Imperial Throne

Chapter 119: Shrouded in Mystery

Yam’s expression looked somewhat stunned.

But judging from Monica’s reaction, it was obvious that this group had a significant background.

At first, he had planned to wait until Akar returned and then inform him, letting him ask Anna. However, after learning from Lily that she also had no idea about those enemies, he guessed that Anna likely wouldn’t know either.

That was why, when Monica suddenly visited Westerburg, Yam made this probing move.

“I heard about it in a tavern in White Mountain City,” Yam began. “It was the one closest to the southern part of the city. A caravan guard mentioned seeing these people on the road, but no one else believed him, thinking he was just bragging to get free drinks.”

Watching Monica’s expression carefully, Yam cautiously added a few more details: “So... what that guard said was true? Such people really exist?”

“Forest Witches.”

“What?” Yam asked again, “What kind of witches?”

“Forest Witches,” Monica said in a low voice. “No one knows their exact origin. The only thing known is that they are born strong, carrying the blood of the powerful from the moment of birth. They don’t even need to awaken their bloodline. Once they reach adulthood, they naturally possess physical strength comparable to that of Second-Tier or even Third-Tier Bloodline Users.”

“That strong?” Yam was inwardly shocked.

The people he had encountered that day had physical qualities exactly like what Monica described—on par with Second-Tier or even Third-Tier Bloodline Users.

“But if that’s all, high-tier Bloodline Users shouldn’t fear them, right?”

“Why do you still look so grim, Miss Monica?”

Taking a deep breath, Monica realized her own loss of composure. After slightly calming her emotions, she chose to sit down again.

“Forest Witches are a very peculiar group,” Monica said, frowning, seeming unsure how to describe them. “They’re extremely reclusive, and very few have ever seen them. The few recorded encounters didn’t portray them positively—apparently, they were hunting someone.”

“Hunting?”

“I’m not entirely sure. There’s very little information available. I only heard my grandfather mention them a few times.” Monica shook her head with a sigh. “They’ve hunted many Bloodline Users before. But strangely, even when other similar Bloodline Users appeared in front of them, they didn’t attack... This has led many to speculate that they have some special form of recognition, able to identify who their true targets are.”

Yam’s heart suddenly raced.

Because he remembered—when those Forest Witches had seen him, they attacked without hesitation, showing no intention to negotiate.

Hearing Monica’s words now, he immediately realized—he was their target!

Thinking even deeper, Yam also understood the biggest difference between himself and other Bloodline Users.

He hadn’t awakened his bloodline through normal channels. It was the Demonic Sword’s unique power that had awakened it!

So, were the Forest Witches truly hunting those who had used the Demonic Sword to awaken their bloodline?

Monica glanced at Yam with some curiosity.

She could detect the sudden acceleration of his heartbeat. Although she could sense this physiological response, it didn’t mean she could perceive his emotional state. Therefore, Monica could only try to deduce his thoughts by observing his facial expression.

But Yam concealed his expression well. Even Monica couldn’t make an accurate judgment and could only assume that he had been frightened by the Forest Witches.

Which was understandable.

When she had first heard about the Forest Witches, she had also shown such a frightened expression. That was the first time she learned that there was a group in the world specifically targeting Bloodline Users. Ever since then, even when she heard about the “Foragers,” she no longer reacted.

“Don’t worry,” Monica comforted Yam, “Forest Witches rarely appear in public, and they’re used to operating alone. They almost never interact with outsiders, so you don’t need to be too concerned.”

Hearing Monica say this, Yam understood that her knowledge about the Forest Witches was also limited.

Because he had not only encountered them—he had also killed them. He even knew that these Forest Witches did make contact with people; otherwise, they wouldn’t have staged such a diversion tactic in White Mountain Territory. Yam’s sudden appearance had been so unexpected that both sides were unprepared, resulting in an Encounter Battle. But thanks to the Demonic Sword’s unique advantages, he had prevailed.

With the clues he had now obtained from Monica, he roughly understood the Forest Witches’ objective.

Their appearance in White Mountain Territory—or rather, in Red Eagle Territory—was likely no accident. They were probably pursuing the Demonic Sword. But since his family had always kept it hidden from public view, even the Forest Witches had no concrete intelligence. After failing to find any clues, they likely decided to leave.

But realizing this only deepened Yam’s confusion.

If the Forest Witches only intended to leave, then there was no need for them to go to the trouble of staging a diversion, as such unnecessary actions were more likely to draw unwanted attention.

Unless...

