Chapter 420

Chapter 420: Progress From All Sides (Finale)

The defeat of the thieves’ leader caused both warring sides to momentarily halt their battle.

How could that expressionless woman move so swiftly? And how did that little girl’s fist unleash such tremendous force?

Both the caravan members and the thieves stood stunned.

The thieves especially couldn’t comprehend it—their leader was a high-level Class C existence whose power they knew all too well. They found it unbelievable that he could be defeated so effortlessly.

Moreover, he was defeated by two delicate yet fierce beauties!

After a stunned pause, the valiant-looking girl reacted first. She swept her hand through the air and roared:

“Charge! Slaughter these damned thieves!!”

“Kill!!”

“End them!”

“Advance together! Avenge our fallen comrades!!”

The other guards snapped to attention, bellowing as they surged toward the thieves.

Having witnessed Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound’s overwhelming might and their leader’s defeat, the thieves had already lost most of their courage. Now, under the guards’ assault, they collapsed entirely, scattering like startled birds as they fled with panicked shrieks.

“Little Shadow?”

“We join them.”

Darkling Stalker declared, and together with Weak Sound, she pursued the scattering thieves.

The valiant girl and her guards relentlessly chased down the fleeing thieves, thrusting their weapons deep into their bodies without hesitation.

Streaks of crimson trailed the blades as thieves fell lifeless on the spot.

Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound also overtook some thieves, but instead of killing them, they shattered their limbs and took them captive.

Unlike her past self, Darkling Stalker refrained from torturing the thieves now that they were her prey. Indeed, since growing close to Lin Yu, she had rarely indulged in such cruelty.

Moreover, her current identity as part of the human race made such behavior inappropriate.

Yet neither woman anticipated that the thieves they spared would be coldly executed one by one under the valiant girl’s blade. The thieves’ tearful pleas failed to stir even a flicker of emotion in the girl’s eyes.

Though these thieves deserved death, the duchy’s laws required captured thieves to be transported back to the city for scheduled execution.

Seemingly sensing Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound’s gaze, the girl paused after dispatching the last thief.

“Delay risks unforeseen trouble. Transporting them to the city could invite complications along the way—executing them immediately is the surest solution.”

As if guessing their thoughts, the valiant girl offered this explanation.

A smile then softened her features.

“We owe you both our gratitude this time. Without your intervention, our losses would have been far greater… I am Lucia, eldest daughter of Duke Reba. Might I know your names?”

“Darkling Stalker. She is Weak Sound.”

Darkling Stalker replied, expressionless as ever.

With the battle concluded, the other guards found themselves drawn to Darkling Stalker’s appearance. While tending their wounds, they stole frequent glances in her direction.

The surrounding attention left Darkling Stalker slightly unsettled—public exposure had always been rare for her.

However, her apparent age seemed older than Weak Sound, so she would undoubtedly take the lead in their upcoming public activities within the human world.

“You both possess such strength, yet your faces seem unfamiliar. Are you from out of town?”

Only after the battle concluded did the spirited girl realize this. To defeat that thief leader, these two must be at least high Class C rank… no—they appeared to defeat him effortlessly, clearly holding back strength. They were likely Class B or higher!

She knew every Class B and above powerhouse within the Principality of Reba, and neither of these two were among them.

Powerful outsiders arriving at such a critical juncture…

She narrowed her eyes, suspicion stirring within.

“We hail from the Duchy of Ma’ika…”

Disliking lengthy explanations, Darkling Stalker briefly recounted the fabricated identities she and Weak Sound had prepared.

They posed as adventurers and travelers, earning living expenses and travel funds through adventuring in the towns they visited before moving on to the next destination…

…

“So, esteemed benefactors, your plan is to earn travel funds at the Adventurer’s Guild within the Principality of Reba next?”

“Hmm.”

“Is that so… Then, what is your next destination? Ah, apologies, no need to tell me if it’s inconvenient.”

“We’ve been to most places within the country. Our next destination remains undecided, so we’ll linger longer in the Principality of Reba.”

“Oh? Truly? If planning a long-term stay in the Principality of Reba, perhaps you two might consider enlisting to become my aides? The salary and benefits for aides are quite substantial.”

The girl gestured towards a corpse beside the carriage.

“This position has just become available.”

“No need. We dislike constraints.”

“Is that so? That is a pity…”

Though her words expressed regret, a subtle gleam lit the girl’s eyes.

Through this exchange and her earlier careful scrutiny of their Adventurer IDs, she felt almost certain these two women weren’t the infiltrators from other nations she feared… sent to penetrate the Principality of Reba.

Yet, she refrained from further attempts to recruit Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound.

Afterwards, Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound temporarily traveled with Lucia, successfully entering the capital of the Principality of Reba.

Once inside the city, they parted ways with the duke’s eldest daughter. Following their original plan, the two women proceeded to the Principality of Reba’s capital Adventurer’s Guild and accepted two well-paying task commissions.

Darkling Stalker sensed it—shortly after separating from Lucia, someone began tailing them.

It was Lucia’s subordinate.

The other party truly hadn’t abandoned the idea of recruiting them…

A faint glimmer flickered in Darkling Stalker’s eyes.

For a long time afterward, Darkling Stalker and Weak Sound gathered funds by accepting commissions while covertly investigating reincarnator information throughout the Principality of Reba under the guise of travel.

Just when they had amassed sufficient money through commissions and prepared to leave the Principality of Reba, a soldier, acting on orders, blocked their path.

The soldier then escorted them to the ducal mansion. After much “deliberation” prompted by Lucia’s persuasion, the two women became the young lady’s aides.

…

…

Then came the final location—the Duchy of Ma’ika.

Military One and Military Two arrived in the Duchy of Ma’ika’s capital, likewise joining the capital’s Adventurer’s Guild as adventurers.

Since the Granville Monster Forest, home to the ant swarm, borders the Duchy of Ma’ika, Military One and Military Two had found time to return home over the past few months—unlike the other four ant groups.

Lin Yu was overjoyed at her daughters’ long-awaited homecoming. That very evening, she—

personally cooked them a delicious meal.