwon the students from the Beast Training Branch. Fortunately, skilled hunters were there to help. To prevent the camp from being attacked by poison from people of the Rhea Kingdom again, preparing the Wind Flow stratagems was necessary.

The Wind Flow stratagem was a level 1 stratagem usually used to help disperse odors when hunters set up camp. It prevented outside winds from bringing harmful substances into the camp. Many times, hunters had to do missions in swampy areas or places with a musty smell, which could be dangerous if inhaled too much. So, they used these level 1 stratagems to help.

Therefore, these level 1 stratagems, which were not difficult to create but needed in large quantities, would help manage the poison carried by the wind effectively.

Additionally, Ellie asked the students to always be prepared for encounters with poison users by having antidotes ready at all times. Since they didn’t know what form the danger might take, having antidotes easily accessible would be the best precaution.

Of course, Nadia didn’t realize that the danger Ellie spoke of wasn’t just a prediction but a situation that would indeed happen in the future. Nevertheless, she didn’t dismiss Ellie’s words. The students from the Stratagem Creation Branch had already been working hard to avoid being seen as taking advantage of others. They had created a large number of stratagems, and if you looked closely, you’d see that the stratagems surrounding the camp were more than 2 layers deep.

Once through the first layer, there was another level 1-star stratagems in the 2nd layer. If they had more time, there would surely be a 3rd and 4th layer as well!!

“Is that everything? In that case, I’ll go out and tell them to stop making the Speed Reduction stratagems and start making Wind Flow stratagems instead.”

“That would be very helpful. And one more thing...I’d like you to remove the flags that mark the positions of all the stratagems.”

“Hmm? But that’s against the rules for setting up stratagems. If we remove them...someone might accidentally get caught in the traps!” Nadia immediately disagreed, causing Ellie’s delicate eyebrows to knit together slightly.

Nadia was right. There was a risk that their own people might unintentionally get hurt by the stratagems. Moreover, the stratagem creators would likely be installing stratagems continuously before the Rhea Kingdom’s forces arrived. Without the flags, they themselves might fall into the traps!

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is. We can’t do that,” Nadia nodded vigorously. In the end, Ellie had to let it go.

She decided to destroy those flags with her multipurpose spores when the enemies attacked!