Winter Moon, 47th. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Three days earlier, the Church's Second and Third Legions had launched a feint against the Earls of Raeder in the eastern part of the Empire, attracting the attention of the Legions on the Eastern Front of the Empire. A total of eleven 'special operations' teams, including Elena's, took advantage of the emptiness of the defense line to infiltrate the border one after another and conduct investigations in the territory of the empire.

As previously declared, this is a "holy war" launched by the Church to exterminate the cult. Therefore, their first task was to determine the movements of the Eda Sect in the empire, as well as the composition of its personnel. If evidence of their evil deeds can be found, or the fact that they are disrespectful to the Lord of Light or his followers, it can also greatly increase the legitimacy of the Church to send troops, as well as the faith of the army.

Just the other day, the messenger of the Elna people visited the church army that had not yet entered the Empire, bringing with them intelligence that they were preparing for a full withdrawal. Some members of the team were a little reluctant to respond to this approach, feeling that it was a little unwise for the 'foresters' to retreat on their own after learning that the Church had sent troops.

Elena doesn't think so. She understands that attacking other people's land feels completely different from the flames of war spreading in her own homeland. During her month-long journey in the wilderness, she had seen the aftermath of the attacks on her tribe - no one was spared in the battles and the massacres that followed, whether adults, old people or children.

The current goal of the Elders Kingdom is probably not to win the war, but to save the lives of the people as much as possible - in her opinion, this is the most correct choice. She also did not believe that without the assistance of the Kingdom, the Church Army would not be able to achieve victory in the confrontation with the Empire.

On the afternoon of the second day after entering the border, she followed the team to a manor house that was some years old but still neatly kept. According to Captain Saran, this will serve as a temporary base for them, providing supplies, intelligence, and liaison with the Church.

The manager of the manor is a blonde woman who calls herself Yura, and although she is nearly middle-aged, her complexion is still well maintained. She gave the team a clear and concise introduction to the facilities of the estate, who could help, and how to get the message across.

"Speaking of which......" Elena looked at her, and a thought popped into her, "Are you a Raven Knight?" ”

The woman's gaze flickered for a moment, then changed to a soft smile, "Yes before...... It was about seven years ago. Now I am the head of this estate, for the Church of San León...... As well as the current Crow service. ”

Sure enough—when the Church accepted the Crow Knights' subordinates, it probably had the plan in mind. Elena had little interest in this kind of scheme, and for her, the person in front of her had successfully survived the disaster, and it was something to be happy about.

"Thank you." The girl whispered, "I'm going to trouble you during the time I've lived here." ”

The group washed away the fatigue of the journey in the manor, changed into light clothes, had dinner, and began to discuss the future plans.

"Speaking of which, you members of the Raush Eda must know something about the Raush Eda Sect, right?" The tall, lanky Jo leaned over to Yura, who was the shooter in the squad, and spoke as fast as an arrow, "After all, you are also worshippers of gods." ”

"We do know something." The blonde woman nodded, "But we've been minimizing our activities these days, and the sources of information may be limited." I'll sort out the relevant information in a minute, and I hope it can help you. ”

"I'll go to the nearby San Leon church and inquire." Miria continued, "There is a record of believers in recent years. Moreover, if something happened to the church, it would be enough to prove that there was something wrong with that Edda. ”

"Maybe it's not a bad idea to ask the mercenaries, and the Guild here." The sturdy Mahan said in a gruff voice, "It may take some money...... How many silver coins did we bring with us, Captain? ”

"It's enough at the moment, of course, considering the unexpected, it won't be wrong to save some flowers." Saran responded. He was about forty or fifty years old, fair-skinned, and didn't look much like a battle-hardened warrior. He turned his head to look at the thoughtful girl, "Elena, what is your opinion?" ”

"I'm thinking...... The Imperial Army was able to defeat the Crow Knights by that means, and they really didn't notice us? The girl tilted her head and looked around the inside and outside of the manor, "Think about how to deal with enemies who might attack here...... Isn't it better? ”

