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Chapter 72 Empire Saga 18 Decoy
update icon Updated at 2026/2/23 17:00:02

"Teacher... You're amazing!"

As we got back into the carriage, Lema immediately rushed over to me and exclaimed.

"We were so worried when we heard the continuous explosions earlier, but Ms. Mary and the others assured us that we didn't need to worry. And sure enough, all by yourself, you took out so many battle airships!"

Seeing the admiration in their eyes, I felt a little embarrassed. Though I did manage to take out the enemy, it was mostly because they were not skilled in operating the battle airships.

If they had coordinated their attacks and launched the electromagnetic cannons in a specific order, while predicting my movement to dodge the missiles, they might not have been able to kill me, but they could have seriously injured me and finished me off with the cannons.

Indeed, if the enemy had skilled pilots, there's no way I would have charged out earlier, even if I had a hundred times the courage.

If you don't court death, you won't die.

At least not so soon.

"There was no choice. If we didn't take them out, given the airships' capabilities, we wouldn't have been able to shake them off during the night. They would have surely discovered our tracks by morning, and we would have been completely helpless then."

I looked at them as they spoke, then pulled out the map the prince had given me.

"According to the route the prince provided, it will take us until midday tomorrow to reach the next city. And that is the territory of Count Gensidebear. Although they haven't explicitly stated it, according to the information from the website, they are allies with the Sherden family. While they might not attack us out of respect for the prince, it doesn't mean they will let us pass easily. So, following the prince's plan, we'll bypass the territory of Count Gensidebear's Tiansi City tomorrow, abandon the carriage, and return to Tiansi City before taking the train to the Imperial City."

"This is just a basic estimated route, right?"

Bai Yueguang chuckled.

"The fact that the enemy deployed battle airships shows that they are determined to succeed in their operation. Since you annihilated all their airships this time, they will surely come at you with more direct methods. I think our trip through Tiansi City will be exceptionally dangerous."

"Oh, Bai, do you have any suggestions then?"

"Don't call me by such weird names. I'm not..."

Before Bai Yueguang could finish speaking, Hei Luoli grabbed him.

"There's no need to worry, Bai is just being tsundere. Don't mind him."

Seeing the complex expression on Bai Yueguang's face, all I could do was silently sympathize with him.

But unintentionally, my gaze turned to Aliyah and Oyado by my side.

Hmm? Why am I looking at them?

Well, whatever, let's just leave this place as soon as possible for now.

"Alright, Bai Yueguang, what's your suggestion?"

"Well, I think we should split into different routes. Three small teams, with two teams taking different railway lines with one person each, heading towards the Imperial City. The last group can cause a bit of trouble in the city to reduce the risk of being discovered."

"Oh, Bai is right!"

Ms. Mary nodded as well.

"Your suggestion reminds me of an additional idea. Once we reach Tiansi City, we'll be entering the railway network. We don't necessarily need to take the train directly to the Imperial Academy. If we take a slight detour, the enemy might not even notice us."

"Yes, that's right. So, this will be our plan."

I thought for a moment before continuing, "We'll split into three groups. The first two groups will disembark before Tian Si City and enter the city disguised as mercenaries or merchants. The last group will continue on in the carriage. If the enemy follows, we'll abandon the carriage and return to Tian Si City, creating chaos. Of course, it would be best if the enemy assumes we've fled in the carriage. That way, the third group can continue driving the carriage to the academy."

"Alright, let's do it," Miss Li MachMadol agreed, nodding her head.

"Now, we need to assign teams," I looked at everyone. "How about rock-paper-scissors?"

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Although the original plan was to play rock-paper-scissors, due to Aliyah and Oyado's strong insistence, they, along with me, became the third group, the team that would draw the fire. On the other side, Hei Luoli, Bai Yueguang, and Dale formed a mercenary squad with Li MachMadol. Ms. Mary and Fran disguised themselves as noblewomen heading out on a trip, and of course, Taishi Xi, wearing full battle gear and towering at a height of 180 cm, couldn't be missed, as most people would have to go around him.

To make it more realistic, I even brought out two humanoids and dressed them in noble clothes with wigs styled like Li MachMadol and Madol. Of course, I couldn't use Transfiguration on the humanoids, so I made them wear masks instead.

It actually added to the disguise, and looking at my handiwork, I nodded in approval.

"Alright, enough goofing around. We've been past Tian Si City for a while now," Aliyah put down the curtain on the carriage and looked at me. "Be ready, we might have pursuers soon."

"It's alright, we'll deal with it when it comes," I continued driving the carriage, galloping on the road. However, we were moving along the edges to avoid colliding with other carriages.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Suddenly, my earpiece sounded, Bai Yueguang's voice transmitting through. "I can hear you, what's up?"

"We're almost at Tian Si City, and it seems quite hectic today. That should make it harder for them to notice us," he reported.

"That's good, but don't let your guard down."

"And also, we saw two airships taking off from the city, and there are two squads of light cavalry at the other city gate. It's clear they're targeting you guys."

"Is that so? They really are working hard." I gave a wry smile. "As expected. Alright, you guys stick to the plan, I'll lead them away."

"Alright, you take care," Bai Yueguang said before ending the call.

"Big brother, someone's following us," Oyado suddenly jumped down from the roof of the carriage. "I saw an airship catching up!"

"One airship?" I furrowed my brows. Bai Yueguang clearly mentioned two. But Oyado couldn't have been mistaken. There should only be one airship coming from behind.

Then where did the other one go?

Just then, an attack alarm sounded from the left side of the forest. I quickly yanked the carriage to the right, but before the horses could react, two missiles hit the left side of the carriage. With a loud explosion, the entire carriage was sent flying.

Shadow Stealth!

I immediately turned around, turning into a shadow and lifting Aliyah and Oyado. I reached out my hand and put the two humanoid beings in the ring, then swiftly ran out through the window.

Just as I left, two more missiles hit the train compartment, causing a deafening explosion that completely destroyed it.

Haha, it seems freezing those six airships yesterday made the enemy very angry. They want to kill us now.

Interesting, but... that's not our mission today. There's no point in defeating you.

I released two humanoid beings and set Aliyah and Oyado down.

"Run! Our target is Tian Si City!"