The ones who hired the Shelf Mercenary Group were not the Forest Witches.

“If Forest Witches appear in a place, does that mean some special situation might have emerged in that area?”

Monica paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what Yam had meant by his initial question.

“Where did the caravan guard see the Forest Witches?”

“Red River Territory.” Yam’s face showed a timely trace of sympathy. “A caravan had entered Red River Territory from Bayor Territory. Someone in that caravan saw the Forest Witches, but I didn’t ask whether it was in the wild or within a city. That caravan’s final destination was White Mountain City. I don’t know what goods they were delivering, but considering that White Mountain Territory has been busy building Westerburg recently, it was likely construction materials.”

Yam naturally revealed information about the caravan that the Shelf Mercenary Group had previously escorted.

Because it was a real caravan, it wouldn’t be difficult for Monica to investigate it.

And once she realized the caravan truly existed, then what Yam had said earlier about the guard encountering the Forest Witches would also seem true.

Although tracking down those in the caravan now seemed unlikely—since the caravan had essentially disbanded, and the remaining people had likely fled into the Eaglehead Mountains—the suspicious movements of the caravan would draw attention. Thus, their sudden disappearance wouldn’t be viewed as bad news. On the contrary, Yam believed it would draw serious attention from Monica, and even the entire Kasein Family.

Judging from Marquis Visen’s attitude, Yam was confident the Kasein Family would soon focus heavily on the Forest Witches.

However, there was still a flaw in this plan.

The only flaw was the Shelf Mercenary Group.

They had been deeply involved in escorting that caravan and in the operation against White Mountain Territory. If Monica decided to investigate seriously, she would definitely find their traces. However, with Yam helping to cover for them, their actions in White Mountain Territory should remain hidden.

Furthermore, Aliman and his subordinates had already been sent by Yam to Gem Territory. As long as they didn’t return to Red River Territory anytime soon, there shouldn’t be any issues.

And events unfolded exactly as Yam had predicted.

Upon hearing that the Forest Witches had appeared in Red River Territory, Monica’s expression turned grave.

Without lingering, Monica quickly chose to take her leave and hurriedly departed Westerburg with her subordinates.

Seeing her urgent departure, Yam’s face also grew somber.

The sudden appearance of the Forest Witches was clearly unexpected by everyone. Even the Kasein Family seemed unaware of the matter. So Yam could confirm that the Forest Witches had not come for him—at least, the fact that his family had acquired the Demonic Sword had not yet been exposed.

On the other hand, someone was clearly attempting to use the Forest Witches for their own ends, and that person had likely dealt with them before.

However, there were still things Yam could not understand.

For instance, what was the true purpose behind that diversionary tactic?

In that plan, the Shelf Mercenary Group had been expendable from the start. It was only because Sien contacted him immediately when threatened in Westerburg that the situation had been brought under his control before escalating. That was how he had discovered the existence of the Forest Witches.

Yam calmed his mind and reconsidered the result the other party had intended with the scheme.

That is, what the original progression of the plan would have been if he hadn’t interfered.

“First, the Shelf Mercenary Group would have been wiped out completely.”

“Then I would have investigated them and tracked their movements.”

“This would have led me to Red River Territory, and I would have uncovered the caravan.”

“From there, my investigation direction would shift.”

“The clues would lead me to the Eaglehead Mountains.”

“Eventually, I would discover something in the Eaglehead Mountains. And that discovery would be the opponent’s real misdirection. Because I had uncovered those clues myself, I would be firmly convinced of them.”

“Then... what is the part that has been hidden from me?”

In the next moment, Yam’s eyes lit up.

“A caravan that departed from Bayor Territory.”

If not for Aliman’s earlier account, no one would have known that the caravan had originated from Bayor Territory, since it had stayed in Red River Territory for an extended period before continuing to White Mountain Territory.

Therefore, Yam had every reason to believe that the caravan’s stay in Red River Territory was meant to erase all traces of its origin in Bayor Territory. And one major reason they wanted to completely eliminate the Shelf Mercenary Group was likely because Aliman and the others had met the caravan in Bayor Territory. Hence, they chose to silence every member of the mercenary group.

From this angle, Yam began to suspect that the other party’s plan wasn’t a mere diversion.

It was a double-edged strategy—using White Mountain Territory to eliminate the Shelf Mercenary Group, while simultaneously directing Yam and the others’ attention toward the Eaglehead Mountains.

As for those Forest Witches...

“Could it really have been just a coincidence?” Yam furrowed his brow.