After seeing off Duke Eden who had received a satisfactory answer, Anson, who was slightly relieved, turned back to the room and "happily" bumped into Carl Bain who had been hiding outside the conference room, staring at him a little nervously.

"It's done?"

"It's done." Anson took a bottle of rum and bit open the cork:

"The Principality of Ayden withdrew from Carindia, and at the same time promised to wait until we and Thun went to war against the Grand Duchy of Mist to send troops; the condition is that Ayden will take one third of the Mist territory... Can you have some confidence in me?

"

"My deputy commander, I have great confidence in you."

Karl took the wine glass and pushed it hard, and the wooden mug slid towards Anson on the long table: "I just want to know, how are you going to explain this to your relative?"

"Explanation?" Anson caught the cup steadily and poured a full glass of rum for his chief of staff:

"There's nothing to explain - I just do it, and either Thun accepts it or he doesn't, it's that simple."

"Huh?" Karl, with wide eyes, took the rum he handed him:

"But... Thun is our most important aid. Isn't it too..."

"It won't be the case soon." Anson took the wine bottle and sat down next to Karl with a sigh:

"We may not be able to stay in Hantu for long."

He won't be able to stay long... Karl's expression was stunned, and then he quickly guessed something with a high probability:

"You mean the Archbishop's relative...Major General Ludwig Franz?"

Anson nodded helplessly.

The Southern Legion, which was originally defeated at Eagle Point Pass and had to slow down its offensive pace, was destined to suffer setbacks in the subsequent battles. However, after entering the hinterland of the Elf Kingdom of Yser, it was unprecedentedly smooth, and it was as if they were entering uninhabited territory.

The Yser border defenders who withdrew from the border into the hinterland, as well as the private soldiers of the elven lords from various places... pretended not to see the existence of the southern legion, and actively put them into the defense line, attacking cities and lands all the way in the royal territory, burning and killing them.

Loot, and approach the royal court of Yser.

Originally, Anson thought that the Iser Punishment War would last at least a year, but now it seems... well, if everything goes as smoothly as Ludwig's battle report said, it will only last for half a year at most.

Of course, there are problems here, which may involve the overt and covert struggles between the "Thirteen Council" and the Yser royal family, local conservatives and church fanatics... But the only impact of the whole thing on Clovis is that Yser

The Elven King may soon surrender.

Once the war against the Yser elves is over, the Stormtroopers will no longer be able to stay in Hantu; and if Clovis really sees some potential in Hantu, then he will not allow a levy regiment to be stationed there.

it's here.

"So you plan to end the Hantu War as soon as possible?" Karl frowned, picked up the cup and took a sip:

"Get a big deal and then withdraw?"

"Hmm... But it's just an alternative, and it may not necessarily be used." Playing with the wine bottle, Anson looked at Karl with a half-smile:

"After all, it's just a verbal agreement. No one can say what will happen when the time comes. From my observation, it seems that Duke Eden will abide by the gentleman's agreement."

"Yeah." Karl nodded with deep understanding: "After all, neither of you can be considered a gentleman."

Anson rolled his eyes, clinked the wine bottle with Carl, and the two drank it down.

……………………

After the negotiations were successfully concluded, the 5,000-strong Storm Division wasted no time and directly settled in Green Valley. As agreed, they took over the southern city wall, warehouses and half of the city from the Aiden Army to the center of the town.

However, this trophy obtained without firing a single shot did not make the officers and soldiers of the Storm Division feel any excitement - all the urban areas they obtained had been looted by the Aiden Army, and all the artillery bombs had turned into dangerous buildings... even

There are few places where people can live.

After a hasty cleanup, the Storm Division only cleared the only warehouse stronghold and the surrounding streets, but these areas were not enough to house an army of 5,000 people... In the end, they could only place the most elite grenadiers around the warehouse, and the rest

The troops were still stationed in batches in the ruins and rubble of the city just like they were in siege positions outside the city.

Until late at night, Anson, who finally had all the troops settled in the city, returned to his room with a tired face.

Usually these trivial matters are the responsibility of the little clerk and Karl, but now that Alan Dawn is away, the entire Storm Division staff basically only has the loyal chief of staff... It is indeed a bit unfair to leave all the work to him.

Too kind.

