Chapter 36: The Ambush in the Valley

Three hours passed, and through the use of Far Sight Arts, the dragon carriage carrying Ellis and her companions appeared in Richards’s sight.

“They’re coming! Everyone, get ready!”

The ambushing soldiers immediately focused their attention on the valley entrance.

A dragon carriage could be seen gradually emerging into their view, before entering the valley where they lay in ambush.

“Hmm?”

Just then, Ellis, who had been resting with her eyes half-closed inside the carriage, suddenly opened her eyes wide and looked outside, a pensive expression on her face.

Larry, who had been lying on her lap, also opened his eyes. Unlike most people waking from sleep, Larry showed no signs of grogginess or confusion; his gaze was as sharp as a finely honed blade.

Ellis curved her lips into a smile. “Interesting. It seems we’ve become the prey. Larry, can you tell how many of them there are?”

“Around a hundred, I’d say.”

Larry closed his eyes once more, sensing carefully. Those with enhanced abilities like him could perceive enemies beyond the range of their five senses by refining their intuition.

Of course, similar elemental arts existed, but due to Ellis’s unique characteristics, she couldn’t learn such techniques. She had merely detected the pervasive killing intent emanating from the valley.

“Their strength isn’t particularly formidable against us.”

Ellis brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “What concerns me more is whether this is a premeditated attack specifically targeting us, or something else entirely.”

Just then, the dragon carriage slowly came to a halt. Ellis raised an eyebrow, observing through the window as the coachman seemingly panicked and fled.

“It appears to be premeditated, after all. And here I thought I’d found a reputable black market dealer.”

Ellis sighed, then looked disdainfully at Larry, who was still sprawled on her lap, unwilling to move. “How long do you plan to lie there?”

“My apologies, my apologies. It was simply too comfortable.”

Larry reluctantly got up. “How about I lie on your lap again after all this is over?”

Ellis pouted. “Go to hell! My legs are numb. It’d be more like me lying on yours!”

“That works too.”

“You go to hell!”

As the two bantered, an ill-timed fireball, oblivious to their interaction, flew straight for their dragon carriage.

Boom!

A massive explosion erupted, casting blinding light that completely engulfed the dragon carriage where Ellis and her companions sat.

“Who fired that shot!”

Richards was enraged by the sight. He still needed to extract information about the contract and Daisy’s whereabouts from Ellis; he absolutely needed them alive!

“My lord, it seems there was a malfunction with the equipment. It misfired.”

Richards grew even more furious upon hearing this. “Misfired?! Haven’t any of you inspected them?!”

The general offered a wry smile. “We stopped inspecting them long ago. As long as they work, that’s enough. Military funding has been cut year after year, so even if there are issues, they won’t be replaced. Most of our active weapons have problems, more or less. As long as they’re usable, it’s better than nothing.”

“This!”

Richards recalled Danga’s national situation and, for a moment, didn’t know how to assign blame.

“Wait, my lord, look!”

Suddenly, the general pointed towards the valley floor, exclaiming in disbelief.

Richards followed his gaze, and a jaw-dropping scene unfolded before him: the dragon carriage, which should have been shattered to pieces, stood perfectly intact.

Had it not been for the craters around the carriage caused by the explosion, he might have believed the misfire was merely an illusion.

“Is it a barrier? But that was a military-grade elemental cannon shell! Even if the launcher was faulty, its power shouldn’t have been diminished!”

Listening to his commander’s astonishment, a darker cloud gathered on Richards’s face. He realized his preparations might not have been sufficient.

“Fire!”

Richards made an immediate decision.

“Ah, weren’t we supposed to capture them alive?”

The commander looked at Richards, perplexed.

“We need the strength to capture them alive first. Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Instantly, all available ranged attacks rained down upon the dragon carriage.

At that moment, Ellis leisurely stepped out, gently pointing a finger forward.

A far more robust barrier materialized. Fireballs, lightning, and frost, driven by the elements, pelted the barrier like a torrential downpour. Though the onslaught was tremendous,

It was akin to pistol bullets striking a tank’s armor plating; aside from generating a few sparks, it had no effect whatsoever.

