30 Chapter 30: Featherwing Fortress V

"The White Horned Snakes, do we know anything about their territory?"

Klaus felt a bit surprised at Herbert's particular question. It appears that Herbert has set his eyes on a specific target for extermination this time around.

"We only know their general location as we believe that there might be an existence of a Transcendent level monster in their midst."

After finishing his words, Klaus had been stunned. He originally did not think much about Herbert's questions but after connecting the dots, he came to a terrifying conclusion.

"By any chance, have you already reached the ceiling?"

Herbert merely smiled as he did not answer Klaus."

However, seeing his smile, Klaus felt shivers down his spine. He started to doubt his whole life. He wouldn't have had any qualms about it if he knew that this was the original Herbert, however, he understood that this was Albert who was merely the proxy for Herbert. If this was real life then that would mean that Albert had not been slacking off even after he had received the blessing from the forbidden ritual.

Back then, he had also witnessed Albert's gruesome transformation. If he could admire Herbert for his extreme talent, then he would admire Albert for his resilient will and tough guts. After this meeting, he realized that he had to change his impression of Albert. He no longer felt that Albert was unworthy of succeeding Herbert and has the potential in carrying the burden of the entire Ravenmoon family's hopes and dreams on his back.

"My lord, would you like me to send an elite group to lead the way so that you can challenge your limits and try to break through the Transcendent level through battle?"

"No need. I just want a map, I want to enter it alone, but you know my father. I'm sure there are other guards that will still follow me so you don't have to bother yourself. For now, I want to get used to the area and train my techniques. I think I've gotten a little rusty after staying at the capital for too long."

"Understood, my lord."

Once they had separated, Herbert had seen Ingrid being taken away for training. He had already reminded her of what she is allowed to show and she knew better than to do as he says.

For the next few days, Herbert knew that the monster wave was yet to start, so if he wanted to train, he would have to temporarily enter the wildlands to encounter any wild monsters. So, he took the opportunity to learn about the geographical location, monster types, and their distribution, to set up the perfect trap for Lady Elena. Besides that, he had already informed his loyal guards on what they should do when the time came. Now, all that he has to do is to leave a suggestion for Princess Amelia which should probably be easier since he had already done the preliminary preparation to make sure that the bud of doubt had already started to sprout within her mind toward Lady Elena.

After two days of preparation, he had once again called out to Princess Amelia and Lady Elena. They were both dressed in clothes that are easier to move in. Herbert had already informed them of a short expedition towards the wildlands. He told them that he would be scouting ahead to prepare for the incoming monster wave.

Normally, Princess Amelia and Lady Elena would not have the chance to go outdoors and take a direct approach to seek trouble for themselves, so they found the entire experience a unique novelty that only Herbert could offer. In Lady Elena's mind, she was reluctant to part from the warm and cozy room that had been given to her, but she dared not to voice her thoughts as she had somewhat felt the recent cold behavior that the Ninth Princess has towards her. Because she had been quite busy for the past few days trying to make sense of Herbert's actions, she had not been able to have a proper talk with Princess Amelia, and every time they had been alone together, a servant would occasionally come their way and disturb them.

Of course, she did not notice that this had been under the order of Herbert, but she vaguely felt that something was wrong, and today that feeling was extremely strong. Seeing her pale face, Princess Amelia walked over and asked her about her current state.

"Elena, are you not feeling well? Perhaps we could delay the trip for today so you could go back and take a rest."

"No, your highness, I wouldn't want to interrupt Sir Herbert's plans for today. I think I will be better once we start moving."

Princess Amelia nodded her head. Although she was worried about her, she did not want her current efforts to be a waste. So, she started making her way toward Herbert who was petting a majestic-looking black horse.

"Sir Herbert, are you not going to use your horse for today?"

Princess Amelia looked at Herbert with an inquisitive look on her face.

"How did you know, your highness?"

Princess Amelia smiled. She had a great memory since she was young and when she had once visited the northern territories with her older brother, she had come to witness the sight of the twins riding on horseback, one with a white horse while the other rode a black horse.

"I still remember when you were with your brother when we were kids. This is your late brother's horse, isn't it?"

As a princess, she was trained to be observant, over the course of Herbert trying to woo her away, she had noticed that he seemed to be particularly sentimental about the topic of his brother. She could still clearly remember that every time she brought back this topic, Herbert's usually cold eyes would soften just for a little bit.

"Yes, your highness. This is indeed Albert's horse."

"It looks like she misses her owner very much."

"I'm sure she has…"

Herbert felt complicated. How could he say that her owner was right in front of her? He didn't know why she had remembered such silly details, but somehow it brought a deep sense of happiness that seemed to be welling up within him which he hid beneath his cold blue eyes.

Knowing that Herbert had momentarily let down his guard, Amelia took the chance to create the perfect situation for the two of them.

"Sir Herbert, the truth is, I hadn't learned how to ride a horse. Can you take me with you?"