Chapter 24: An Interlude

Vladkov frowned. He could sense the anger in the other person’s words. In fact, he had no intention of worsening relations with Miss Finitz, but her temper was simply too fierce. He didn’t want her to truly think she could command the entire expeditionary force.

He had originally planned to say a few more words, but Vladkov suddenly felt there was no need for further explanation. After all, the purpose of his Black Flame Knights and mages coming to Mistflower Hills was simple: to eliminate the threat posed by the dark elves and cave elves to the forest elves, including the Assyrians behind them.

The first task was relatively straightforward, but the Assyrians behind these creatures were a troublesome issue that wasn’t easy to deal with, especially along the coasts of the Storm Ocean, thousands of miles away from the Caucasus. Even though Hayredin’s maritime forces had expanded to those coastal areas, on land, the Assyrians were undisputed rulers. Without a ground army to back them up, the Black Flame Knights and mages alone would find it difficult to shake the Assyrians’ foundation—a fact both Vladkov and Komer were well aware of.

“There’s time enough,” were Komer’s words to Vladkov before he left. This meant that for now, Komer only hoped Vladkov would lead the Black Flame Knights and mages to deal a blow to the overconfident Assyrians. It would be fine to address the issue more thoroughly once things stabilized in Nicomedia.

Vladkov already had a rough plan in mind: to completely break the back of the dark elves and cave elves, preventing them from acting as pawns for the Assyrians. As for the Assyrians themselves, they couldn’t enter Mistflower Hills on their own, which would greatly delay their advance. If necessary, they could even engage the Assyrians head-on to assess their true strength and gather information for future confrontations.

“Huh?” Jacques stopped in his tracks, raising his right hand to the sky. His companions immediately halted as well, adopting a vigilant stance.

Intermittent sounds of metal colliding came from afar. They carried so far across this desolate land that even Vladkov was unsure who might come to this remote place to engage in a fight.

The members of the Black Flame Knights quickly dispersed, forming a semi-circular formation. Using the cover of the bushes, they moved swiftly toward the source of the noise.

Vladkov didn’t know what this sudden change would bring to his trip to the Misty Hills, but he didn’t like surprises. Following his planned route was the most practical approach; expecting something unexpected was something only fools would think of.

Vladkov was so close to Finitz that he could even smell the faint scent emanating from the elven woman. “Are those guys forest elves?”

“No, they’re not forest elves. They’re dark elves.” Finitz took a deep breath. The dark elves had already set foot in this land, which could be considered the backyard of the forest elves. What did that mean? Finitz was worried that some bad thing might happen.

“Oh, then we can just sit back and do nothing. Let those dark elves suffer. It seems those slave catchers have some tough guys among them.” Vladkov said calmly, uninterested in anything unrelated to the mission. Whether the dark elves killed those slave traders or the slave catchers captured the dark elves, it had little to do with him.

The two dark elves were in a difficult situation under the attack of three swordsmen and one archer from the slave catchers. Although the dark elves were fast and coordinated, the three swordsmen were also skilled, their swords glowing with combat energy, signaling that they had reached a critical stage in their development as warriors.

It was already surprising that a slave-catching group could reach such a level, and the formidable strength displayed by the two dark elves also surprised Vladkov.

“No, Mr. Vladkov. I think we need to intervene. With this unfavorable geographical situation and timing, and the appearance of dark elves here, don’t you want to get some information from these two? I think if we intervene at the right moment, we can gain more benefits and serve our cause better.”

Finitz stared intently at the chaos on the battlefield. Although the three swordsmen didn’t seem particularly powerful, their perfect coordination made it impossible for the two dark elves to break through and escape. As for the archer, he simply kept his bow drawn, using the threat to distract the dark elves. This tactic worked well, forcing them to constantly watch the archer, preventing them from focusing on defense.

“Hmm, that makes some sense,” Vladkov nodded. “We don’t have much time to waste with them. Jacques, Pete, Morsen—you three take care of those two dark elves. As for those slave traders, let others deal with them.”
Jacques nodded silently. Ever since joining the Black Flame Knights, he had become unusually quiet, as if completely cutting ties with his past life. The Black Flame Knights provided the best environment for corrupted knights to hone their skills, with no other constraints or limitations. Jacques was always eager to participate in missions like this one to the Misty Hills.
A triangular attack formation formed silently. Years of working together had made the three corrupted knights highly coordinated and confident. Morsen and Pete were responsible for holding back the enemies, while Jacques took the lead in attacking. Alternatively, Jacques and Morsen could hold them off while Pete launched a decisive strike—this was what the corrupted knights pursued.
A powerful gun energy burst forth with a shrill scream. The suddenly attacking corrupted knights caught the two dark elves off guard. Morsen’s eerie sword shadow instantly cornered one of the dark elves, while Jacques effortlessly sent the other flying three meters away. The soft sword in his hand didn’t even have time to be shown before it flew into the air. The dark elf cornered by Morsen was then swiftly pinned by Pete’s gun tip to the throat.