While My Mage Wife Grinds, I Power Up Idly

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Deceiving These Soldier Corpses

Ashu allowed himself a small smile. Indeed, it was a ritual—but one combining the release of lust with the slaughter of men.

"Since they’re not townsfolk and moved in such a coordinated fashion, they’re almost certainly soldiers," Ashu replied.

"The militia reported no missing men... You mean they might be part of that Legion?"

"That’s a reasonable hypothesis."

"This kind of covert group operation is forbidden. They’ve got some nerve—daring to invade Riven. I’ll launch an investigation at once, and if it checks out, I’ll alert the border guards."

...

Meanwhile,

the seven disciples of the new Cidi faith were in hot pursuit of the border.

A mundane army simply can’t match a cultivator’s speed.

In barely half a day, they spotted the Legion just as it was about to cross the border.

"Dammit, where’s Vikrant? Has that traitor already fled back to the Kingdom of Ankgarde?" Audrey snarled.

For now, the remaining Legion was still under command of the human lieutenant Vikrant had promoted.

"Hmph! I bet he knows he can’t justify returning alone—so he’s off somewhere trying to save face."

"No matter. We can’t let them slip past the border."

Saying so, Audrey darted forward. The terrain ahead formed a narrow valley, flanked by steep slopes, with barely room for a single wagon to pass.

Over nine hundred Legionnaires were strung out in a long column, plodding through at a leisurely pace.

For an Archmage of her power, cutting down these soldiers wouldn’t be difficult—the challenge lay in the column’s length, and she lacked a truly wide-area attack spell. If they crossed the border, complications would multiply. To fulfill Bishop Ashu’s task, she needed a swift, efficient victory without adding undue risk.

"You six support me—I’m going to trigger an avalanche on both sides of the valley," Audrey declared, her eyes sweeping the slopes as she formed a plan.

With steep inclines on either side and no major obstacles in the center, all they needed was to seal off both entrances, trapping the column like prey in a jar.

"Yes, ma’am!" the six responded in unison.

And so,

Audrey hurried to catch up with the Legion. She was no long-distance caster; even with her plan in place, she had to remain within her spell’s range.

When she emerged, the soldiers at the tail end of the column were the first to spot her.

"Hey? Is that Commander Audrey? Where’s our Commander?"

"It really is Audrey! But why only seven of you? Where’s Vikrant?"

"Audrey—you deserters? Not a scratch on any of you?"

"Audrey—answer us!"

Facing their questions, Audrey offered only a chant of magical incantations.

Under her spell, the earth rumbled suddenly. The Legionnaires spun in alarm, and only a beat too late did they notice a torrent of boulders tumbling down both sides of the valley.

This terrain was built as a wartime border fortress—if the Kingdom of Ankgarde wanted to invade the Atras Empire, they certainly wouldn’t use this route.

But now, in peacetime, it was the quickest path, and the Atras Empire hadn’t stationed troops to ambush travelers here.

Besides, those massive boulders appeared far too suddenly.

It wasn’t hard to deduce their source: magic—and that magic came from their former comrade, the Legion’s deadliest soldier, Audrey.

"Are you insane, Audrey? I was only asking why—why are you trying to kill us?!"

"Audrey? What are you doing?"

"Ah—it’s Audrey? Don’t kill me, Audrey!"

"Audrey, you’ve lost your mind! How could you do this?"

Under the stunned gazes of the common soldiers, the boulders Audrey had summoned first sealed off both ends of the column.

Those trapped at either end were crushed to pulp in an instant.

The survivors in the middle panicked, scrambling desperately—some clawed up the steep slopes, others threw themselves against their comrades as makeshift shields.

But none of it mattered. Under the unstoppable force of those rolling stones, there was no escape.

Audrey, having expended a great deal of Magical Essence, paused to catch her breath, then ordered, "Search the bodies again—leave no one alive."

At her command, the seven Devotees skirted the boulders and swept through the carnage. Anyone still clinging to life was dispatched with a single stroke.

"Damn it—where the hell is Vikrant hiding? If we can’t kill him, how do we report back to the Bishop?" one whispered.

