Chapter 1692: Chapter 1692

"Some Enchanters possess similar powers, but not all of them do."

It wasn't as if Jenkins could just slam the Skull Sword on the table, and since Alexia had taken his cane, he genuinely had no other weapon to lend her. Thus, he was telling the truth.

"Alright, my turn. Since Dolores is also aware that the palace is surrounded, her first move is naturally to gauge her older brother's intentions. Dolores won't surrender, but she knows exactly what choice Sarrot will make. Vastly outnumbered, she and her sisters decide to leverage the unique terrain of the palace complex to mount a defense and counterattack..."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a candle. The other four people in the room watched as he withdrew it, its flame already dancing. Salsi II smirked, convinced that Jenkins had been lying just moments before.

"The profound night may hide rebellion and murder, but the coming dawn will inevitably illuminate all that veils our sight. This candle will remain active for the entire duration. While it burns, everyone allied with Dolores Stuart will automatically gain an ability equivalent to [Low-Light Vision]. Furthermore, its pure light will grant life; all those on Dolores's side will possess the passive ability [Accelerated Regeneration] whenever they are illuminated by any source of light."

He set the candle steadily on the table. Salsi II stared at it, watching until it was assimilated by the game board, becoming a recognized piece:

"What exactly is this? How can it grant such a powerful effect?"

"It's just a candle."

"You see," Jenkins continued, "while Dolores may be short on numbers compared to Sarrot, with the candle's boon and the effect of the glasses I provided, I doubt he'll be able to breach the palace so easily. Not even if he brings in steam cannons next turn—unless, of course, he's willing to raze the entire complex to the ground."

Salsi II offered no comment, his gaze fixed on the game board.

Midnight did nothing to quiet the streets of Ruen. On the contrary, the thunder of marching boots and shouted commands roused most of the city's inhabitants from their sleep. Sarrot's army enforced martial law across the city. Just as Salsi II had predicted, upon receiving a message from the troops outside the walls, Sarrot Stuart ordered the city garrison to abandon their defensive posts. They were to move into the city proper and surround the royal palace.

Sarrot Stuart had also considered the possibility that the Northern Legion held one of the symbols of power. After the legion entered the city, he made a point of meeting with its commander, Duke Luanda, under the pretext of "cooperation." The old duke, a man who held Salsi II's complete trust, was visibly surprised to see the prince in Ruen. However, he adamantly denied that the king had ever entrusted him with any such item for safekeeping.

Sarrot now held a coin of his own, one that could be used for bribery. He could, of course, use it on the duke immediately. But if the duke was telling the truth, the bribe would be wasted, and the coin would be lost forever. After weighing his options, Sarrot chose to trust Duke Luanda's word.

"Jenkins, do you think Uncle Luanda has one of the artifacts father left behind?"

Yani asked from her place at the table. Jenkins shook his head:

The duke had been telling the truth.

"It seems you know me well."

Thanks to the item the king had played in the previous two rounds, Sarrot's faction had also attempted to win the loyalty of the Northern Legion. But even with the item's bonus, their words were not enough to sway the seasoned commander.

He had only one objective for the night: to purge the city of the unfaithful, following the list provided by Salsi II.

Inside the royal palace, Dolores and her two sisters were busy organizing their troops and arranging defenses. The princess had many loyal followers; some were lying in wait outside the city, while most of those who had joined her in the palace were capable combatants, ready for the fight.

As the clock struck midnight, Dolores delivered a rousing speech. She announced to her followers, and to the soldiers who had placed their faith in her, that she would fight for the crown.

Dolores possessed a powerful natural charisma, a talent she had demonstrated long before meeting Jenkins. Though she often presented the facade of an elegant princess in his presence, she had never forsaken her true capabilities.

On that sweltering summer night, with the support of her sisters and countless followers, she stood at the very heart of the kingdom's power and declared her ambition for the throne. Despite her youth, Princess Dolores Stuart successfully united the hearts of her people. Her powerful speech, amplified by an extraordinary force, rode the night wind and reached the ears of thousands.

