Chapter 98 The Awakened Chess Player: When Eleanor "killed" me, she also...

On the desolate battlefield, Andra wiped the longsword in his hand.

Countless corpses lay prostrate at her feet, the stench of blood so strong it could be wiped away with one's hand.

As the temporary "wolf queen," Alisa lay with her pack, her body covered only by a single bloodstain on her neck; the rest of her blood belonged to others.

Andra slowly wiped away the last trace of blood from the blade. She looked up suddenly, recalling the sensation of killing her sister.

It's hardly something to reminisce about, because the process was far too simplistic.

Gesha.

She merely cut through the air amidst the sea of ​​people, like a fisherman throwing a harpoon into the sea—snap it to the target, and then listlessly drag out a fish of moderate size.

That's all; it's bland and tasteless.

Did Eleanor feel the same way when she "killed" me?

Andra couldn't help but make that connection.

She no longer had the chance to kill her mother or her other sisters for comparison. Perhaps the stories are all lies; killing so-called blood relatives and lovers doesn't necessarily cause profound heartache.

No, that's not how it works.

She sheathed her sword and walked step by step toward the restless, wagging chestnut horse.

Andra's shoulders trembled slightly, not from fear, but more from the lingering thrill of excitement.

For so many years, she has kept herself inside this body called Scarface.

The handsome boy who walked alongside Eleanor in her memory has vanished since that day, or perhaps he has been severed into a completely different existence.

The more beautiful the memories of the past, the more terrifying the experiences that follow; even sweet memories turn into a rusty poison.

What should I do next?

The young man, abandoned by his lover, stood on the deserted beach, coldly watching the bodies drowning in the deep sea.

"Captain! Uh, Your Majesty—" The first mate, who had been promoted to lieutenant general, rode over excitedly on his horse.

Seeing that the scarred captain hadn't mounted his horse yet, she simply flung off the reins, rolled over, and knelt down on the ground, pressing her hand to her chest.

"You are indeed a brilliant strategist, and incredibly brave!"

After she finished speaking, she looked at him with admiring eyes, as if seeking guidance from a deity.

Andra stiffly turned his head, scanning the numerous dark figures on the battlefield bit by bit.

The enemy has fallen, and those who remain standing are her cavalry.

They were once smugglers, wandering mercenaries, pirates, and prisoners of war.

They were cowardly, greedy, resentful, and so stupid as to be repulsive.

But victory—the death of the enemy and the glittering gold—cured all their faults and taught them humility and obedience.

Their lives and blood will be her best nourishment, transforming into a chariot that rides the wind, carrying her to victory.

Victory, oh, sweet victory!

A grand celebration had just ended, and the blood and embers still faintly burned in the soldiers' eyes.

They craved more...more victories! And more...more and more carnage!

Come on, let's revel in this! Let's join her in the passionate conquest!

Boom!

Andra's blood boiled instinctively; she couldn't resist this gamble of turning life into golden pieces and throwing them forcefully onto the chessboard.

She belongs here.

She grinned, and all the bitter memories and unsolvable mysteries were swept away by the vibrant and interesting battlefield before her.

How interesting! Why am I thinking so much?

The overwhelming pleasure and the instinct born of war surged like waves in a river of blood, returning drop by drop of the blood that Eleanor had drained from her.

At this moment, Andra was no longer the young woman abandoned by her lover. She no longer needed to think about that damned love, nor did she need to utter those desperate cries of "Why?!"

Why did Eleanor want to kill me?

Did Eleanor ever truly love me?

What did I do wrong?

Those things are unimportant, absolutely unimportant.

The king, bathed in blood, tightened his grip on the young woman's neck with both hands, watching as blood tears streamed from her eyes as she suffocated.

Those things don't matter, Andra.

The king let out a hearty laugh in the breathing corpse's ear: "What are you wasting your time waiting for here instead of those questions?!"

I will not wait for anyone's pity!

Andra used to love listening to the stories told by the old women and capturing fables that circulated on the grasslands with her friends.

laugh--

Sparks flew as the hairpin pierced her eye. She stroked the cursed scar that spread across her face, her laughter turning manic: ever since then, she had cursed the gods countless times.

But today... everything is different today!

Andra raised her hand to grasp the sun's radiance, and the goddess of revenge and the goddess of love embraced her shoulders, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Go after your prey!

"ha--"

She let out a long sigh, the tears welling in her eyes cooling as she turned away.

"Let's go back and rest first. We need to recruit more people, and also—spread a message."

Andra squinted comfortably in the wind and remained silent for a long time.

The adjutant eagerly helped Wang onto his horse, then raised her hands in a gesture of urgency and asked, "What kind of message needs to be spread?"

Andra straightened his back, gazing at the boundary marker not far away, his long hair swaying in the wind.

“I will write to some people in Hetuya, and until then, you—”

Ripples spread across the still lake of her heart. Eleanor, in her youth, turned her face to her in her memories, still as bright and clear as the moon.

A smile bloomed on Andra's face, but the innocence within it quickly deteriorated into a terrifying appearance as his thoughts deepened.

"So, Andra, who almost drowned, has returned, and she's demanding that Princess Eleanor immediately fulfill her past promises."

"Andra, let's get married."

The girl wept in the dim sunlight, while the princess's body slowly rose to the surface of the water.

The corpse, which should have been dead, reached out its right hand and grabbed her ankle tightly under the horrified gaze of its lover!

【"OK."】

The abandoned youth left a trail of soaked footprints with each step, then turned around and caught up with the version of herself that had once gone in the opposite direction.

