Allied Forces Have Already Cast a Net That Reaches Heaven and Earth!

"...I'm quite surprised. I had thought the Empire had sealed off all that intelligence of mine, that no one else could possibly know it. It seems Baron Myka's intelligence network is even more outstanding than I imagined."

Sellviya gave Myka across from her a deep look, but did not press the matter. Instead, she pulled out the chair before her and sat down, then poured herself a cup of black tea as she calmly asked,

"But compared to all that, I'm actually more curious about why you sought me out."

"Not that I'm being nosy, but with the Allied Forces defeated as they are now, as a lord, you should find it difficult to spare time and energy for a meeting with a lowly person like me. Yet you still did so."

"Hmm, I have to say, this situation is rather suspicious. Let me guess—could it be that you received a special operation order from some important figure?"

"..."

"Looks like I guessed right. But there's no need to look at me with such a frightening gaze. I can assure you, there are no spies of mine inside the baron's castle."

"The reason I guessed as much was merely because, while touring the baron's residence just now, I noticed that the direct Lineage members who should have been present had, for some reason, not shown themselves today."

"Also, if I remember correctly, around noon today, Bahamut Town seemed to gain a foreign merchant caravan. There were quite a lot of people, young and old alike. They did not look like merchants at all, but more like refugees fleeing with their entire families."

"What do you think of that, esteemed Mr. Myka?"

"...Just as that lady judged, Sellviya, not only do you possess astonishing strength, you are also extremely intelligent. Pino being able to die by your hand truly was his honor."

Seeing Sellviya casually expose his arrangements, Myka did not become angry. He merely took a sip of tea to settle his emotions, then voluntarily revealed some information.

"Since you took the initiative to attend this meeting, I presume you already know that the Allied Forces have been defeated. The Empire is currently sending troops to mop up the remaining forces in the Walden region, as well as suppress and govern the other unoccupied towns in Walden Territory. Bahamut is also on that list."

"Furthermore, perhaps because the Allied Forces annihilated a severely wounded Imperial unit near us yesterday, the Empire is taking the occupation of Bahamut Town extremely seriously."

"According to the latest intelligence sent back by our agents, the Empire has now assigned an Imperial commander to lead a force of more than six hundred men here, tasked with occupying and governing Bahamut."

"And the reason I sought you out is related to this matter."

Recalling the arrangements made by the Allied Forces lieutenant general in the telegram, Baron Myka felt a chill run through his heart. He could not help taking a deep breath before slowly setting down his empty teacup. Then, facing Sellviya's flickering gaze, he said in a low voice,

"That lady hopes you can eliminate the commander the Empire has sent this time. Ideally, remove his head and bring it back. Once his death has been confirmed..."

"As your reward for completing the task, you may directly join the Allied Forces' Fifth Battle Group and serve under that lady as the commander of an army special operations unit with no fewer than six hundred men. Your starting rank will be captain."

So the person behind Myka was part of the Allied Forces' upper ranks.

No wonder he had taken the initiative to seek her out and knew all that information about her past.

If it was the Allied Forces, then everything made sense.

But the Fifth Battle Group?

If she remembered correctly, wasn't that the unit where the Kingdom strategist from Victoria Kingdom, known as the Star of Dawn, served?

So the person speaking to her this time had been arranged by that Star of Dawn?

If that was truly the case, then the Fifth Battle Group would not be a bad destination for her.

After all, that person had fought several times against the Empire's damned White-Haired Demon General.

At merely twenty-three years old, she had independently commanded forty-six wars involving over ten thousand participants each, and every one had ended in victory for the Allied Forces.

If Sellviya could work for such a powerful person, then her goal of destroying the Empire would likely have a high chance of being realized.

Sellviya was somewhat tempted, but none of it showed on her face. She merely raised an eyebrow and said teasingly,

"Captain? That position is a little lower than I expected, but it will do."

"Also, I'm curious about exactly who this commander the Empire sent to suppress Bahamut is. For even you, Baron Myka, to call that lady so concerned about him, he must be somebody. Would it be convenient for you to tell me? That way, I can judge whether I am capable of taking on this mission."

"Although I believe my strength is indeed not bad, I have to admit that the Empire has quite a few powerful people."

