Chapter 427: We need to meet the Commander.

“So how did these soldiers escape your Ants?”

“They moved too quickly.

My children couldn’t follow them.”

The Ant shook her head as she looked at the terrain.

“They all rode their Bonds, which were much faster than my Ants. Not to mention their Bonds were used to these terrains; my Ants weren’t, so their movements were slowed down more than normal.

In the end, my Ants lost sight of them, and by the time they found these hunters…”

Imperia didn’t say anything else and just stared at the repulsive sight in front of them.

Kael and Lavinia turned silent as well, staring at the sight just like Imperia. Kael was still having a hard time, but he still forced himself to do it. Lavinia’s words were still ringing in his head; at the same time, the visions he saw in his dreams started playing in his head as well.

To avoid that future…

To avoid everything…

He needed to change.

And he needed to do it quickly.

Lavinia, on the other hand, had started thinking about other problems.

“This is another thing we need to be careful about.”

She commented as she turned back towards Imperia. The Ant stared at her and nodded, already knowing what the Mage was thinking.

“Is there a solution?”

Lavinia asked.

“My Ants cannot move faster.”

Imperia shook her head.

“Other than Ants who specialize in speed and movement, the Whisperveils are already considered to be one of the fastest Ants.

But in the end, as long as their competition is difficult terrain and faster beasts, they will be outpaced, and the target will escape their watch.”

“So… we have no other choice…?”

Lavinia questioned in a low voice.

At that question, Imperia paused momentarily and then—

“Actually, we are using the Whisperveils in the wrong way. The Whisperveils were never supposed to follow a particular person; they are supposed to target a specific region.

The Whisperveils do not move; they pass information. They spread throughout the area, with each Ant taking care of a specific region and ultimately watching the entire area.

But the Land of Heights is too vast for just ten thousand Ants to cover.”

She explained, and her words instantly changed Lavinia’s expression.

“So we need…”

“More Ants.”

Imperia nodded, completing the Mage’s words. The Mage, however, clenched her fists in frustration.

After all, this solution wasn’t practical.

The Whisperveil Ants were known for how rare they are. Because of their incredibly strong network, humans can never catch any of their kind, let alone their Queen’s Eggs to bond with them.

Throughout history, there have only been a few humans lucky enough to bond with a Whisperveil Queen, and every single one of them was treated with complete respect and had a high position in whatever power they belonged to.

“You seem angry.”

Imperia commented, looking at Lavinia.

“I was hoping you would ask how we could get more Ants.”

“…I am not a fool. I know how rare the Whisperveils are.”

Lavinia muttered.

“Humans have been trying to find them for generations, and the last time one succeeded was about five hundred years ago.”

Most of Lavinia’s decisions were influenced by the history she had studied, so in her mind, the option of putting effort into finding the rare Whisperveils seemed foolish.

But—

“Being rare and not being found by humans are two separate things, Lavinia.”

Imperia spoke in a low voice, her words instantly attracting Lavinia’s attention.

“What do you mean…?”

She questioned, her eyes brightening up. She still held herself back, not wanting to raise her own expectations, but Imperia could see the light of hope in the Mage’s eyes.

The Ant smiled lightly and then—

“Humans cannot find the Whisperveils because they do not want to be found by them, but do you think that would be the same if their very Mother wants them?”

“Does this mean we can…”

“Even though the Whisperveils have very low food requirements and can survive weeks without eating, in the end, they are living entities; they still need food.

All this while, I was holding back since we wouldn’t have had enough food for everyone, but now that that problem is settled and…”

Imperia glanced at the dead bodies again—

“And it seems like it is now time we need them more than ever.

I believe it is time to strengthen our information network.”

Imperia nodded, seemingly excited about getting more of her children around her. Lavinia smiled at her words as well.

If they could grow their information network, something like this wouldn’t repeat again, and they would be solving many other problems Lavinia had been facing as she concocted her future plans.

