After Anders left, Scarlet couldn’t help but speak up. “That man’s smile feels so fake. You can tell at a glance he’s not a good person.” “Anders really isn’t someone to underestimate,” Adam said in a low voice. ”
I looked into him before. He didn’t gather so many people in such a short time just because of the Mosey family’s reputation. He’s cunning and ruthless, the kind of opponent who is extremely difficult to deal with.”
Grace turned to Dustin and asked, “What do you think?” He considered it carefully before answering, “Anders claimed he came here on his own to pay a visit, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Quinton family wasn’t behind it.
“The Quintons want to support Sir Mosey’s ascension to the throne. For them, your status as a legitimate royal blood makes you both an obstacle and possibly a useful pawn.”
Grace let out a cold laugh. “They want to use me as a pawn? That depends on whether they’re capable of it.”
“In any case, we should be careful,” Dustin said. “Anders may be under the Quinton family’s banner for now, but he has no intention of staying their subordinate forever. People who try to play both sides like that are the ones most likely to stab someone in the back at a critical moment.”
Over the next two days, Anders dropped by several times. Each visit consisted only of a few polite exchanges and a small gift before he left again. But his attitude grew noticeably warmer every time, as though he genuinely regarded Grace as someone he wished to befriend.
However, the Quinton family had never shown up. Evander and Elowen seemed to show no interest in Grace’s group at all.
Even when they occasionally passed each other in the market, they did nothing more than a brief glance before looking away. That indifference was more unsettling than open hostility.
“What are they even trying to do?” Scarlet asked irritably. “If they want a fight, they should just start one. But if they want to talk, then say so. What’s with all this half-hearted nonsense?”
Dustin remained thoughtful and replied, ” It’s not that they don’t care. They’re observing. Someone like Evander would never do something meaningless. He must be waiting for something.”
The answer revealed itself on the evening of the fifth day.
A man covered in blood staggered into the market and rushed straight toward Grace’s camp. He was one of the Sovereign Aegis guards, a scout who had been sent out earlier to explore the surrounding area.
“Your Royal Highness… something has gone terribly wrong,” the man gasped as he collapsed to the ground and struggled to lift his head. “G-General Adam and the others… They’re trapped.”
Grace’s expression changed immediately.” Speak clearly.”
The guard spoke in broken fragments as he described what had happened.
Their scouting team had discovered a ruin about nine miles outside the market. At first, they believed it was a great opportunity. But when they approached, they triggered a restriction and became trapped inside a field.
Adam and several Sovereign Aegis guards were holding off the danger with everything they had so that he could break through and seek help. However, a group of rogue cultivators had already noticed the situation and were now attacking them while they remained trapped.
“Let’s go,” Grace said without hesitation as she immediately began gathering her forces.
“Hold on,” Dustin suddenly said.
She looked at him in surprise. “What is it?”
He turned his attention to the wounded guard and asked, “You said they’re trapped at a ruin nine miles away. Your team went together, yet you’re the only one who managed to escape?”
The guard nodded.
Dustin pressed, “How many pursuers are there?”
“Roughly about 30 people.”
“All rogue cultivators?”
“Yes. All of them.”
Dustin fell silent for a moment before turning to Grace. “This is a trap.”
Her eyes widened slightly. He continued, “Nine miles from here happens to be just outside the range of the Truce Ward. Somehow, a band of rogue cultivators shows up with just enough people to pin down Adam’s formation.
“And the one scout who breaks through manages to make it all the way back to report. The coincidence is too perfect.”
The guard grew anxious and hurriedly said, “Mr. Rhys, everything I said is true. General Spanner and the others really…”
“I know you’re telling the truth,” Dustin replied, looking at him. “They are trapped, and they are under attack. But the people surrounding them may not be ordinary rogue cultivators.”
As he spoke, he turned and looked toward a section of the marketplace in the distance, where Anders’ camp was located.
He went on, “If I’m reading this right, someone’s testing us. They want to see how far we’ll go to save our people. They’re also gauging our strength and deciding whether we’re worth keeping as pieces on the board… or liabilities that need to be removed.”
Grace’s expression turned ashen.
“You think this has something to do with Anders?”
