Read Novel Full Chapter 703: Tensions at the Border
Chapter 703: Tensions at the Border
"Huh? A reward for my service and achievements?" Elina was stunned.
She rubbed her eyes, making sure she hadn’t misread it. After reading the letter again, she realized it truly mentioned a reward and achievements.
"This..."
"What’s going on?" Rafine’s curious voice came from behind.
Elina turned and explained, "I thought this letter was from Brother Nolan. But instead, it’s about a reward and achievements."
"Huh? Seriously?" Rafine looked surprised.
"Yeah." Elina nodded as she handed her the letter. Rafine immediately took it and began reading.
A few moments later, her expression turned confused.
"Could the reward and achievements mentioned here be because you saved Nolan and Princess Seira earlier?" she guessed.
Elina considered the possibility and found it plausible.
"It seems likely. Still... this is surprising. I thought Father would punish me. Who would’ve thought he’d reward me instead?"
A sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head helplessly.
Everything had happened so suddenly, and it was nothing like what she had expected.
However, she knew this was all thanks to Nolan’s intervention.
After all, she understood her older brother better than anyone.
...
Three weeks passed quickly. No major incidents occurred, and everyone seemed to live in peace.
Of course, that was only true for those in the major cities.
For those living along the border—especially in the northern regions near the Eldrath Mountains—the tension and oppressive atmosphere were impossible to ignore.
The shadow of war loomed over them every day.
On top of that, the northern cold was bitter and relentless, making the pressure even worse.
"What about surveillance? Have you spotted any signs of enemy troop movements?"
Inside her tent, Freya stared at the two soldiers before her with a cold gaze.
"Not yet, General!" they replied respectfully. "The enemy forces haven’t moved from their positions. However, their numbers keep increasing. It seems they’re still gathering their strength."
Freya fell silent, her brows knitting tightly together. She wasn’t afraid of the Holy Empire of Valtanir. In fact, she wanted to strike first.
As the famous military adage goes, "Defeat your enemy before they have a chance to grow stronger."
Unfortunately, she couldn’t. Her father’s orders were clear: guard the Eldrath Mountains.
As long as the enemy didn’t attack, she wasn’t allowed to act rashly.
"Hah..." Freya exhaled and waved her left hand. "Thank you. You may go."
The two soldiers nodded and quickly left the tent.
Not long after they disappeared from view, a woman suddenly materialized out of thin air.
She was tall, with red hair tied back by a bird-feather-shaped hairpin, and a symbol of fire etched on her forehead.
Her face looked gentle, yet her eyes carried a sharp, piercing intensity.
Freya wasn’t surprised by her sudden appearance.
"How did the investigation go, Phoenix? Did you find anything important?"
Phoenix shook her head. "Nothing. Their security is extremely tight. A high-level formation is blocking my view. If I force my way through, I’ll only get caught. The Holy Empire of Valtanir isn’t holding back this time."
Her expression grew serious. To create a formation that powerful, the one behind it had to be at least at the celestial level.
Phoenix had no doubt that an empire as vast as Valtanir possessed someone of that caliber.
Still, the presence of a Celestial Mage near the enemy camp made one thing clear—this war was no longer a possibility. It was inevitable.
Freya’s face darkened. Celestial Mages were terrifying existences, capable of turning an entire battlefield into a disaster.
It wouldn’t be so bad if they only intervened at key moments. But if they became fully involved... the war would turn into a massacre.
Even so, Freya wasn’t worried. Phoenix was the celestial mage her father had sent to assist her.
With Phoenix by her side, Freya had nothing to fear from the enemy’s Celestial Mages.
"Set up a magical barrier around our camp as well. I don’t want them spying on our troops," Freya ordered.
"As you command, Your Highness." Phoenix bowed her head, then vanished from sight.
...
"Hoaam..."
Nolan lay lazily on the sofa, his head resting on a soft pillow.
To his right sat a beautiful woman in a cheongsam, carefully massaging his temples.
The woman was none other than Obsidia, the spirit of the Void Reaver Disc weapon.
Malverna stood beside the sofa, the corner of her mouth twitching. It had been two days since Nolan returned to the eastern region, yet all she had seen him do was laze around.
Even Elina seemed to tolerate his behavior, which inexplicably irritated Malverna.
"Nolan," Malverna called out, rubbing her temples. "How long do you plan to lie around like this? Don’t you want to go out and do something productive?"
Obsidia picked up a grape and gently placed it against Nolan’s lips.
Nolan opened his mouth and ate it. This kind of luxurious pampering was exactly what he had been craving.
With one eye half-open, he glanced at Malverna and replied casually, "What’s wrong with you? There’s nothing wrong with what I’m doing, is there? I’m not causing trouble or stirring up chaos. You should relax too."
Then Nolan patted the sofa.
"Come here. Let me use your lap as a pillow. Your thighs are so soft. I still remember the last time I lay there—I fell asleep without even realizing it."
Malverna: "..."
"You—" She gritted her teeth, fists clenched in anger. "How dare you order me to do something so humiliating? I am the Demon Empress! My status is far too high! I—"
Five minutes later...
"Well, this is pretty comfortable."
Nolan rested his head on Malverna’s soft thighs, smiling with complete satisfaction.
An ancient proverb says, "A lap pillow is one of the seven wonders of the world," and it turned out the proverb wasn’t lying at all.
Malverna sat with her legs folded, her expression blank, as though her soul had left her body.
Seeing this, Obsidia could only smile. Over the past few days, she had been quietly observing Nolan’s two subordinates.
The first was Arnold—a terrifyingly powerful black dragon. The second was Malverna, the Demon Empress.
Of course, after learning Malverna’s true identity, Obsidia had been both shocked and frightened.
The Ancient Kingdom of Eron had been destroyed by the Demon Emperor. And since she was a weapon passed down through the Lyren family, Obsidia had once fought against the Demon Emperor to defend the kingdom... only to end in defeat.
At first, she assumed the title "Demon Empress" was nothing more than an empty name.
But she was wrong. Malverna had once been the Demon Emperor’s mentor—and the former leader of the demon race.
Fortunately, Malverna seemed indifferent toward her, making all of Obsidia’s fears feel unnecessary.
"Can you massage my head? Right here."
Nolan pointed to his temples and the top of his head.
Malverna rolled her eyes but didn’t refuse.
She was his slave. What right did she have to refuse?
Just as Nolan began to enjoy the leisurely life he had always dreamed of, Elina’s panicked voice suddenly rang out from the doorway.
"Brother, something’s happening to Eira! Her eggshell is shaking—it looks like she’s about to hatch!"