Their telepathic communication was heard clearly by Qiaolin, who was sitting across from the two people.
He didn’t intend to eavesdrop, but the distance was simply too close.
His perception of Magic Power and his powerful Mental Power forced him to unintentionally overhear every word of their conversation.
He had to admit, the analysis these two provided made sense.
Regardless of their specific attribute, Healing Mages were the rarest among all types of mages.
Their ability to quickly treat wounds and recover from injuries made the profession a vital part of any team, but they were also extremely fragile.
To precisely control Magic Power, every Healing Mage possessed great Mental Power.
They needed to concentrate on healing their companions on the battlefield, which caused their perception of the outside world to drop.
At such times, they became priority targets for elimination.
Even low-intelligence Magic Beasts knew to attack the mages located at the rear of a formation, and naturally, a Healing Mage could not escape that fate.
This led directly to an extremely high mortality rate for Healing Mages.
With such high entry barriers and training costs, their numbers were far lower than those of other mages of the same rank.
Consequently, various factions tended to avoid Healing Mages.
Even if they acquired one, they wouldn’t go out of their way to train them.
Only the Demon Race or other massive nations had the funds to select and train them.
If Qiaolin were a genuine King-rank Healing Mage, the Demon King would certainly be unwilling to let such a figure run off to perform missions elsewhere without protection, nor would she have “lent” him out so readily.
However, Qiaolin felt that his secretive appearance was making them feel uneasy.
‘I should find a suitable opportunity to explain—at least after I show my abilities.’
***
Celtic Forest, Black Fang Legion Base.
This forest, situated on the border between the Kingdom of Nolan and the Barta Kingdom, possessed rich resources, rare plants, and exotic beasts.
It was a favorite spot for adventurers.
The two countries had competed over the ownership of the Celtic Forest for 100 years.
When the Black Fang Legion, one of the eight elite legions of the Barta Kingdom, joined the fray, the balance between the two great powers in the forest was instantly shattered.
The series of sudden attacks launched by the Black Fang Legion caught the Magic Beasts and the Nolan garrison off guard.
Before the Kingdom of Nolan could even react, several of its strongholds had been destroyed by the Barta Kingdom.
Barring any surprises, ownership of the Celtic Forest would belong to the Barta Kingdom before winter arrived this year.
However, just when they should have pressed their advantage and driven all the Nolan forces out of the Celtic Forest in one go, the Black Fang Legion suddenly halted its expansion.
At this moment, inside the legion’s main tent, an atmosphere of anxiety filled every corner.
Whether it was the leader of the Black Fang Legion, Mode, who sat in the main seat, or his subordinates, they all wore grim expressions, as if deep in thought.
“Is there really no other path for us to take besides retreating?”
Mode asked, his gaze sweeping over the men below him.
They looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
“A flash flood cut off our supply line behind us. Without support, the army can no longer continue its advance,” someone said.
“Furthermore, our scouts recently discovered that the Kingdom of Nolan is sending heavy reinforcements to the southern part of the Celtic Forest, including an army composed of mages. They are taking this operation very seriously.”
“Hmph. If they didn’t take it seriously, they wouldn’t have wasted 100 years with us on this land,” Mode remarked with a smirk.
He knew very well that the interior of the Kingdom of Nolan was not a unified whole.
If those guys in The Council had weighed the pros and cons and made a decision sooner, the Black Fang Legion would have seized the Celtic Forest long ago.
The only thing to blame was the heavens for being unkind; a natural disaster just happened to block their transport line.
Even if they occupied the entire Celtic Forest now, their army would soon collapse without support.
Mode glanced at a man with a pointed chin standing beside him.
“What do you think, Advisor Wiggins? Is there any way to break this deadlock?”
“There is, General Mode. While we currently cannot obtain supplies from the kingdom, we can take them from elsewhere.”
“Oh?”
“To the west of our base, there is a neutral city-state. If we can move in there, we might be able to stabilize the situation,” Wiggins said.
As soon as these words were spoken, they were immediately met with opposition from the others.
“Is the Advisor referring to Lin City? That is a city under the protection of the Demon Race. Are you trying to drag the Demon Race into this?”
“That method is not feasible! The Demon Race will never let us in!”
Faced with the group’s doubts, Wiggins did not rush to explain.
Instead, he kept his eyes on Mode.
Clearly, Mode was the one who held the power here.
“Tell me your plan, Advisor.”
“A few days ago, I noticed that several people from Lin City were attacked by Magic Beasts. Due to our large-scale hunting in the forest, the monsters’ retaliation inevitably swept up these civilians. I suspect Lin City has not yet found the cause.”
“You mean, you want them to know that we are the ones who made this place unstable, and that once we move into the city, all the problems will be solved?”
Mode asked.
“That is one of the bargaining chips.”
Wiggins smiled and continued, “As far as I know, a significant portion of the residents in Lin City were once slaves. At the same time, they unconditionally accept refugees from any region…”
“What? Do you expect our 34,000 soldiers to enter the city as refugees?” someone mocked.
“Everyone, please do not be so quick to jump to conclusions. So-called slaves refer to people without identity or status. They are tools—the tools and the… reason for us to open the gates of Lin City.”
***
In the afternoon, at the Demon King’s Palace.
Gabriela sat upon her throne, her eyes fixed on the documents in her hand.
Aside from the sound of attendants flipping through scrolls, the entire hall felt quite cold and lonely.
“Clack, clack, clack…”
The sound of crisp, brisk footsteps approached the throne from the entrance.
Gabriela looked up slightly to see a black-haired girl bowing and kneeling at the base of the stairs.
“Loki? What is it?”
“I heard that you have dispatched a new human mage to Lin City.”
Gabriela slowly set down the documents and rested her cheek against her fist, answering with feigned indifference.
“That is the case.”
“Since he is someone personally dispatched by the Demon King, I hope to take on the task of protecting him. If someone like that were to be harmed in Lin City, I would feel terribly guilty.”
Gabriela tapped her slender index finger against the armrest, a hint of doubt rising in her heart.
The girl named Loki was a half-demon girl she had encountered by chance in Lin City.
When the city was first built, any Demon, human, or Half-Demon could live there, which attracted many people like Loki.
Because her magic was very special and her talent was outstanding, she already possessed the strength of a Five Crown at a young age.
Gabriela had cultivated her alongside other capable young members of the Demon Race.
Now, Loki was appointed as the Guardian of Lin City.
Her mission was to protect the entire city from external enemies, yet now she was proposing to become someone’s personal guard.
This gave Gabriela a headache.
Even if the person needing protection was Qiaolin.