A grunt who could be bought with just a little Corrupting Potion each day was hardly a burden to bring along. In fact, she could save him quite a bit of trouble.
Besides... Ahri could actually be pretty helpful sometimes—like when she'd stopped Yasuo and Yone from fighting to the death.
Having a fox as a support wasn't bad at all.
And... he might really need her help when they got to Fae'lor Island.
Her ability to steal other people's memories might be able to help that person...
"Then let's go. I'll take you to meet someone really powerful."
"Syndra."
Chapter 40: Samira, Double Agent
Inside a lavishly furnished tent, Emystan, the leader of the warband, watched the Overseer who had come to report to her. Once again, the hand holding her pen began lightly tapping it against the desk.
A faint smile played across her elegant, dignified face. She leaned her cheek against one hand, while an expensive coat rested ceremonially on her shoulders. Though she was well into her thirties, the air of noble femininity about her was unmistakable.
The classic Noxian aristocratic manner.
By comparison, the Overseer reporting on the battle was covered in mud and looked utterly disheveled. Even his armor had sustained some damage.
He knelt on one knee, trembling, his bowed head concealing his terrified eyes. He didn't even have the courage to look his superior in the face.
All because he had lost a battle.
And that alone was enough for his superior to strip him of his position and take half his life.
Even the once-glorious Jericho Swain had been stripped of all power after a single defeat, and had become a laughingstock of the empire—a cripple forever confined to a wheelchair, a failure.
In Noxus, power was everything, and military achievements were the best proof of it.
Only the strong earned respect. The weak were worth less than rats in the sewers.
"You lost a battle." Finally, after several minutes of silence, Emystan spoke. "A complete defeat, wasn't it?"
"...Yes." The Overseer managed to force out a single word.
"You failed to kill Yasuo, didn't you?"
"Yes..."
"Hmm... That was within my expectations. But... you didn't even manage to kill that Resistance Army member named Chen Ce, did you?"
"Yes..."
"But I sent every available soldier in the area to support you... Hundreds, even thousands of Noxian soldiers, and you couldn't kill a handful of people?"
"I'm very sorry, ma'am..."
"It's all right. I won't blame you." Emystan gave a soft laugh, her voice gentle.
Her slender fingers kept tapping the desk, making a steady rhythm, until her fingertips began to ache.
She smiled again. The fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes gave her an almost kindly appearance. "You may go. The next operation will proceed as planned—oh, right. How many jars are left?"
"Three wagons' worth," the Overseer answered at once. "The Placidium Plains are flat and low-lying, and the winds are strong enough. Three wagons of jars will be enough to cover the Resistance Army's main camp there."
"Excellent." Emystan nodded with satisfaction. "Then take the soldiers who lost the battle with you. This is your chance to make amends."
"Yes, ma'am!" Grateful to have escaped punishment, the Overseer left the tent full of fighting spirit.
He vowed to himself that he would perform well in the next mission and make up for his earlier defeat, repaying the commander's trust in him.
But he had no idea that the moment he left, his beloved commander, Emystan, wore a cruel smile.
"If someone has to be sacrificed anyway, then let's use the most useless ones as bait to lure away the Windswordsman—and have them perish alongside the Resistance Army. Heh..."
Meanwhile, across the sea, in the Noxian capital...
A woman concealed beneath a long coat, with an eyepatch over her right eye, slipped into a luxurious manor.
She moved quickly and nimbly, making virtually no sound as she climbed over walls or ran. A pair of black-and-white revolvers hung from the utility belt around her waist, looking all the more ominous beneath the overcast sky.
The guards patrolling the manor failed to notice her, and she easily picked the locks on doors that required keys.
In less than half an hour, she had made her way into the deepest part of the manor: a luxurious study nearly a hundred square meters in size, the sort of room only Noxian nobles could afford.
The instant the door locked behind her, the man seated inside the study looked at her with a mixture of shock and fear.
But he soon calmed down. The "assassin" before him slowly removed her hood, revealing a beautiful face.
"Samira? What brings you here?" The nobleman stood up with a concerned look, though there was a trace of displeasure in his voice at her barging into his study.
Well, it wasn't the first time.
Aside from the Immortal Bastion at the heart of Noxus, Samira never bothered to announce herself before entering anywhere.
She had the skill to do it, and she enjoyed putting it to use. She called it "infiltration training," though sometimes it angered the powerful and cost her high-paying contracts she might otherwise have landed.
"I'm back from Ionia." Samira strolled over and casually sat in the chair opposite him, in front of the desk. "Honestly, that 'trip to Ionia' was the most dangerous job I've had in years."
"It is a war, after all." The nobleman's eyes flashed with anger at her disrespectful behavior, but he didn't say much.
"By the way, I should mention that I failed to complete the contract."
"You failed? You couldn't kill your target?"
"Mm. He was too strong."
"That's surprising..." The nobleman looked taken aback. "I didn't think anyone outside the Crimson Elite could escape your pursuit."
"Heh." Samira let out a strange laugh, then stuffed a pastry from the desk into her mouth. Food reserved for nobles was expensive, after all.
A moment later, she asked with a hint of amusement, "You know, someone's trying to kill me now."
"Who? Your target?"
"No. Not one specific person, but... a lot of people."
"I understand. You've made plenty of enemies over the years."
"But the people trying to kill me this time... are in Noxus."
"Hm?"
The nobleman was just about to ask what she meant when a sharp dagger pressed against his throat.
"W-what are you doing...?!"