"Phew, don't crow's mouth!" Joe immediately jumped to his feet, "You can't talk nonsense about this kind of thing! You're going to be responsible for what happened! ”

"No, I think what Elena said has a point. We do not know enough about the enemy, and it is necessary to be vigilant. Saran pondered for a moment, "Everyone will take turns keeping vigil tonight, don't completely unarmour, and be prepared for the attack." ”

There was no unnecessary argument, and everyone, including the squire knight Chris, was quite convinced of Saran's orders. They quickly discussed the night watch plan and the location that needed to be guarded, and Sheila, who was good at trapping in the team, set the alarm, and after a simple wash, they each rested or started their own mission. Elena was assigned to the third shift, the last one before dawn - Saran had intended to give her a rest, but the girl insisted on treating everyone else equally.

The first half of the night was uneventful. At around three o'clock in the morning, Elena woke up on time to replace the four members of the second shift along with Miria, Chris and Joe.

Each of them paid attention to one of the entrances to the manor, and did not communicate much. It was about four o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark, and the girl blinked, as if she saw several dark figures flashing past the gate of the manor.

"Someone's coming, go wake up the others!" Miria's voice came at the same time, proving that she was not dazzled, "There are really a lot of them...... It is estimated that there are more than twenty! ”

Elena turned, but Sheila's alarm was one step quicker—a shrill bell ringing throughout the manor, loud enough to wake anyone asleep. Joe grabbed Elena and led her to the intended sniper position.

The quality of the elite squad was evident at this moment, and in less than a minute, the rest of the squad was already holding their respective weapons, wearing light armor, and defending in the previously agreed positions according to their respective duties.

Jura and several other attendants in the manor were also woken up by the alarm, and they remained calm enough to stay in the safe positions they had agreed upon. Elena quickly cast several large-scale blessing spells, and then cast a magic spell to increase the power of arrows for Joe and Miria beside her, and then quietly waited for the battle to begin.

The attackers were no less slow. They quickly broke the glass windows in the front and back of the manor and stormed into the two-story building. There was no conversation between them at all, and it seemed that they had already formed a full tacit understanding.

The eight melee members of the squad, including the squire knight Chris, stood in a blind spot that was not easy to shoot and met the enemy one after another. The screeching sound of metal clashing suddenly sounded, accompanied by the shouts of the team members from time to time. Elena observes the battle from the second floor, ready to cast her magic on allies who need protection.

"These Assassins are pretty good." Chris wielded two scimitars to neutralize an attacker's attack, plunging the blade into the other's heart, "and hard enough to die without saying a word...... Hell, it's all alive!? ”

The attacker, who should have been injured to the point, still swung his long sword and slashed at Chris's neck. Luckily, Miria's additional attack arrived just in time, and a crossbow bolt with magic struck the attacker's chest, knocking him to the ground with an explosion that robbed him of what was left of his vitality.

Elena heard a whispered prayer coming from the first floor, but it didn't belong to any of her friends. She sensed that two magic spells that were not the Lord of Light were converging, so she turned her head and shouted, "Uncle Mahan, be careful! ”

The words and the Patronus spell in her hands were completed almost simultaneously, and a pale golden light enveloped the sturdy warrior, granting him protection and courage. The next moment, a flash of darkness flashed in the hands of the two enemies that Mahan was facing at the same time, and he suddenly snorted in pain, and his huge body also looked a little sluggish.

"It's ...... Mar's magic? He growled in disbelief, "They're the Crows?!" ”

"Just say what's wrong!" Joe immediately shouted, "What the hell is going on with Yura, why are your people attacking here!" Have you been—"

"I don't know." Jura replied quickly, her voice sounding equally puzzled, "Our combatants are all in the Cult, and even now, we still can't use Mar's magic—"

"We'll talk about that later, the task now is to defeat the enemy." Saran calmly interrupted their argument. The translucent force field missile flew from his hand and hit the two enemies who had just finished casting their magic skills, but unfortunately they were blocked by the other two with shields and failed to make a contribution, "Carefully observe the enemy's movements, and report any abnormalities immediately!" ”