Chapter 309: Chapter 309 Calling For Backup

Their enemies had no idea she had managed to save it. And since they were so obsessed with destroying her and her people, she could use that ignorance against them, striking when they least expected it.

For now, she kept this secret from her father, choosing instead to let him assist Malveric in gathering what was needed, all while encouraging Malveric to continue developing the treatment.

In this way, they gained more fallback options. Their enemies might still be several steps ahead, while they drop one scheme after another like bombs, but Addison’s only choice now was to keep moving forward and maybe, dismantling each trap or hurling it back at them.

It was the only way to shield her people, and most of all, her babies, from the madness while delivering damage in return. She was no longer the same Addison who once endured bullying in silence. Now, she struck back, equal in force, if not stronger.

Addison and her father, together with Elric, Malveric, and the lead researcher, spent a full two hours discussing contingency plans for the crisis. Even Elric came away with a clearer vision of how to collaborate with the researcher on developing devices or machines that could aid both the planting and harvesting seasons.

It was also a good opportunity to showcase the capabilities of his Mage Tower’s disciples. After all, although he and the mages were helping with the locust swarm, their efforts so far had been limited to erecting barriers rather than eradicating the infestation outright.

In truth, Elric could unleash a more powerful spell and incinerate the entire swarm in one strike, but the aftermath would be no better than the biochemical agent. The residual mana would poison the land, rendering it useless, and he had no solution for restoring it. That was why he never voiced that option.

Because of this, he felt both he and his disciples appeared useless, little more than decorative ornaments in the current crisis. Determined to change that, he resolved to focus his efforts on inventing a machine that would ease the werewolves’ burden during planting and harvest seasons.

That way, instead of wasting all their strength on farming, they could dedicate more time to honing their warriors’ abilities and avoid being so easily bullied again.

After all, with everything that had happened, it would be foolish of them not to see that the locust swarm had been deliberately planted in the West by the same enemy orchestrating the chaos around them. And how had they managed it?

The answer was simple: because the West had poured all its energy into farming, their patrols and defenses had grown lax, giving their enemies the perfect chance to slip past unnoticed.

Addison didn’t need to check to know they were being closely monitored by the same enemy forces lurking along the border. Those enemies were likely waiting for her and the others to make a move against the locust swarm, knowing that if they acted rashly, the outcome might only worsen the situation.

That was probably the trap all along. But what could she do? Even with Elric at her side, not once had he suggested leading the mages to wipe out the swarm entirely. He knew he couldn’t take responsibility for the consequences. His options were limited.

He was an archmage, yes, but not a god; he couldn’t promise that his magic wouldn’t bring the same kind of ruin to the West. Addison understood that, and so she never pushed him to try.

But that also meant the weight of all the stress fell on her shoulders. Still, Addison felt fortunate because her mates were doing their best to ease her burden in their own ways, and that alone was enough.

Because of them, she no longer had to worry about those same enemies breaking into the territory to pull something underhanded.

“Alright, Addie. Once Malveric finishes the treatment agent, we’ll send it to you immediately. I’ve already dispatched people to search for a light-attribute mana stone; let’s hope they bring back good news soon.”

“As long as our enemies don’t catch wind of our search, they won’t be able to stop us from trying…” The Alpha King spoke with a grave expression, his tone steady, though his clenched jaw betrayed the storm he was holding back.

He was doing everything he could to appear composed, to avoid adding to Addison’s burden. Addison noticed, of course, but chose to stay silent, pretending not to see.

“Don’t worry, Father. After this call, I’ll try something on my end as well…” Addison said, choosing not to elaborate. She didn’t want to make promises she might fail to keep; it would only raise their hopes and risk crushing them later. Better to act first, then report once she has results.

Her mother remained quiet throughout the conversation, offering silent but steady support. It was as if all she wanted was to see Addison safe, her calm presence anchoring both father and daughter and easing the weight of their worries.

When the communication crystal finally dimmed, leaving only silence on the other side, Addison turned to Elric.

“Can you try to connect to the specialized communication crystal I gave Silas? I need to speak with her.”

“Princess, are you planning to ask the Saintess for help purifying the land?” Elric asked, his hand already moving as he adjusted the coordinates and runes in the magic circle surrounding the communication crystal.

“Yes,” Addison replied firmly. “We need every bit of help we can get right now. Otherwise, we’re screwed, and those who want us ruined will be the first to celebrate when my father’s reign falls.”

“Maybe they don’t even want me to ascend to the throne at all. They’d rather see the kingdom crumble than let me succeed, or worse, they’d crown anyone else, as long as it’s not me.”

She tried to make it sound like a joke, but beneath her words lingered a sharp edge of truth. A part of her genuinely believed it; her growing suspicion of the faction that had been antagonizing them only fed that thought.

Addison could see the pattern now.

Addison was starting to see a pattern. The attempt to abduct her six years ago, the more recent plot that targeted Claire by mistake, then the shift of their schemes to the West when the first plans failed — it all fit together too neatly.

She began to suspect the same shadowy faction was behind the unrest in the South, the surge of corrupted monsters in the North, and the spreading plague.

Worse, they’d somehow managed to drag the Tigren Chieftain, Leon, into the chaos and used him to bind her to a screwed-up bond, that is, if it was part of their plan or was just another mess that fell on her due to her unluckiness.

Whether that had been deliberate or simply awful luck, she felt trapped. Then came the locusts, the biochemical agent, the Corrupted Energy, and the fairy incidents.

No matter how she turned it over in her mind, every road ahead felt like a trap aimed straight at her. Every choice looked like a wrong turn. For the first time in a long while, a cold thought crept in: what if there was no escape?

’Did I offend their leader somehow? Or did I owe them something?’ Addison forced a nervous joke to herself, but the humor barely masked the real dread curling in her stomach. The deeper she dug into the conspiracy, the more frightened she became.

What terrified her most wasn’t for herself; it was the thought that these people, so clearly targeting her, might discover her children. She couldn’t bear to imagine what they would do to them.

And so, Addison’s resolve to escape their grasp only deepened.

Then, not long after, a familiar face appeared, Sila’s porcelain-like features filled the communication crystal, instantly softening the weight of chaos in Addison’s mind.

“Addie!!! At last, you remembered to call this older sister of yours! Where are my nephews, hmm?” Sila chirped like a delighted bird, pressing too close to the communication crystal. Her eyes grew comically large on Addison’s end, her excitement spilling over as though they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Silas, you’re still as lively as ever. The children are back in the Royal Capital with their grandparents…” Addison said with a soft chuckle. Just seeing Silas’s carefree energy was enough to make her forget her troubles for a fleeting moment.

“So, you’re not in the Royal Capital yourself then? And if you’re calling me without the kids around, it only means you’ve run into a nasty problem and need my help, am I right?” Silas replied, settling back into her seat.

A faint, knowing smirk played on her lips, as if she had seen this coming long ago and had simply been waiting for Addison to finally reach out.

“Seems like I really can’t hide anything from you,” Addison replied with a helpless smile. Her shoulders felt so heavy they slumped slightly, betraying her weariness.

Sensing the need to give them space, Elric quietly excused himself and stepped out of the room to join the two guards outside.

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