Chapter 958: Outskirts
There was even a good chance that a war objective or quest had been released by Tempest to search for Ranazera and ensure her safety.
It was not that Izroth feared a direct confrontation with these players or the guilds behind them. But, it would undoubtedly slow their journey through Malentansium and place an unavoidable target on his back.
There was even a chance that those with ill intentions would want to take advantage of the opportunity to dispose of Ranazera. After all, the Tempest princess had no shortage of enemies both inside and outside of her kingdom.
If that happened, Izroth knew that they would certainly find a way to place the blame on him. At that point, he would not just become an eternal enemy of Tempest, but even his standing in Amaharpe would be affected.
In the end, she may be from an enemy kingdom, but Ranazera came from a royal bloodline. Whether or not to take her life was not something a mere Captain of the General Support Unit had the authority to decide.
Of course, Izroth was no ordinary Captain. If necessary, he would not hesitate to do what needed to be done—royal bloodline or not.
"We're moving. I'm sure I don't have to remind you, but-" Izroth said before being cut off halfway by Ranazera.
"Don't try to escape or cause trouble. I got it already." Ranazera groaned.
"Let's hope your actions do not betray your words," Izroth replied casually as he resumed his steps.
Ranazera quickly followed after Izroth as the two proceeded into the depths of the Netherly Shadow Fields.
...
After traveling through the Netherly Shadow Fields for a few hours, Izroth and Ranzera finally arrived near the outskirts.
On their way to the outskirts, the two came across a handful of hostile monsters; however, Izroth took care of them without much issue.
As for players, due to Izroth's vigilance, they managed to avoid any unforeseen trouble.
'I knew the numbers would be reduced, but still... To think we came across so few players in the Netherly Shadow Fields. Both sides must have already sent out their war objectives.'
Malentansium would do everything in its power to ensure Zarolas' safe revival; therefore, whether the upcoming assault was known to them or not, it meant fortifying the defenses of the Night Lord's Crypt. After all, for Malentansium, losing a powerful individual like a Night Lord would be a huge blow.
'Hm?'
Out of nowhere, Izroth halted his steps as he peered into the distance.
Izroth's abrupt pause caused Ranazera to also stop in place as she looked his way with a perplexed gaze.
"Why did we stop all of a sudden? Are we finally taking a break?" Ranazera questioned.
The sixth princess thought that after infiltrating into Tempest, facing a Centurion, dealing with the stress of crossing the Gates of Aegis, and using magic to dig a tunnel more than a kilometer long, any sane person would be exhausted.
However, against all her expectations, Ranazera witnessed no signs of fatigue from Izroth.
Since she was a part of the Tempest forces, Ranazera was used to long marches and harsh conditions. Not to mention, even if her strength had been sealed, it was not a difficult task to keep up, especially when the one in front of her was doing all the work clearing the path ahead.
"Besides a few minor altercations, we've been traveling without rest through the Netherly Shadow Fields. For him to stop now—could something be wrong up ahead?" Ranazera thought to herself.
For the first time since they stepped outside of the underground tunnel, they came to a complete standstill. Naturally, Ranazera found this behavior to be highly irregular.
After a breath of time passed, Izroth replied, "No. I've just noticed something rather amusing, that's all. We'll keep moving forward."
"Something amusing? Here I thought you were finally showing that you have a human side..." Ranazera said as she muttered the latter part under her breath.
"Oh? Is there a side of me that's not human?" Izroth spoke calmly as he walked onward.
"You- Do you have the ears of a Typhoon Wolf Beast?" Ranazera scoffed as she trailed after Izroth.
...
Approximately 15 minutes later...
Izroth and Ranazera reached the edge of the Netherly Shadow Fields as the light mist started to disperse.
When the two stepped outside of the last stretch of mist, an unbelievable view entered their sights.
'Oh? This place... Has it always been here?'
What appeared in the distance was a large city. But, what was strange was the fact that Izroth could not see it until they ultimately set foot outside the mist of the Netherly Shadow Fields.
It was even more bizarre, considering that the mist did not obstruct one's vision.
'None of the Realm Charts indicates a city being located here. No, it's more accurate to call it a fortress.'
Compared to the outpost city of Vostracane that previously existed at the edge of the Land of Unity, the city in front of Izroth was on a different level. Its walls and defenses were nearly on par with the capital city of Amaharpe!
However, this place was far away from the Malentansium capital city.
'I suppose those not allied with Malentansium would have some difficulty reaching this place unharmed, let alone someone with the Cartographer profession. Still, for it to remain completely hidden until one steps outside of the light mist—can it be the work of a magic formation?'
A magic formation powerful enough to veil an entire area from a distance had to at least be at the pinnacle level.
While it was true that this place was located fairly close to the Tempest border, with the natural defenses provided by the Cursed Grounds and Endless Mountain Range, there was no reason for Malentansium to have a fortress positioned here.
That is unless there was a specific reason as to why this place existed out in the middle of nowhere.
'There should not be anything worth protecting out here. That being said, I don't plan on letting my guard down. But, before that...'
Izroth narrowed his eyes as his gaze landed on a particular area covered in black stones of varied sizes.
Ranazera furrowed her brows as a troubled expression appeared on her face.
"We are about to set foot into the territory of Duke Sorkoza. Can it just be a coincidence, or...?" Ranazera thought to herself as she glanced over at Izroth.
But, despite her best efforts, the sixth princess could not get a clear read on him.
Woosh!
Out of nowhere, a thin object soared through the air at frightening speeds.
In one swift motion, Izroth unsheathed his Sword of the Storm and deflected the object as it struck the ground a few meters away from him.
Ding! Tssss!
When the unknown object made contact with the ground, it melted through the earth as a putrid dark liquid bubbled up in a puddle around it.
'This sweet smell... Cloud Serpent Venom?'
Based on the unnaturally sweet smell and its effect on the surface it made contact with, Izroth noticed clear traces of a poison called Cloud Serpent Venom.
He immediately recognized its presence by its characteristic smell that was so sweet that one could actually taste something similar to wildflower honey on the tip of their tongue.
'The venom from a Cloud Serpent is not easy to come by.'
Cloud Serpent Venom was one of the higher-tier poisons that Izroth used to concoct the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill.
Thanks to the connections and resources of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms, he had no problem acquiring the Cloud Serpent Venom to craft the pill. However, not just anyone could afford to get their hands on such a potent poison. After all, even in its unrefined state, the Cloud Serpent Venom was enough to briefly immobilize a legendary realm powerhouse. And, if not treated with haste, it could even have some more prolonged adverse effects.
Being this close to the Cloud Serpent Venom, even if it failed to make direct contact, something as simple as inhaling it could have negative consequences.
Fortunately, Izroth had the protection of his Heavenly Golden Body and some other skills to resist the Cloud Serpent Venom.
However, the sixth princess, who stood only a few steps away from Izroth, began to feel the effects of the Cloud Serpent Venom overtake her.
Upon inhaling the poisonous scent of the Cloud Serpent Venom, Ranazera lost her balance and stumbled a bit.
A wave of sudden dizziness overcame the sixth princess; however, she was able to keep herself from falling over.
Ranazera winced as the world around her seemed to be spinning when, suddenly, a light green aura encompassed Ranazera.
The next moment, her dizziness faded, and she regained full control over her motions.
"My Mystic Cleansing Charm was triggered... Poison? This—did he already foresee it back then?" Ranazera thought back to the moment when Izroth previously halted his steps and peered into the distance.