"For example, that famous Imperial Ghost Walker. Against someone like that, whose spells come without a shadow and depart without a trace, a lowly person with nothing but brute strength like me would be in truly fatal danger."

"So, if you have detailed intelligence on the target, you may as well tell me. Let me consider it carefully."

"Although I do have a personal grudge against the Empire and think every moment of how to retaliate against it, I'm actually rather cowardly. I can't take mercenary jobs with risks that are too high."

At fifteen, she had single-handedly destroyed an Imperial magic-enhancement laboratory. At sixteen, with her strength alone, she had slaughtered an Imperial army force numbering nearly six hundred.

That same year, she had forcibly crossed the border, torn open the Imperial border garrison's defensive line with terrifying brute force that left people in awe, broken out alive from an area guarded by elite troops, and reached the Kingdom.

If someone like you was still a coward, then everyone in Bahamut Town, every last one of them, would not even deserve to be called trash!

Baron Myka sneered inwardly. To be honest, he was indeed rather afraid of this monstrous beastkin woman.

But when he thought of that lieutenant general's arrangements, his confidence grew considerably.

He knew that even this woman, who believed her martial strength was no weaker than the Star-Shattering Sword Saint's, would ultimately become a chess piece in the plans of Lieutenant General Roxy, the woman known as the Star of Dawn, just like him.

Therefore, Myka did not refuse Sellviya's probing. Instead, he spoke frankly.

"Do not worry. Your target this time is named John Maslow. He is a low-ranking commander of an Imperial Mage Soldier mobile unit. He has little combat experience, and his individual combat strength is unknown."

"The only thing we can use for reference is the intelligence our agents sent regarding him. He received perfect evaluations in both the magical spellwork and shooting courses at the Imperial Military Academy. Thus, we can basically conclude that he does possess a certain degree of combat ability, probably equivalent to a member of a special operations unit. He does not pose a great threat to you."

"However, John Maslow's individual combat strength is not important. What comes next is the key. Based on that lady's analysis, he is intelligent and exceptionally skilled at using schemes. It can be said that the Allied Forces' defeat in this battle was entirely his handiwork."

"And even more troublesome, compared with the Empire's White-Haired Demon General, this man named John Maslow is utterly unscrupulous in his methods."

"In this war, he despicably employed a false-surrender tactic and successfully destroyed the Allied Forces' Anti-Magic Device. It was precisely this action that gave the Empire its opportunity to turn the tables in the Walden War."

"A person who treats the laws of war as nothing and possesses no moral bottom line at all is undoubtedly far more cunning and ruthless than the White-Haired Demon General was in his youth. He is a genius commander with the bearing of a true warlord."

"Therefore, to prevent him from growing and becoming a future calamity for the Allied Forces, that lady issued me this order to assassinate him."

"That is all the intelligence on John Maslow."

After the White-Haired Demon General Dormammu, had the Empire produced another outstanding young commander?

It had to be said that this was truly a heavy blow to the Allied Forces.

In that case, it was no wonder they would not hesitate to tear off all pretense and launch such an assassination operation.

After all, a single White-Haired Demon General had already allowed the Empire, which should have been destroyed long ago, to drag out its miserable existence until now. If another appeared, the Allied Forces' victory over the Empire might have to be postponed by another hundred years.

Listening to Baron Myka's description, Sellviya immediately understood.

However, she did not agree at once. She unhurriedly lifted her black tea and took a sip, then asked Myka before her with great interest, "I understand the target's situation. What about the specific mission plan? Baron Myka, surely you do not think I can simply withstand the bombardment of Imperial Mage Soldiers by myself and directly take his head?"

"Although half-dragons do have a certain resistance to magic, there is a limit to it. Forget six hundred Mage Soldiers—even the casting of thirty men would probably leave not even ashes of me behind."

"And I believe you understand that very clearly, don't you?"

After saying that, Sellviya looked at Myka across from her with a smile that did not reach her eyes, waiting for his answer.

She did want to join the Allied Forces, but she would not die for an empty promise.

If it were six hundred ordinary army soldiers, she could give it a try. Properly displaying her strength would allow the Allied Forces to reassess her value.

But if it were six hundred Mage Soldiers...

Forget it. Before such a terrifying monster army, forget trying to kill that so-called target.

