Chapter 56: The Next War

In the room, Leon placed the camera on the table and sat beside Rosvitha.
“The eastern border’s 27 sentries became 26, right?” Leon asked.
Rosvitha nodded silently, waiting for Leon to continue.
“And since there were no sounds of combat, it means the sentry was dealt with silently. Usually, only top-tier assassins can achieve this level of stealth.”
Leon continued, “But even the most elite assassin couldn’t slip past all your border patrols undetected. Whether they stayed hidden afterward or retreated, they should have left some trace.”
“Yet the scene shows exactly that – the sentry literally ‘vanished into thin air’ without leaving a single clue.”
As he spoke, Leon activated the camera’s magic preview projection.
Rosvitha took the camera. These were all photos Leon had taken in the eastern border’s forests, including the location where the sentry had vanished.
It was a thicket where the sentry post was half-buried underground, using bushes as cover.
Now, while the thicket’s exterior appeared unchanged, the sentry inside had mysteriously disappeared.
“Keep looking,” Leon said.
Rosvitha continued through the photos, moving to the next image.
It showed the scene after the camouflaged thicket was lifted, revealing a deep pit where the sentry had been hiding.
“The infiltrator made the sentry disappear without disturbing the thicket or engaging in any conflict or combat,” Leon said slowly. “Sounds strange, doesn’t it?”
“It is rather peculiar…”
“And this post wasn’t even right at the forest border – it was positioned more toward the middle. Meaning the infiltrator evaded detection from at least eight to ten other sentries before dealing with this one in the thicket.”
Leon said, “Such superior concealment skills would be difficult even for dragons who excel at camouflage. Or rather… impossible.”
Rosvitha had dealt with attacked sentry posts before.
But most were along the border line, as those were easiest to attack. The enemy usually had clear motives, whether provocation or distraction.
And their attack methods were never this strange.
Compared to past incidents, this attacker seemed more like… a ghost.
Rosvitha stared at the camera’s preview projection, unconsciously biting her lower lip. “Are there other clues?”
“Of course.”
Leon said, “Remember when we went to the border a few days ago, and I suggested increasing the manpower?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“The reason I suggested that was because I noticed an extremely neat and obvious dividing line at your territory’s border.”
“A dividing line?”
“Yes.”
Leon took back the camera, flipped back several images, then handed it to Rosvitha. “Look, this one.”
Rosvitha looked at the projection.
Indeed, there was a dividing line as neat as if cut by a knife.
Though not very long, it stood out distinctly compared to the naturally irregular border surroundings.
“Of course, in a world this vast, such dividing lines could form naturally. So to determine if this was coincidence, I visited several other locations in the back mountains these past few days.”
Leon advanced through the projections, “As you might expect, I found similar marks at every vulnerable checkpoint. Enough to conclude these neat dividing lines are no coincidence.”
“But what connection does this clue have with the vanished sentry?” Rosvitha asked.
“It does.”
Leon flipped back to the thicket sentry post photo, zoomed in, and pointed to one edge of the bushes.
“Look, while there’s no trace of combat, this corner of the thicket appears cleanly cut, very smooth, unlike natural breakage or decay.”
“Also, the deep pit below the thicket has similar knife-smooth marks.”
Leon set down the camera and looked at Rosvitha,
“I said earlier that even dragons skilled in camouflage couldn’t achieve this level of stealth, because it far exceeds standard assassin capabilities. Rather than assassination, it’s more like witnessing a ghost.”
The phrase ‘witnessing a ghost’ was said cheerfully, drawing a wry smile across Rosvitha’s grave expression. She glanced sideways at Leon,
“So you’re suggesting the infiltrator didn’t use conventional assassination methods we understand, but rather employed techniques we’ve never encountered or considered?”
Jokes aside – they were just to briefly lighten the heavy atmosphere – Rosvitha could discern Leon’s intended meaning through his jest.
Leon nodded, “Besides investigating these marks these past few days, I also found many materials in the library. Your ‘Dragon Race Chronicles’ was especially helpful.”
Rosvitha raised her elegant eyebrows, “How so?”
“It describes all dragon races in positive, complimentary terms – the author likely didn’t want to offend any Dragon King.”
Leon said, “In one section, I found this description:
Star-Wandering Dragon King Ravi achieved excellence in spatial magic, treating space not as a concept but as an art form.
As Ravi advanced in spatial magic, he began incorporating it into daily life, such as… construction.
All Star-Wandering Dragon buildings are perfectly precise. They reportedly never use cutting, polishing, or blasting tools, as Ravi’s spatial magic can precisely sever any excess parts.”
“After seeing this description of Ravi, I researched more about spatial magic and discovered it can do far more than just construct buildings. It’s capable of many other feats.”
“Silent attacks, leaving without a trace, perfectly clean cuts – spatial magic can accomplish all of these.”
“So, let’s make a bold assumption: it was Ravi, or someone else skilled in spatial magic, who used this magic to attack your sentry.”
“And it’s this same person who made those neat dividing lines at your borders and checkpoints.”
Leon concluded, “Rosvitha, the sentry post attacker wasn’t a ghost, nor was it supernatural – it was definitely an assassination method we hadn’t encountered before: spatial magic.”
Rosvitha followed Leon’s logic, “Indeed, if we consider spatial magic’s properties, everything makes sense.”
After a pause, Rosvitha asked, “However, there’s one thing I still don’t understand. If their spatial magic assassination skills are this advanced, why only eliminate one of my sentries and draw a few neat dividing lines?”
Leon helped analyze,
“In my view, there are two possibilities.”
“First, this spatial magic has significant limitations and a defined range. Within the safe zone, their limit was dealing with your sentry positioned in the middle of the forest.”
“Second, this is a declaration of war.”
“…A declaration of war?”
“Yes.”
Leon’s expression turned serious, “They’re telling us that the next attack… will far surpass the battle with Constantine.”