Ellis seemed to have no intention of attacking them, merely maintaining the barrier with a relaxed air.

Richards sensed something was amiss. From within the dragon carriage, a streak of light shot out, hurtling directly towards them.

“Watch out!”

However, by the time the words were uttered, it was already too late.

Larry, unrestrained, was like a natural disaster to them. If they couldn’t escape the area of effect before the catastrophe arrived, their fate would no longer be their own.

Amidst a cacophony of agonizing screams, soldiers collapsed one after another.

They didn’t even have a chance to charge the enemy; they merely saw a flash of white light before their consciousness faded, and they fell.

Though they had taken lives, both Ellis and Larry only killed those who absolutely had to die.

As for who constituted such a person, that was determined by the circumstances and their shared values.

Richards had no time to devise a counter-strategy, nor did he need to, for they were utterly incapable of dealing with Larry and Ellis.

Within mere minutes, only Richards remained standing.

The reason he was still on his feet wasn’t due to sufficient strength, but because Ellis and Larry needed someone to question, and he appeared to be the leader.

Yet, Richards had no intention of complying. He aimed his longsword at Larry, his body trembling, but he stood there, summoning all his courage. “Monster, I will never yield to you!”

“I’m afraid the right to yield or not yield doesn’t seem to be in your hands.”

Ellis had, at some point, leisurely flown above Richards, looking down at the knight who was prepared to fight to the death.

“Your Majesty, Richards can no longer serve you! Let this incompetent one pray for your blessings in the world of the dead!”

With that, Richards attempted to draw his sword to commit suicide, but the blade was knocked away as it slid from its sheath.

“I’m afraid even the right to die is in our hands.”

Larry’s voice entered his ears. The young man, possessing strength utterly disproportionate to his age, had appeared by his side without him noticing.

Ellis, seeing this, jumped directly from her broom and casually approached Richards. “This is the third time we’ve met, Sir Knight. If you keep pestering me like this, I’ll be quite troubled.”

Richards glared at Ellis, demanding, “Where have you taken Prince Bruno?!”

“Somewhere safe. Do you want to go too? Perhaps not; I feel you would only cause trouble.”

Ellis took out Mitchell and pointed it at Richards’s head. “Answer our questions honestly, or else, you absolutely won’t want to experience the methods I’ll use to torment you.”

With Mitchell now at her disposal, Ellis no longer believed any man could withstand its harsh interrogation and still refuse to speak.

“Kill me! I will never betray my sovereign!”

“Death isn’t always what people fear most, especially for someone like you, who values loyalty above life itself. But some fears transcend death. Seeing as you’re a man of integrity, it’s best to be cooperative.”

Thinking of Bruno’s current predicament, Larry kindly advised Richards.

But how could Richards possibly listen to Larry? He stared at Ellis and Larry with eyes burning with hatred and fury.

Ellis said regretfully, “It seems this world is about to lose a tough man.”

An enemy’s hero is their foe.

Neither Ellis nor Larry were pedantic individuals.

Then, with Mitchell’s assistance, after some inhumane interrogation, Ellis and Larry obtained the information they sought.

Richards’s life ended after the questioning. For him, death was truly the best outcome.

The two even built a grave for him, which might seem hypocritical to outsiders, but Richards’s actions earned him that respect.

Afterward, they resumed their journey. Losing the coachman was inconsequential; as long as the Swift Dragon and the carriage remained, they had transportation to the capital and could even save on some road tolls.

However, Larry became the driver, with Ellis now enjoying the ride alone inside the carriage.

This time, however, their faces had been exposed to too many people, so they used Illusion Crystals to disguise themselves to some extent.

“But King Gapp is indeed somewhat peculiar.”

From Richards, Ellis had gleaned some useful information.

“Yes, it’s highly probable he’s being controlled.”

Ellis lay in the dragon carriage, stating calmly, “Controlled? Can a controlled person still govern an entire nation so systematically?”