Chapter 271 Definite And Quick (1)

The number of casualties from todays battle would be determined by how quickly they could release the troops from the Crown Princes palace. Elenas skill was needed to minimize the loss of forces, and there was no time to hesitate. When the time came, Elena finally opened her mouth to speak.

Lets go.

At her words, the elite soldiers raised themselves from the ground and dove into the river. Elena followed after with a splash, swimming deep into the river bottom. Hidden there was a passage that a grown man could barely squeeze through. Elena was the quickest to make it there, and she pushed through with strong strokes.

After swimming for some time, and she quietly and carefully broke through the surface of the water. She blinked her red eyes as she lifted her head up and took in the scene. The Imperial Palace grounds were around her.

Emergency!

Hurry up and move!

The air rang with shouts, and the Imperial Palace soldiers were urgently rushing about. Their attention seemed to be focused on a battle happening elsewherelikely Carlisles doing.

The rest of Elenas team silently emerged from the water, and she gestured to them with her hand. Only the elite from each family was chosen for this task, and their movements were deadly silent and agile. None of them, however, were as experienced as Elena.

Determining the timing to be right, Elena moved forward, and the rest of the soldiers followed her like a shadow. Now that they had made it inside as planned, they had to release Carlisles forces as soon as possible, while avoiding detection by Ophelias soldiers. If they were discovered, a fight could waste them precious time and lives.

***

The area outside the Crown Princes palace was in a state of confusion because of the sudden night raid. Relatively few Imperial Palace soldiers had been stationed at the entrance to the Imperial grounds; most of them surrounded the Crown Princes palace, in order to contain Carlisles soldiers inside. Those at the entrance were caught off guard by the sudden assault, and a messenger hurriedly rushed towards the Crown Princes palace.

My Lord, please hurry and send reinforcements to the entrance.

Lord Danny was head of the Fifth Order of Knights, and currently in charge of monitoring the Crown Princes palace. He looked back at the messenger with an expression of disbelief.

How many enemy troops are there to give you so much trouble?

I dont know. There were so many soldiers that I couldnt even count themat this rate, theyll break through the entrance.

Very well. Ill send over troops now.

The messenger looked on with a worried expression.

My Lord, youll need to think about how youre going to allocate your forces. If you send all of them, the ones inside the Crown Princes palace may break through.

After a moment of thought, Danny gave a nod of agreement.

Its important to protect the Crown Princes palace, but that doesnt mean Ill abandon it completely. Ill send half the troops for now, then make further decisions depending on how the fight develops.

Yes, My Lord!

The commander turned towards his troops, and immediately dispatched half of them.

***

Inside the Crown Princes palace.

The people trapped inside sensed something strange happening. They had no knowledge of Carlisles whereabouts or status, so they quietly stayed in place. That didnt mean they did nothing, howeverhere too, the soldiers were vigilantly watching for news of what was happening outside. From a distance, they had noticed forces clashing outside the Imperial Palace walls.

What should we do, Sir Zenard?

At the moment, several key figures had gathered together at the highest wall with the clearest view outside the palace. Zenard watched with shrewd eyes as Imperial Palace troops peeled away from the Crown Princes palace.

I dont know. Its unusual that theyre moving suddenly, but I cant make a judgment without more information.

Kuhn, who was also present at the meeting, gave a small nod of his head.

Theres nothing wrong with being cautious. It could be a trap.

The Empress soldiers had threatened to kill them if they left the palace. Unless they wanted to fight a battle, it was safest to stay inside for now. However, they couldnt stay like this forever, and they needed to come up with a plan

Zenards expression was dark.

Lets watch a little longer.