Chapter 63: Secret Code

  When the flame of its life was extinguished, its form was revealed. The black mist that enveloped it instantly vanished. As if it had never been there in the first place, merely an effect from its abilities.

  Its body resembled a type of grasshopper, but with legs like a spider. The front legs formed a pair of large, dark sickles, their tips splitting into three branches, similar to the footprints they had encountered.

  Nitaan dragged its body back towards the other members. As Nitaan appeared with the Devil beast, the Sky-Covering Net shattered, retracting back into its original form as a thin red rope.

  “Done. This is the Devil beast that hunts the villagers,” Nitaan grinned, tossing the giant insect's body down in front of them.

  Sila gasped. Even as a First word Engraver, he couldn't comprehend the situation. Everything happened too quickly.

  “It looks similar to a Vaira Locust, but the legs are different. "It really is a mutated" Princess Pailin knelt down to examine the Devil beast's remains closely.

  “We might need to send a research unit to inspect this forest. Having mutated isn’t a good sign.” Leader Mei said.

  “So it has hallucination ability just like we suspected. But it’s surprisingly intelligent for an insect-type Devil beast.” Napha stared at the carcass in bewilderment.

  “It even planned to trick us into thinking it had escaped, then ambushed us when the opportunity arose,” Tawan nodded slightly.

  “Vaira Locusts have never been known for their intelligence,” Kasa added.

  Unit 3 and Princess Pailin chatted nonchalantly, as if the ambush and counter-ambush earlier had never happened.

  “Just a moment… I can’t keep up. I mean… did everyone know it would ambush us?” Sila’s eyes widened. He didn’t understand anything.

  He’s a First word Engraver! How come he is the only one who falls behind?

  “No.”

  “Not at all.”

  “Nope.”

  “I didn’t know.”

  Each member of Unit 3 answered clearly with a small laugh.

  “But I kind of knew,” Princess Pailin smiled faintly. Everyone turned to look at Princess Pailin. Unit 3 have a puzzled look on their faces.

  They weren't lying when they said they didn’t know. They really had no clue about the ambush. Their reaction was only possible because of a specific method. Therefore, Princess Pailin should also be in the dark.

  “Well, the acting was terrible,” Princess Pailin chuckled softly. Nitaan, standing nearby, cleared his throat.

  “…I don’t understand. And what does Nitaan have to do with it? And you all say you didn't know, but how did you react so quickly? I wasn't prepared at all,” Sila said, his head spinning.

  “A secret code,” Leader Mei smiled.

  “A secret code? When and who sent it?” Sila wondered.

  “Who else? It's him! If anyone can sense the ambush, it's only one person here. Oops! I mean one person and one dog!” Napha burst into laughter, pointing at Nitaan.

  Nitaan gave a sheepish smile, looking apologetic. Everything had happened so suddenly. He hadn't had time to prepare an explanation for everyone, so he had to adjust.

  “It’s the feet stomping Nitaan did earlier.” Tawan smiled.

  “Stomping feet multiple times in our Unit 3 means to read the code after this,” Leader Mei explained.

  “‘A fuss’ means protect. Unnecessary speaking of many sentences all at once means to prepare immediately,” Tawan continued.

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  Sila’s eyes widened. He recalled earlier when Nitaan, in a fit of rage, stomped his feet repeatedly.

  “And Nitaan did point at Kiita. Combined with ‘protect’ and ‘prepare immediately,’ it means to prepare to protect Kiita immediately,” Gion explained with a grin.

  “Even though he actually didn’t need it at all.” Kasa laughs awkwardly. Kiita literally just charged into the attack before any of them could protect him.

  “But I was very surprised that Princess Pailin understood the code. I was worried about how to use the Sky-Covering Net discreetly. Otherwise, if anything strange happened, it would surely escape,” Nitaan said, looking at Princess Pailin suspiciously.

  “Who says I know? How would I know the secret codes in your unit? I just saw Nitaan throw a tantrum, something he wouldn’t normally do, and make a move to grab the Sky-Covering Net. So I assume he had a plan.” Princess Pailin laughed good-naturedly.

  Sila swallowed hard. Even though Princess Pailin was only a Newborn, her intelligence and wit were truly not to be underestimated.

  "You knew it would attack that dog because that dog was the only thing that could track it. So you devised a counter-plan, right?" Sila finally understood. He suddenly grasped everything.

  "Something like that. But I adjusted according to the situation. A Devil beast this intelligent might understand our communication. So I chose to use a secret code instead."

  "Then why didn't you take us directly to it from the start? Since you knew it was ambushing us from the beginning, I was so worried," Sila complained slightly.

  Nitaan raised an eyebrow slightly. He looked at Sila for a moment before smiling and replying, "It was just more certain this way."

  "But it's frighteningly intelligent. It even knew you were tracking it by scent, and it even set up a trap."

  "Fortunately, you still have other ways to track it down," Sila sighed, looking at Nitaan expectantly.

  Nitaan's expression remained calm and silent. He smiled slightly before answering the question again.