"He moves faster than any of us, and he’s a devoted Devotee of the God of Deceit. Last night’s lightning was visible for miles—I doubt he lingered near Riven. Most likely, he fled straight back to the Kingdom of Ankgarde. With his temperament, he’ll smooth over his leadership failure before anyone knows what happened," Audrey analyzed.

"So what now? Do we invade Ankgarde to kill him?"

"No. By the time we reached him, he’d already realize the Legion’s been wiped out and be on high alert. Trying to strike a loyal Devotee of the God of Deceit inside Ankgarde would be impossible."

"But we can’t just abandon the mission."

Audrey exhaled. "The mission continues. The Bishop gave us carte blanche to use any means. We’ll infiltrate the Kingdom of Ankgarde covertly, track Vikrant’s movements, and then decide how best to eliminate him."

"Agreed," the other six chorused.

Here at the border, they stood just beyond the forward boulders. A hundred meters ahead lay Ankgarde territory.

As natives of the Kingdom of Ankgarde, they knew the land well—and they sprinted toward the nearest town without hesitation.

The architecture there differed significantly from Riven’s. Followers of the God of Deceit favored hidden passages and traps in their walls rather than manned battlements.

Within the city walls, the buildings formed a maze of winding alleys—any outsider trying to find their way here was bound to get hopelessly lost.

Disguised as common townsfolk, Audrey and the other six slipped into the streets, blending in as they began to quietly gather intelligence on Vikrant.

Before long, they learned at a tavern that an officer was convening Devotees of the God of Deceit—nobody knew to what end.

Audrey pulled the brim of her hat down lower and whispered, "That can only be Vikrant. As far as I know, he’s the only officer around here with the authority to summon Devotees of the God of Deceit."

"What do we do?" the others murmured, glancing around nervously. Like Riven, this town boasted its own Church dedicated to the God of Deceit—and any non-Devotee who dared enter would be toyed with until death.

"Looks like he plans to rely on his faith for protection," Audrey observed. "Without the Legion, he’s a dead man. Let’s wait and see what these Devotees intend."

They remained in the tavern all day. From the windows, they watched robed believers in green hurrying past, their robes fluttering as they rushed through the narrow lanes.

They held their positions, waiting for one particular figure. When the fortyseventh Devotee drifted by the window, the next silhouette pressed Audrey to attention.

It was Vikrant himself—gone were his black garments, replaced by light armor and a green cloak.

"Damn traitor," Audrey cursed under her breath. She dared not act here; if Vikrant spotted them, all seven would be as good as dead.

This was sacred Devotee territory, and they were his enemies. With a single command, he could invent any charge and seal their fates.

"We follow quietly," Audrey whispered. "Keep your distance."

Once Vikrant had put enough ground between them and the tavern, the seven slipped out and trailed his path.

As they tracked him, Audrey realized they were retracing her own steps—the Devotees were headed straight for the border, directly toward that fateful valley!

With news traveling so fast, Vikrant must know the Legion was destroyed. Why was he going there?

Audrey couldn’t make sense of it.

But soon...

When the Devotees of the God of Deceit reached the valley, the scene before them answered Audrey’s question.

And behold:

The fortyeight Devotees, Vikrant among them, stood in precise formation along both sides of the gorge, each figure spaced an equal distance apart. They formed a perfect circle of guardians, enclosing the shattered bodies and the great boulders in the center.

Hidden far enough away that she couldn’t make out their words, Audrey saw all fortyeight of them raise their arms at once. From each hand burst a surge of inky green energy, which wove together into a shimmering barrier.

Within that emerald shield, a horrific transformation unfolded.

The soldiers whose bodies had been crushed beneath the stones now stirred with uncanny life. Their flesh flowed like liquid, seeping out from between the boulders before reforming into standing figures inside the circle.

"That’s... the power of the ruse," a grizzled man at Audrey’s side whispered. "They’ve tricked these corpses into believing they’re still alive!"

His face was pale with shock—he had heard tales of such magic but never imagined it could be real.

To deceive even the boundary between life and death!

But it didn’t end there.

As the spell concluded and the green barrier dissolved, Vikrant stepped forward to address the bloodsoaked Undead.

"Tell me—who attacked you?"

The reanimated soldier’s eyes rolled wildly, and with a rasping, windrustled voice he replied, "It was Audrey... Audrey... damned traitor Audrey..."