Ha ha ha ha!

They looked at each other and smiled in the river of blood, then merged into one.

Andra laughed heartily on horseback, and the moment she wiped away her tears, her golden-red eyes finally regained their youthful clarity and vitality, burning with vibrant life.

“I’m back, Eleanor.”

She murmured to herself as she rode her galloping warhorse.

A sharp auditory hallucination was heard in both my left and right ears at the same time.

To exact revenge.

For love.

......

Andra... has really come back.

Eleanor, in a fit of rage, threw down a report and paced back and forth in the study.

Judging from the current situation, there is a 99% chance that the pirate king is Andra.

These days she's been frantically gathering intelligence everywhere, personally contacting various places, and constantly reaching out to powerful nobles in three countries, trying to temporarily stabilize the domestic situation after Alisa caused trouble.

These days, without cell phones, there's no way to send videos, so she can't see those people's specific reactions at all. She can only infer their true thoughts based on the circumstances of her previous lives and the interests in this life.

Thump!

Eleanor couldn't help but slam her fist on the table, letting the pain gnaw at her knuckles.

Alisa, you piece of trash!

She was grinding her teeth to powder; even Mysella wouldn't do something so awful.

What do you mean, "Get out of the city and let my people in, and then eat your chickens and ducks?" The Belair people would be crazy enough not to stab you in the back!

Unfortunately, the intelligence on the way was delayed for a long time. The comrades from the Marigold Merchant Guild were probably held up by something and did not send any follow-up reports for a long time.

They only reported that Alisa had fallen into a trap in the border town; the exact losses were still being calculated.

"Huff... huff..."

Eleanor took a deep breath, grabbed the chair, and slid off. She licked her bloodied lips and began to assess her current situation.

Their method of dealing with Alisa was to lure her into a trap while simultaneously poisoning her food.

Alisa's successful escape from the city lord's mansion proves that Andra wasn't there, so the first plan must have failed. As for the second one... Alisa isn't stupid; she certainly wouldn't bring too many people with her on her first trip into the city... right?

She quickly inhaled and exhaled little by little by vigorously rubbing her chest.

Don't panic, don't panic!

Whether it's Norlana's or Hertuya's elite soldiers, they all train under her supervision.

She improved the military training model three years ago and allocated sufficient funds, so they must eat very well.

Furthermore, according to the training curriculum, soldiers' meals in non-emergency situations are rotated among small groups. A small group will taste the food first to prevent spoilage or widespread poisoning.

Moreover, according to the intelligence sent back by the Marigold Merchant Guild, their envoys notified Alisa immediately. This indicates that they had not been in the city for long, and the number of soldiers who had ingested the poison should not be large.

Eleanor went through the "facts" using normal human logic, and her emotions immediately stabilized.

She was unaware that the comrade's letter had been intercepted by Alisa's men, who had extracted several pages, so she was currently unaware of the extent of the damage and Alisa's massacre.

Eleanor's fingers tapped unconsciously on the table as she continued to use normal human logic to think about Alisa's next move and speculate on the decisions Andra might make.

After falling into the trap, Alisa immediately turned her attention to attacking the border town and sent threatening letters to other cities. Her decision must have been to launch a strong counterattack and fight to the bitter end.

This situation is terrible.

Eleanor frowned as she thought about it: if she were Andra or the city across the street, she would definitely try to set up a second round of traps within the city.

Others may not have as much crude gunpowder as she does, but they may have kerosene or something similar... Is Alisa really going to fall in the same place twice?

Eleanor felt a stomachache; she was genuinely afraid that Alisa had acted rashly and recklessly rushed into the city.

She suddenly missed Mysella: Why not learn from her? If you go out to fight and encounter Andra, even if you can't beat her, you can at least run away faster.

While analyzing Alisa's situation, Eleanor was also considering her own chips on the chessboard.

She now has partial control over Norlana and Hetuya, while Andra holds onto Belai. Their rule is crumbling to varying degrees and from different angles.

For her, the best tactic is—delay!

Eleanor slowly straightened her body, her eyes radiating a strong determination.

Based on national strength, the energy she can mobilize is far greater than that of Andra.

Although the nobles were very dissatisfied with her, given enough time, she should be able to regain the support of most of them.

Moreover, although Andra is invincible on the battlefield, her fighting style will inevitably hurt Belle. In time, or even just one defeat, she will suffer a crazy backlash!

Eleanor rallied.

She reflexively pulled out a stack of letters, ready to continue some difficult negotiations.

Tap tap, tap tap tap.

The secretary's knocking was much more urgent than usual.

Eleanor looked up at the door and said gently, "Please come in. If there is an emergency next time, please let me know."

As soon as she finished saying "report," the secretary staggered into the room, fell to the ground with a thud, and knelt down on both knees.

"Don't worry, the battlefield is so far away from us, there's no use in rushing."

Eleanor comforted her and helped her up, but noticed that the secretary's pupils were constantly trembling.

Strange, if it was just Alisa's side that lost... this kid shouldn't be staring at me like that.

Eleanor patted her shoulder gently and asked softly, "What's wrong? Is it bad news for me?"

The secretary hesitated for a moment, then nodded frantically, speaking at breakneck speed: "The Pirate Queen claims to be Princess Andra. She has contacted the nobles of Hetuya to question the fallen Empress Alisa, and—"

Eleanor's eyes went blank; she had already guessed the next card Andra would play.

"She demands that you immediately fulfill your past marriage agreement, otherwise... she will lead the combined forces of Hetuya and Belai to the city gates!"