The crowd erupted in cheers, hailing the princess's resolve. In that moment, the sixteen-year-old princess became the brightest star in the extraordinary night sky.

"Look. That's my daughter."

Back in Nolan, Salsi II said to Jenkins with a proud smile.

"Indeed. But soon, she'll be mine."

Jenkins replied with a smile of his own.

Behind Salsi II, Yani struggled to suppress her amusement. Standing behind her father, she only had to avoid laughing aloud. For the other two princesses at the table, however, it was a much greater challenge to keep a straight face.

This was the first turn after midnight. The night was dark and deep, but in both Ruen and Nolan, none of the participants in this contest had any intention of sleeping.

By the end of the turn, the entire Northern Garrison had appeared on the board, its elite units already inside the city walls. Meanwhile, Sarrot's faction had completely abandoned the defense of Ruen. After striking a deal with the legion's commander, they began redeploying their own forces to surround the palace.

From Nolan, the observers could see fires igniting across Ruen on the game board. The Northern Legion had entered the city with the intent to kill and eradicate entire families; they were not concerned with the means.

From the widest, bird's-eye view of Ruen, pinpricks of firelight now dotted the cityscape. It was destined to be a sleepless night in the capital.

At the foot of the hill where the royal palace stood, the Ruen city garrison, along with a small contingent from the Northern Garrison, had formed a perimeter. The first shots were exchanged due to an accidental discharge, but the skirmish was brief. It didn't take long for Sarrot's side to appreciate why their ancestors had built the palace on a hill.

Without weapons on the scale of steam cannons, they simply didn't have the numbers to force a path to the main gate by sacrificing lives.

"This was supposed to be a race against time, a test of courage and wits. They were meant to split up, find the clues you left, and prove their worth before dawn. Instead, it's become a military standoff."

Jenkins remarked sarcastically. "This can't be the outcome you envisioned, can it?"

"I admit, this is not what I wanted to see," the king said softly. "But I know their temperaments. That it came to this... was not entirely unexpected."

He then pointed to a section of the board, far from the royal palace:

"You see? Besides trapping Dolores on the hill, Sarrot hasn't forgotten to send his brothers and sisters to search for the clues."

Not all the Stuarts were gathered near the palace. Some of Salsi II's pieces had moved far from the "battlefield" and were now scattered across the city.

"Perhaps. But if they do find one of your symbols of power, will they actually hand it over to Sarrot? If I recall correctly, victory is achieved when one faction acquires three artifacts, not one person. I'm sure the Crown Prince is just as aware of that as I am. He must be wary of his own siblings; after all, they are rivals to some extent."

"Then we shall wait and see."

The second turn after midnight began. Salsi II, knowing Jenkins wouldn't make the first move, prepared to speak as before. But he suddenly froze, his gaze darting to the edge of the board, to the outskirts of the city.

An ice-blue snowflake, completely devoid of any pattern, had materialized there. As everyone in Nolan watched, it moved swiftly from the city's edge toward the center. Judging by the appearance of the Northern Garrison, this signified the arrival of another army around Ruen, one that was now joining the night's contest.

But this army was clearly different. Wherever the ice-blue snowflake passed, the land beneath it turned white. The onlookers, gazing down upon Ruen, could clearly see snow beginning to fall from a cloudless night sky.

Salsi II shot to his feet as if he'd been scalded, snatching his hand back from the game board. Jenkins scooped up his cat, which was attempting to climb onto the table, and glanced down at the board's metal trim. With a faint, crackling hiss, a thin layer of frost spread across its surface, coating even the items placed along the empty edges.

A chill poured from the game board like water from a spring, flooding the small room in Nolan and making everyone shiver. It was the first time since the contest began that the events in Ruen had physically manifested in Nolan.

Salsi II glanced at his hand, which was nearly frostbitten, then snapped his head up to face Jenkins, his tone sharp.

"I didn't do a thing. It seems your little plan has hit a snag. Now, I should be asking you: what did you do? Something feels very wrong... So, shall we call this off?"