Chapter 74: Return journey

  After the bird-like Devil beast died, everything immediately became easier. The five of them joined forces with Leader Mei. Together, they stopped the fire wolf Devil beast's movements.

  Nitaan threw a bag of paralyzing powder to Leader Mei and explained how to use it.

  When it became one-on-one. Leader Mei easily paralyzed the wide-mouthed Devil beasts with her new treasure. Unable to move, dozens of formless spears swiftly pierced its body.

  When it became six-on-one, the fire wolf Devil beast's fate was sealed. It was killed in less than a minute.

  5 Half-step Second word Devil beasts was slain.

  While power dictates everything, power without wisdom is no different from prey waiting to be dealt with by someone with both power and intelligence.

  Individual ability, experience, strategy, and treasures. In a real battle of life and death, everything counts.

  Even though these Half-step Second word Devil beast are stronger than Unit 3, they are still just beasts. Their intelligence isn't that high.

  An intelligent race like humans, on the other hand, wouldn't fight empty-handed like these Devil beasts. When fighting an intelligent race, it is crucial to be concerned about treasures. After all, if they manage to comprehend their own Word of Power and reach Engraver. They are certainly not fools.

  The great battle ended. 5 Devil beasts were all wiped out. Most of the valuable materials were given to the FlameFrost Village to cover the costs of repairing the village. The rest was divided among them. Princess Pailin refused any share, even though she lost the most treasure. Instead, she smiled and replied casually,

  ‘This doesn't even faze my wallet.’

  Hearing this, Nitaan felt a chill run down his spine. He roughly estimated the value of Pailin's lost treasure in this battle, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for himself. His entire life savings weren't even half the price of these treasures.

  Thanks to Princess Pailin's dedication, all the evacuated villagers were unharmed. Many tried to hold another feast for them, but this time Princess Pailin herself declined. She had been away from Ratana City for too long. After all, she is Princess Pailin of the Firegan Kingdom. She had many responsibilities to fulfill.

  Although the village chief initially couldn't believe it, the events of tonight convinced him completely that the entire affair was orchestrated by Sila, who wanted to create difficult circumstances for Princess Pailin during her royal mission, all to damage her reputation and highlight her incompetence.

  They departed from the FlameFrost Village amidst praise and gratitude from the villagers. The village still needed reconstruction, so she sent a portion of her soldiers to help repair the village and promised to send more people to help as soon as possible.

  Inside the luxurious carriage devoid of royal insignia, Unit 3 and Princess Pailin gazed out the window. The FlameFrost Village had disappeared from their sight. Nitaan noticed the distant snow-capped mountain once again.

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  Even though there was tons of trouble, they still completed the mission.

  “Princess Pailin, Nitaan, can you explain to us how you knew it was Sila?” Gion said.

  Everyone turned to look at them. This had been bothering Unit 3 for a while. When Princess Pailin and Nitaan secretly communicated with them about setting a trap by leaving the village, they were completely bewildered.

  At that time, she didn't say much, only that they should prepare quickly. Whether it was gathering villagers into one half of the village, activating Candle-light Curtain Incense, or using Three Stage Circlet, all required preparation time. Therefore, they weren't given a detailed explanation.

  Princess Pailin and Nitaan chuckled softly.

  “We have to give credit to Pailin/Nitaan!” they both said in unison. Hearing this, they looked at each other before laughing again.

  “Nitaan sensed that Sila was acting strangely. Like making a mistake and letting that Devil beast escape. And there’s also his strange behavior. He was too eager to know how Kiita was able to find the Vaira Locust,” Princess Pailin laughed.

  “There’s also the fact that he seemed determined to get Pailin to call for reinforcements and was against our hunt that night. It’s clear he wanted this mission to fail completely so he could frame Pailin, using the mask of pretending to care for the villagers to cover it up,” Nitaan explained further.

  “Actually, at first I was just a little uneasy. After we dealt with the Vaira Locust, I thought it was really over. If Pailin hadn’t told me she had a strange feeling, I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out,” Nitaan added.

  “At that time, I felt really strange but couldn’t find an answer. It was like many things around us contradicted each other. Like, why did that locust camouflage itself but leave bodies around? Why did some villagers seem to have died before being killed? Why did it know we were going to attack first?” Princess Pailin rapidly points out what's been bugging her in the past.

  “After talking to Nitaan and finding out he felt the same way, we came up with a plan together.” Princess Pailin continued.

  “The plan was to not leave the village and put Sila into anxiety. So that once we leave, He'll rush to attack the village that night, right?" Leader Mei asked.

  “So, Colonel Lalanta’s voice was fake then!” Napha exclaimed in surprise.

  “It was real. I just told Colonel Lalanta to send that voice. The content is fake,” Nitaan replied.

  “That way it would look like we were forced to return without any choice,” Princess Pailin laughed.

  “But if Sila hadn’t left the village that night, we wouldn’t have been able to set the traps and evacuate the villagers. Your Highness knew he would have gone out to the forest that night?" Leader Mei suddenly asked.

  “Yes. Sila isn’t stupid. He knows Princess Pailin has a secret guard protecting her. Even if she has already returned, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Preparing in the forest far away from human eyes is way safer,” Nitaan explained.

  Unit 3 nodded. If it were them, they wouldn’t dare prepare in the village either.

  “We are also lucky that Sila’s new Devil beast lost control. If not, we would have had to rely on Nitaan to find Sila.” At that time, Sila showed up by himself because that Devil beast showed signs of losing control.

  Still, it is a close call. There's no way I could predict that Sila has treasures that hold 5 Half-step Second word Devil beasts inside," Princess Pailin sighed.

  "True, we have to thank Your Highness's abilities for dealing with those two Devil beasts. Otherwise, they might be more casualties." Napha rubbed his arm. It was a very close call. Five Devil beasts were far too much for them.

  Princess Pailin raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing this. She glanced at Nitaan, who was calmly grooming Kiita, pretending not to hear.

  She smiled slightly and nodded in response to Napha.

  "But at the end, there was that talisman and that red energy." Tawan frowned slightly. The other members of Unit 3 also looked serious. That red energy killed both Sila and empowered the five Devil beasts simultaneously.

  It was used so cleanly that there was no trace left.

  Princess Pailin smiled faintly. She shrugged slightly, leaning back comfortably in her seat.

  “It’s probably one of my brothers’ schemes. He’s probably furious by now. His plan failed miserably, and now I can spread the news about our success.” Princess Pailin smiled faintly.

  “What should the news be titled? 'The Brave Princess Pailin, leading a single troop of soldiers and a unit from the City Guard, subdued six Devil beasts, killed Second word Engraver, and saved hundreds of villagers!’ How about that?” Princess Pailin laughed.

  Unit 3 couldn’t help but laugh as well. Princess Pailin had truly accomplished something big this time. If the people heard this news, her reputation would surely soar.

  Although the atmosphere inside the carriage was cheerful, a fire blazed in Princess Pailin’s pink eyes.

  Brother, this time you almost killed hundreds of people. This won’t end easily. Princess Pailin buried her anger in her heart, waiting for the day she could exact her revenge.