New World - A New Beginning

Chapter 124: Dancing Puppet

ARES HEARTH'S POV:

"Sir, he has returned," whispered a Dwarf, his shadow standing right outside the entrance to my quarters.

"Very well. Bring him here."

"As you wish," said the envoy, departing the scene in search of the individual in question.

Had he really accomplished his goal in mere days?

The boy in red had promised to turn a large portion of the enemy's men against the Dragons, allowing us to deliver a devastating strike onto our adversaries. If we could execute the plan in place without setbacks, our victory was assured.

However, even with information being relayed to us from the inside, I still had no information whatsoever on Jay Cadmium's whereabouts or goals. He was, without a doubt, the only individual who posed a real threat to me.

The boy had reached S-rank. Whether or not he was aware of that was unimportant. I was aware and wary of Princess Asthia's power, but I had heard that she was no longer a threat in her current state.

It seems like the damage I had inflicted during our previous meeting had shifted the scales in our favor. If both Asthia and Jay had been at their full power, there was no way we'd achieve victory, even with the overwhelming difference in manpower.

Two presences appeared at the entrance, alerting me of the presence of both the envoy and the individual.

"I've brought him, sir," echoed the envoy.

"Let him in."

The red-robed human entered the quarters briskly, his foul attitude worsened due to him being summoned elsewhere. He hated being obedient to others, his only goal being to survive.

However, he had one other goal. I had used this burning desire of his to utilize him in the war effort, and it had seemingly paid off.

"It's done?" I asked. The man looked at me, his eyes glinting with joy.

"Yes. I've also added a little extra that should guarantee our victory," he responded.

I raised my eyebrows slightly. My initial goal had to simply infiltrate their camp to obtain precise knowledge about their upcoming plans. What had he decided to add? I knew the boy would not reveal the details considering I would probably not agree with it, so I decided not to pressure him.

"Very well. I will give you what you want."

"Are you sure he'll be there?" asked the boy, worried that his target would not be present on the upcoming battlefield.

"I'm sure he will be. Don't worry, you will get your revenge on Jay Cadmium."

I could sense a powerful aura emanating from the adventurer, and I was certain that he would at least be capable of stalling Jay long enough for me to eliminate Asthia. Mia Stil, another key individual of the Dragons, was said to be flanking us on the East, but I had already made the necessary preparations to deal with her.

"Do you believe you can kill him?" I asked. It was near-impossible for an AA-ranked adventurer to kill an S-rank, but it could be possible that this guy had something up his sleeve that I was unaware of.

"Oh, yes," he said, a large grin morphing his face, "I'll make sure to do more than kill him."

"I see. You'll be commanding a small legion of elite soldiers. Remember, all you have to do is find and eliminate Jay Cadmium. Is that understood?"

"Of course. Once I do, you'll let me leave unnoticed, correct? That was our deal."

"I'm a man of my word. If you keep your end of the bargain, then I'll make sure to keep mine, Hugo Liech."

JAY CADMIUM'S POV:

"We need a large exit that will bring us up roughly around here," I said, laying my finger on a hand-drawn map of Auroria. The Faros seemed to know approximately what I was talking about as they began talking amongst themselves.

They all nodded after a few minutes of discussion, letting Typhon speak for them.

"There exists a big cave that exits from underneath a tree around there. It is on a hill that overlooks the area you showed us."

"That'll be perfect," I said immediately, understanding the strategical advantage higher ground would give us on our adversaries.

"The only problem is arriving there. The tunnels leading to that exit are narrow and steep. It will require some time if we are to mobilize our forces."

I scowled at the new information. Time was of the essence. An attack from Ares could occur at any moment, and having our forces ready to support Asthia would be the only way to come out victorious.

"Begin mobilizing immediately," I ordered, straightening myself up. "We'll be leaving by tonight."

"Of course," said Typhon, bowing slightly. I had repeatedly told him that formalities were unnecessary, but it seemed like a deep loyalty and respect toward those with power had already ingrained itself within the society of Pandora.

I watched as the Faros left the room, the moving shadows from the firefly-illuminated room resembling living flames in the darkness.

I was unusually calm regarding the upcoming clash. Even if I knew how important the outcome of the fight would be in terms of Auroria's future, nothing seemed to be stirring within me. All I could picture were two possible futures: one where I was the final defender amidst the corpses of my friends or one where I didn't live to see the end of the war.

I could only hope this feeling was paranoia and nothing more. Premonitions had always been things I had never believed in, but in a world where magic existed, it didn't seem too unlikely to exist.

The link within me opened up, my eyes closing as I focused on sending my thoughts through the tunnel that connected both users.

"Asthia," I called out, attempting to reach her. I felt the girl's presence appearing, her mind receiving my message and replying.

"Jay?"

"I'll have an army on the western side of the battlefield in a few days. Until then you're on your own," I echoed, stating the facts without emotion. A brief silence followed my report, the girl attempting to pinpoint the lingering emotion that was being carried forth through my words.

"Jay, are you okay?" she asked worriedly. I smiled at the blank bark wall, visualizing the Dragon girl standing right before me with her red eyes looking at me sadly.

"I'm fine. How's your body holding up?" I added, shifting the conversation onto Asthia's wellbeing instead of my own.

"I can fight. That's enough," she responded confidently.

"Still not great, huh?" I sighed, reading through the lines of her response. The girl exploded into a series of exclamations and excuses, attempting to hide her true feelings.

I had learned that the connection between us was not all-seeing. For a few years after the link had been created, I had been worried that Asthia would be able to see all the atrocities I had lived through back on Earth, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.

One could still conceal their emotions and thoughts to a certain degree. Asthia probably knew that I was more than what met the eye, but finding the exact answers to her suspicions was difficult. As long as I masked my true worries, the girl would probably be unable to know what I was thinking.

Asthia cleared her throat, grabbing my attention once more. Had she given up on her monologue of excuses?

"Well then, Supreme Commander Jay. Please let me know when you are in position. I'll tell you if anything happens."

I smiled at her attempt at professionalism, playing along with her act.

"Of course, Your Highness. I shall alert you as soon as we reach our destination."

"Good, good. Well then, keep me updated."

"Will do."

The tunnel closed off as Asthia returned to her duties, giving me some time to continue looking at the blank wall right in front of me.

Is this strategy... really the right move?