Lavinia stared at Imperia as if she were some sort of Goddess sent to this world just to give a solution to all the problems she had. The Ant smiled back.

The Ant and the Mage felt like their bond was now getting stronger and stronger, and Kael, who was watching them stare at each other with smiles…

He couldn’t help but think how… weak he was.

Here he was, standing frozen, staring at the gruesome sight as he barely held back the urge to vomit, and then there were these two, planning ahead and finding solutions to make sure something like this never happened again.

It was honestly pathetic.

In his mind, Kael made a resolve to change, for his own and his family’s benefit.

And the first step to do that would be to…

Not just stare at this sight but participate in the conversation.

“Did the Ants see anything by the time they got here?”

He questioned, looking at Imperia. For a moment, Imperia was taken aback; soon, however, she shook her head and—

“They were too late.”

She answered.

“Your Ants have observed all the Tribes in the Heights for a while, correct? Which of them do you think are behind it?”

Kael asked another question.

As cleared before, this wasn’t the work of wild beasts; it was done by humans, and the only humans here except for other Velmourns would be the Tribesmen.

“They only observed them for a short duration; it wasn’t enough to get extensive information.”

Imperia, however, shook her head again.

“So it could be anyone…”

Lavinia muttered softly, and Imperia nodded.

“What about the Stonefangs?”

Kael raised his voice a little.

“They have the reason to do something like this, don’t they?”

“That could be the case…”

Imperia nodded.

“There is no point discussing this amongst ourselves.”

In the end, Lavinia shook her head.

“It is better to inform others. They would know more about this than us; who knows, they might even recognize what this… symbol or message is.”

The Mage spoke.

Her discomfort as she called the dead bodies a symbol or a message was clear.

“The Men at the Watch have already started talking about them.”

Imperia added.

“Usually a hunting party returns within an hour. Of course, there are times when it takes longer due to various reasons, but the Men of the Watch have already started mentioning the hunting party in their talks.

It seems like they would be sending a search party after an hour if these men still didn’t return.”

“Well… at least that won’t be needed.”

Lavinia shrugged. The solemn look on her face still didn’t disappear. She then turned towards Kael and—

“We should leave.”

Kael nodded back.

“What about the Ants?”

Imperia asked.

“Keep them here.”

Kael ordered.

“There are only six of them, so the area they would be able to cover isn’t large, but if we are fortunate, we might find some clues.”

He explained.

“I understand.”

Imperia nodded.

Lavinia smiled at how Kael seemed much calmer than before. Of course, she knew he was pushing himself to do all this, but that only made it better. It told Lavinia that Kael was willing to change and he was putting in effort for it, for… them.

And this only made her smile much more beautiful. She felt an inexplicable feeling as she stared at Kael’s face, and the moment he turned towards her, she quickly hugged him, not wanting him to see her face.

“Let’s go.”

She spoke, using all her might not to stutter. Of course, her high-pitched voice gave away what she was thinking, especially to the intelligent Imperia and the ever-so-active on-this-matter Vitaria, but fortunately for the Mage,

’She has been putting on a strong front even when she was clearly shaken…

She is much stronger than I am.’

Kael completely misunderstood the shift in her tone and gently patted her back as he hugged her.

Not wanting his Lavinia to stay in this place for longer, Kael looked at the gruesome sight one more time, as if he were trying to memorize it, and then he stepped into the air and flew away.

Their next destination?

The Wall.

Right in front of the Commander’s Office.

“Kael?”

The moment he landed, Kayden, who had been roaming around the area, called out with a frown.

He still couldn’t believe how these two shamelessly moved together all the time.

’We get it, the two of you are together. Now cut it out!’

He wanted to call it out; soon, however, he noticed the solemn expression on their faces and—

“We need to meet the Commander.”

Kael’s solemn tone instantly changed Kayden’s light-hearted mood and—

“Come with me.”

He nodded, instantly bringing the two inside.

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