Pushing the door and entering the room, the room had been cleaned up in advance by the soldiers of the security company, so it seemed very empty. There was only a desk, a bed and some sundries. A faint smell of mold and blood could still be smelled in the closed room.

The yawning Anson walked to the desk, picked up the documents above and the newly delivered newspaper, glanced at it a few times, and prepared to go to bed to deal with it tomorrow.

at this time……

Um?!

A burning tingling sensation came from the heart without any warning.

Anson, who was in a trance, suddenly woke up, and his shadow trembled slightly under the kerosene lamp.

Someone...no, there is a spell caster.

And right in your own house!

The moment his figure trembled slightly, his right hand still held the document that had not been put down, and his left hand inserted in his pocket snapped the joint of his index finger with a "pop!"

A slight tingling sensation came from his temples, and images from every corner of the room flooded into his mind.

A face, a translucent surprised face, was hiding in the corner of the room.

Keep an eye on yourself!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The moment he threw away the document, the "Dagger" revolver appeared in Anson's right hand and he fired three shots behind him. At the same time, his body almost instinctively rolled towards the door to dodge.

The opponent is a spell caster, and Anson does not expect that three rounds of lead bullets will end the battle; but the biggest feature of the "dagger", in addition to its power and recoil, is that it has enough movement.

Since the other party plans to assassinate me, the first thing to do is of course to sound the alarm!

The moment the gun flame lit up, the almost translucent black shadow rushed towards Anson in an extremely weird posture; the lead bullets that shrieked through the air, all passed by the black shadow's side without any damage, and behind it

One crater after another exploded on the wall.

So fast!

Sensing that he was unable to dodge, Anson suddenly shook his left hand, and the narrow bayonet emitting a faint blue light slipped from the cuff to the palm of his hand, and he held it behind his back to block it in front of him.

"clang!"

Along with the golden-red fire exploding on the blade, the huge impact shocked Anson's left arm; but it seemed that the translucent "black shadow" opposite him was more surprised than him:

"Can you really see me?!"

What answered him was Anson's warm smile and the "dagger" roaring from the muzzle of the gun.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three more shots missed.

The astonished "Black Shadow" changed his movements three times in succession in an instant, dodging the incoming lead bullets like a gymnast, as calmly as if he already knew the trajectory of the ballistics at the moment Anson fired.

Wait, I already knew it the moment I fired the gun... In an instant, Anson seemed to understand something and was distracted for a moment.

But at this moment, the "black shadow" that caught the gap suddenly rushed towards him!

"Dang! Dang! Dang! Dang..."

The violent slashes kept coming, and Ansen, who couldn't see the opponent's movements clearly, looked extremely embarrassed. He relied solely on his supernatural insight and the conjurer's sense of distance to constantly parry and dodge.

While he continued to dodge, Anson finally saw the rough outline of the "black shadow" on the opposite side - he was not really transparent, but the color and luster of his body could constantly change, perfectly matching the surrounding light, shadow and objects.

The color makes it look like "invisible".

Oh, if that's the case... Reflecting on the door behind him in his mind, Anson thought of a perfect plan.

"clang!"

The fire between the sharp blades exploded in the air, and Anson, who was clutching the handle of the knife, turned into smoke in the "black shadow"'s field of vision and disappeared without a trace.

Looking at the bayonet being bounced into the air, "Black Shadow", who had missed the blow, froze on the spot and swung the sharp blade in his right hand towards his back.

"clang!"

Anson, who held the barrel of the gun backwards, blocked the "transparent" sharp blade with the handle of the gun. The blast of air blew up smoke and Anson's bangs, revealing his signature smile of successful plan.

The "black shadow" was frightened by the parry, and he woke up instantly and subconsciously raised his head.

That bayonet?!

"Congratulations, you guessed it right!"

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Anson suddenly got closer to the "Black Shadow" and closed the distance. He suddenly released the handle of the gun and grabbed his knife-holding arm, leaving the opponent no room to retreat.

The screaming bayonet fell from the air, and "Black Shadow" eagerly tried to dodge, but Anson grabbed a hand tightly and could not dodge at all.

Just when the tip of the knife was about to hit the "black shadow", the falling bayonet suddenly changed its angle in the air and fell steadily into his hand.

"puff!"

The blue blade stabbed Anson's chest accurately.

Anson was shocked and his eyes widened, staring at the bayonet on his chest, and then...

"boom!"
To be continued...