  "It's the powder of the Purple Sapphire Flower. Purple Sapphire Flowers are special flowers. Their petals, in perfect condition, have a special scent. This scent is generally undetectable. You have to grind the root of the Purple Sapphire Flower and apply it to your nose to intensify it," Nitaan explained.

  "You set such a trap? Amazing!" Sila gazed at Nitaan with admiration, as if forgetting that he is an Engraver and the young man before him was merely a Learner.

  "Can we continue our talk in the village? I'm all sticky and tired of leaves. We also need to share the good news with the villagers," Kasa interrupted. Moving stealthily through the forest all night had exhausted her.

  "Let's go back first," Princess Pailin smiled. Her face beamed at the successful completion of her royal mission. Nitaan, watching from the side, suddenly looked slightly puzzled.

  Fake smile?

  ——————————————————————————————————————————————

  A new day dawned quickly. As the members of Unit 3 emerged from the forest, the sun shone brightly, welcoming them. The villagers crowded out to await the good news.

  When they saw Princess Pailin's group dragging the headless carcass of a giant insect, cheers erupted, shaking the entire area. Many villagers' faces were stained with tears of joy. For three months they had lived in fear. Finally, the day they could sleep peacefully had arrived.

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  “Long live Princess Pailin!”

  The shouts of praise welcomed their arrival. Unit 3 wore proud smiles. As City Guard’s Core officers who rarely interact with people, they rarely get praise openly like this.

  Even on this joyous occasion, Princess Pailin maintained her facade smile, not displaying the joy she should have felt.

  She smiled and had a friendly chat with many villagers in a friendly manner, while Unit 3 dispersed to rest and pack their belongings. Their mission was complete. They no longer needed to stay.

  Before they parted, Princess Pailin stopped them.

  “We will stay in this village for another two or three days. Better safe than sorry," she said, turning to address everyone.

  Although everyone was somewhat skeptical, they still nodded in agreement. Staying to help with the patrol for a few more days wouldn't hurt.

  “Thank you so much, Princess Pailin. Please allow our FlameFrost Village to celebrate your success," said the village chief, deeply moved.

  Hearing this, everyone's doubts vanished. They were excited about the local food and drinks they were about to taste.

  The joyful atmosphere continued like that. As night fell, the village held a grand celebration. Everyone danced and laughed merrily. In the center of the village stood a large bonfire where the villagers gathered to celebrate. Meat, fruits, booze, and vegetables were brought out.

  The singing and laughter continued for many hours. Several members of Unit 3, such as Napha, Gion, and Kasa, joined in the merriment. Leader Mei and Tawan simply stood and chatted with the villagers with a respectful demeanor.

  Princess Pailin remained being Beloved Princess. She spoke with everyone without any airs, helping those around her. She carried water to the drunkards, played with the children, and brought food to the elderly. The fake smile was gone, replaced by the bright, genuine smile she used with the people every day.

  Nitaan, exhausted from the hustle and bustle, separated himself after a short celebration and conversation. He took refuge in the observation tower by the village wall, volunteering to keep watch in place of the guards, chasing them away to join the feast.

  Nitaan sat on the tower, brushing Kiita's fur. The sound of laughter still drifted on with the wind, reaching his ears occasionally. He smiled faintly, brushing Kiita's fur while gazing at the night sky, lost in thought. The bright moon shone in the sky, its soft light feeling strange yet familiar to Nitaan. He wasn't sure what kind of feeling it was.

  A rustling sound came from behind him, as if someone was climbing a ladder.

  "Why are you always sneaking up behind me? Are you a thief?" Nitaan laughed. Now that they were friends, he was beginning to show more of his true nature.

  "Do you know how often I climbed out of the palace windows when I was a kid?" A bright laugh rang out from behind him.

  Princess Pailin walked over and sat beside Kiita. She stretched her legs and twisted her arms comfortably. With Nitaan, she didn't need to maintain any pretense of appearances.

  "You really like to avoid people. Why such a loner?" Princess Pailin started a conversation.

  "I’m not. I went to a celebration earlier and talked to quite a few people." Nitaan shook his head slightly.

  "Then you end up here. That’s what I called a loner." Princess Pailin chuckled softly.

  They talked a little more. The moonlight continued to shine evenly in all directions. Besides the faint sound of laughter, the forest was eerily quiet tonight. So quiet that Nitaan couldn't quite describe the feeling.

  “Nitaan, can I ask you something?” Princess Pailin gazed at the sky, her voice distant.

  Nitaan raised an eyebrow slightly but said nothing, only nodding softly.

  Princess Pailin looked directly at Nitaan, her eyes filled with worry and uncertainty.

  “Do you think this mission is truly over?” Princess Pailin stared at Nitaan, then at the feast. In the center of the village, the carcass of a Vaira locust was being burned as a symbol of celebration.

  Nitaan suddenly understood why he felt so uneasy and anxious. The strange feeling he felt before becomes clear. It was a feeling of lies and deception, an anxiety stemming from his instinct that something was wrong.

  Princess Pailin's pink eyes were filled with the same anxiety as his, and she felt it even before he did.

  “I feel like something’s wrong. Something’s left unfinished. A feeling like we’re being deceived,” she said seriously.