"What am I doing? Isn't it obvious?" Samira shrugged. Her slender fingers slowly pushed the blade forward, and blood immediately welled from the broken skin.
The nobleman fell silent at once. The hand he'd been about to use to sound the alarm stopped on the desk.
"What's the point of pretending you don't know at this stage?" Samira smiled. "Someone in Noxus wants me dead. A lot of people, in fact."
"It has nothing to do with me..." The nobleman could barely stay on his feet.
"But you knew about it. My mission failed, and I made it back to Noxus alive. The people at the top will want to silence me, won't they?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Emystan. Was she the one who issued the secret order for my arrest?"
"I really don't know..."
"You don't know? Fine, fine..." Samira twisted her wrist. The sharp dagger instantly sliced across half the nobleman's face, and blood spurted out.
Before he could cry out in pain, she planted her boot on his mouth.
"I suggest you start telling me everything you know, you filthy swine!"
"Ugh..." The nobleman let out a series of pained whimpers, but soon fell silent under the threat of the blade.
"Now tell me: who asked you to pass that contract on to me?" Samira asked as she moved her boot away.
"I-I really don't know..." Blood and tears streamed down the nobleman's face. "I only received a secret letter... from Emystan... I really don't know anything else!"
"Emystan, huh... Heh. We'll get to the torture devices later. For now, tell me what other jobs Emystan gave you."
"N-none..."
"Oh?" Samira pulled another dagger from her belt and hurled it at his right hand.
Crack—! Two fingers snapped off.
"Ugh...! Uuugh...!" His agonized screams were muffled once again.
A moment later, Samira asked, "Two fingers at a time. You've got four chances left."
"Fine... The alchemical... alchemical weapons!" The pampered noble's son couldn't take the pain and gave in at once. "She told me to ship a batch of alchemical weapons over! But not from Fae'lor Island, which has already been conquered. They have to be sent through the strait to the south!"
"The strait to the south..." Samira silently noted this crucial detail, then went to the window and drew the curtains.
As darkness fell, she wore a cruel smile.
"You're a clever swine. Good. Now let's have a little more of a chat..."
Chapter 41: Ahri's Origins
After parting ways with Irelia and the others in the Resistance Army, Chen Ce took Ahri south for three straight days.
They traveled for three days and nights without stopping. It wasn't until the evening of the fourth day that he found a small town where people still lived.
The farther south they went, the closer they came to the coast, and the more obvious the signs of Noxian invasion became. Many villages and towns had been looted and left deserted; some had even been burned to the ground and reduced to ruins... Finding a town where people still lived was no easy task.
Two and a half years of war had inflicted far too much damage on this land. Countless people had been forced to flee their homes and become displaced.
The town Chen Ce found wasn't particularly remote. It was nestled between mountains and water, with pleasant scenery, and it likely had plenty of resources such as minerals and grain. Under the circumstances, it was a miracle the Noxian Legion hadn't looted it.
It was almost as if... someone were protecting the town.
Of course, none of that concerned Chen Ce. He was just passing through, and he was only staying the night to rest and buy a few supplies.
As soon as they entered the inn, Ahri rushed into the bathroom to take a bath. Though "canines" weren't as fastidious as cats, going several days without a bath still made her feel awful.
She was a fox girl who liked to keep clean, after all.
As for why she hadn't done what Chen Ce did and simply made do with a nearby stream... Well, she was still a little afraid of him, given the "perverted" things he'd done to Samira.
They were just employer and employee. She wouldn't dare undress and bathe in front of Chen Ce with her guard down when they were alone.
What if... what if...
What if Chen Ce gave in to his bestial urges...
And stole her clothes to sell them? That would be absolutely horrifying.
"I'd better take my clothes into the bathroom with me." Before going in, Ahri shot Chen Ce a wary look. "Don't even think about stealing my clothes. This is the only outfit I have!"
"...Sometimes I wonder if you're really the Nine-Tailed Fox." Chen Ce sighed. "Shouldn't you be more worried about me doing something to you than stealing your clothes?"
"Doing what?"
"Something... weird."
"What do you mean, something weird?" Ahri looked so innocent that it was hard not to wonder whether she was really a fox spirit.
What an innocent little fox...
"Never mind." Chen Ce shook his head. "Go ahead and wash up. I'll go buy some supplies."
"Okay!" Ahri closed the bathroom door, but her silhouette on it still showed that she was taking off her clothes. Her graceful figure was certainly seductive.
With her voluptuous curves... even the two little peaks on her chest stood out in shadow... Her nine fox tails rested obediently to one side, leaving her beautiful body uncovered and, if anything, outlining a uniquely alluring figure...
Chen Ce didn't dare look for long. He picked up the cloth pouch containing his coins and left the room.
The sun had already set, and the town's market was deserted. So he had no choice but to ask the innkeeper if he could buy some provisions.
The innkeeper was a middle-aged Vastaya man, and seemed fairly straightforward. He soon brought half a crate of provisions from the storeroom—jerky and locally made biscuits, all high-energy foods that were easy to preserve and store.
"I'll take six silver coins for all of this. How does that sound?" The innkeeper's price seemed reasonable.
Chen Ce didn't haggle. He readily bought the half-crate of provisions.
Ahri didn't eat much ordinary food, so the provisions would last him more than half a month if he ate them alone.
With the food taken care of, he casually asked, "This town seems pretty peaceful... Have the Noxians never come here?"
"Of course they have." The innkeeper pointed upward as he spoke, indicating the floor above. "There are Noxians staying right here."
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