Chapter 37: Real Target
The royal escort rode deep into the Bloodwood. The tall trees were so close to each other that their roots tangled with one another. The canopy above them was so thick that the sun could barely penetrate through the leaves.
Esme rode in the center of the formation. She kept her posture straight, and casually looked at the guards surrounding her. It was a hunting retreat. But Esme noticed they weren’t carrying the long boar spears used for hunting. Every guard carried a military sword which was more suited to kill people instead of animals.
"The tracks seem to veer west, Your Grace," the captain of the guard said suddenly. "We need to ride deeper into the forest."
"Lead the way, Captain," Esme replied calmly.
Ten minutes later, the captain raised his armored fist into the air. All horses stopped instantly. The captain turned his horse around and looked at her.
"The Duke’s magic cannot track you this deep into the Bloodwood, Duchess," the captain smiled wickedly as he drew his blade. "The soil in this part of the forest here is rich in raw iron. It creates a natural barrier against bloodline magic."
On cue, the other guards drew their swords as well in unison. Then they moved forward and formed a circle around Esme.
"Nothing personal, Your Grace," the captain added. "You played the game well. But the Prince cannot allow a monster like Aldric to have an anchor. Once you are removed, the Duke will lose his mind, the Emperor will declare him rabid and execute him."
Esme smiled and simply adjusted her gloves.
"You think you’re hunting a bird, Captain," Esme said and finally looked at him coldly. "You really should have checked the cage before you locked yourselves inside."
Before the captain could shout the order to strike, Esme opened the system interface she had been preparing since they entered deep into the forest. She immediately used [Master Illusionist] skill.
Immediately a blinding purple light appeared from Esme’s position. The guards shouted and threw their arms up to shield their eyes as their horses reared back in panic. When their vision finally cleared, after a few seconds, Esme had disappeared along with her mare.
In her place stood a super realistic illusion of Eveyr. The guards panicked immediately.
"He’s here!" one of the guards screamed. "The Warlord is here!"
"Attack him!" the captain shouted. "Kill him before he summons his guards!"
The guards immediately swung their blades at him. Swords slashed through his chest, but he didn’t bleed. He raised his blade, and all guards scrambled backwards to dodge his attack.
Ten feet away, Esme stood leaning casually against the trunk of an oak tree. She watched the Imperial Guards fight the empty air watching silently and waiting for her opening.
Meanwhile, the captain attacked Eveyr’s face with his sword. But the sword passed through the mist. The captain stumbled forward with the momentum, his eyes widening as the illusion briefly flickered before reforming. Only then did he realize the trap.
"It’s a trick!" the captain screamed, turning around. "He’s not here! Find the bit...!"
Before he could finish, Esme appeared behind him. She lifted her dagger and struck it in the gap of his neck armor. The captain choked, dropping his sword as he fell to his knees.
"Tell Julian...that he owes me a new riding habit," she laughed.
Without their captain to issue orders, the remaining guards soon lost to Esme’s precise, calculated strikes and her illusions. Within fifteen minutes, twelve of the Emperor’s most dangerous knights were dead.
Esme stood alone over the carnage, breathing heavily. She reached into her belt, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the blood from the her dagger.
Two miles back, Eveyr was done being patient. He couldn’t feel or see Esme. He didn’t just ride his horse deep into the woods; he brought a hurricane of magic with him. The sound of trees being physically uprooted echoed across the forest.
The other nobles around him ran far away from him. Julian watched him from a safe distance. His smug smile had disappeared from his face, leaving him worried.
"Your Highness," a trembling guard whispered. "The Duke has broken the perimeter."
"I can see that," Julian murmured, tightening his grip on the reins. "Something is wrong!"
Back in the clearing, Esme stepped away and leaned against a tree to catch her breath. She closed her eyes and heard a faint rustle of leaves.
Before she could draw her dagger, a figure dropped from the canopy above, landing in front of her. It was Sylas. He slowly stood up, casually brushing dust from his coat. He looked exhausted.
Instead of attacking her, he held his hands up in a surrender.
"You fight too well for a sheltered spy, Duchess," Sylas murmured. "It seems we underestimated you."
"I know how to survive, Sylas," Esme replied coldly, her grip tightening on her dagger. "Now cut the crap and give me one good reason why I shouldn’t add you to the pile of bodies."
"Because Julian is foolish and is destroying the kingdom because of his pride," Sylas said.
"What do you mean?"
"We haven’t much time," Sylas replied. "Let me come to the point. Julian’s target wasn’t you."
Esme scoffed.
"Twelve of your elite guards say otherwise."
"He sent them to bait him," Sylas explained. "The assassination target in these woods isn’t you, Esme. It’s Eveyr."
Esme’s blood turned cold. Panic crept inside her.
"Eveyr is untouchable," Esme argued. "Julian is a fool if he thinks a few dozen guards can kill him. He will slaughter them all."
"Not in this ravine," Sylas replied. "Julian planted an Iron-Blood Array deep in the soil here. It’s an ancient dampener that is specifically designed to drain the magic."
Esme’s eyes widened in shock.
"Once Eveyr crosses that threshold to find you, his magic will be drained," Sylas explained. "And then Julian’s fifty deadly guards will do their job."
Before Esme could even process the horror of the trap, or ask him to tell her how to break the array, the temperature in the forest dropped.
"Eveyr is coming!!!"
Sylas immediately took a step back.
"You have a choice," Sylas said. "Run back to the royal pavilion, claim you were ambushed, and play the grieving widow. Or stay here and die with your husband. Choose quickly."
Then he vanished.
"Esme!!"
Esme turned around and saw Eveyr standing a few metres from him.
"Esme! Are you hurt?!" Eveyr shouted, descending from his horse and running towards her.
"Eveyr, stop!" Esme screamed, throwing her hands out. "Don’t come any closer!"
But it was too late. He wasn’t listening. His only thought was reaching her. As he crossed the invisible threshold, a loud crack echoed through the forest.
The magic around his body shattered like glass, and he collapsed on his knees in the mud, clutching his chest and gasping for air.