Even approaching him would be difficult to achieve.

What was more, his cunning was supposedly far greater than the White-Haired Demon General's?

If the intelligence Myka described was true, then Sellviya had no doubt that the moment she infiltrated within one kilometer of his camp, before she could even carry out her assassination plan, what awaited her would be the Mage Soldiers' explosive magic capable of destroying everything.

She needed Myka to produce a practical plan that could convince her.

Otherwise, this so-called assassination mission was destined to be a one-way ticket to hell.

And she would never rush to throw her life away.

"That is only natural. Considering the target's special nature, that lady has already made arrangements for this assassination operation in advance."

Myka did not become angry at her words, since Sellviya's reaction was also within that lady's expectations.

It could only be said that she truly deserved to be Victoria Kingdom's most gifted commander. Before preparing the plan, she had considered every factor and possible change.

Even though he himself had been unwilling, had he not ultimately, under her arrangements, obediently cooperated, abandoned the Lineage's foundation of several centuries, and chosen to become one of her chess pieces?

Myka could not help sighing inwardly. Casting aside his complicated thoughts, he met Sellviya's scrutinizing gaze and slowly revealed that lady's arrangements for this assassination mission.

"The arrangements for this assassination mission are as follows. We have already gathered soldiers around the four villages under Bahamut Town's jurisdiction."

"Once John Maslow leads his troops to Bahamut Town, I will pretend to surrender and cooperate with him in governing the town. At the same time, I will create some trouble for him, then personally step forward to help resolve it, thereby gaining his trust and lowering his guard."

"While he is busy handling administrative affairs, those four units should also have completed their assembly and joined forces."

"At that time, I will send someone to give the signal, ordering those four units to feign a counterattack on Bahamut Town and draw John Maslow's attention. If nothing unexpected happens, he will certainly organize his soldiers to defend the town and arrange for me to lead my personal guards in coordination."

"Accordingly, the number of guards around him will decrease. Then, Sellviya, you can disguise yourself beforehand as a maid of the baron's residence. At night, using service as your excuse, you can take the opportunity to approach him and strike, eliminating him completely."

"This is the entire plan for the mission. Are you satisfied?"

After saying that, Myka calmly looked at the red-haired woman before him. Although her expression remained tranquil,

the flicker in her eyes made Myka fully aware of one thing.

This woman would definitely agree in the end.

Because this scheme had been proposed by the Star of Dawn herself. The exquisite calculations and contest of human nature within it made one certain, the instant one learned of it, that this was an absolutely flawless plan.

No one could refuse such merit delivered right to their doorstep.

Not even Sellviya.

False surrender, a feigned attack, and assassination?

A chain of poisonous schemes, and it even seemed to borrow from that John Maslow's tactics.

This style of imitating others' tactics and defeating them in the field they excelled at most must surely be the handiwork of the Star of Dawn.

It seemed the Allied Forces were not entirely made up of fools!

In that case, under the plans of the Allied Forces' one and only Lady Star of Dawn, this mission no longer had any possibility of failure.

It seemed she had no reason to reject such benefits delivered to her doorstep, either.

A smile slowly curled Sellviya's lips. Yet she did not agree immediately. After pondering for a while, she slowly spoke beneath Myka's puzzled gaze.

"A very good scheme. Before such a net that reaches heaven and earth, no matter how intelligent John Maslow may be, he will likely be unable to escape death. I have no reason to refuse. However, I need to make one change to the mission details."

"I have no interest whatsoever in becoming a maid. On the other hand, I am quite interested in becoming your daughter."

Sellviya said so with a cheerful smile.

She was certain she had no ability to play the role of a maid.

But more importantly, she did not trust Myka. Even now, she could not be sure whether this cunning old bastard would kill the donkey once it had ground the grain after using her.

Therefore, the best method was to bind her own interests together with his.

Only by creating a situation where they would rise together in glory and fall together in ruin could she ensure that, after successfully killing John Maslow, she would not become Baron Myka's discarded pawn.

At that thought, Sellviya's smile grew even more radiant.

Then, ignoring Baron Myka's dark expression, she turned to him with a smile as bright as a flower and said,

"So, my dear father, are you ready to welcome the Imperial commander who is about to arrive with me?"