Everyone Is A Lord: My Talent Is A Little Too Strong Chapter 2591: 1428: Listening and Decision-Making

"By the order of Your Majesty of the Humans, I shall describe the events as they transpired."

Nal inhaled a slow, deep breath, attempting to settle his nerves before he began his report.

Exactly three hours prior, Nal had been serving as a general, accompanying Dana and Davis on an inspection of the Forest-side Fortress located at the Dragonborn’s northern frontier.

Once they reached the stronghold, Nal and several other generals commenced patrols and bolstered the city’s defenses under Dana’s command. Meanwhile, Dana and Davis departed for the scouting outposts surrounding the fortress to collect the most recent intelligence.

“According to our established timeline, Her Majesty the Queen and His Highness Prince Winged were expected back at the fortress no later than two hours ago. However, even after waiting an additional fifteen minutes beyond that mark, there was still no sign of Her Majesty or His Royal Highness.”

Nal’s draconic features were etched with desperation and anxiety as he went on: “As the minutes ticked by, we realized the situation was abnormal. We immediately attempted to establish contact via magic communication, but we were completely unable to reach either Her Majesty the Queen or His Royal Highness.”

“At that moment, we became certain that some misfortune had befallen Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. Both are renowned for their punctuality and have never been delayed like this in the past.”

“Following this, we instantly mobilized the elite troops of the fortress to conduct a search along their path. We verified the status of every nearby scout post, but the findings were bone-chilling.”

Nal’s voice grew increasingly hollow as he continued: “Her Majesty the Queen, His Royal Highness, and the Imperial Guards seem to have vanished into thin air. No traces were left on the roads they traveled—not even the slightest indication of a struggle.”

Leo Ray nodded in silent contemplation upon hearing this.

Unlike the experts of the Human Clan, Dragonborn experts are far more accustomed to flight. This makes it difficult for them to leave physical tracks on a path, let alone footprints.

Furthermore, Nal’s final comment drew significant concern.

“Truly no traces? The Dragonborn Queen and His Highness Winged Prince are both Tier 6 experts. If my memory serves, the Dragonborn Imperial Guards are mostly Tier 5, with some reaching Tier 6. Most importantly, these guards are highly disciplined; they would have signaled immediately if anything suspicious occurred.”

Fanny’s pale expression turned grave as she knitted her brows and added: “This strongly suggests that if they were intercepted by a powerful foe, the enemy’s strength was overwhelmingly superior. It indicates a meticulously executed plan that left them zero time to react.”

“Essentially, you are saying it was a calculated ambush?”

Shuert’s wood-carved, elderly face was deep in thought as he mused: “The only organization capable of such a feat would be the opposing faction. This could not be the work of a stray Demon Beast or even a rampaging horde.”

“Elder Shuert is correct, but could there be another explanation?”

Bruno lightly stroked the thick fur on his bovine face, offering his own perspective: “Much like our Minotaur fleet previously, is it possible His Highness Winged Prince accidentally stumbled into a Barrier Area?”

“While that is a theoretical possibility, it can be entirely dismissed in this case.”

Nal nodded toward Bruno, clarifying: “The General may not know, but the Forest-side Fortress I mentioned is an inheritance from an ancient Dragonborn stronghold dating back to the Era of Blankness.”

“Though the majority of the ancient formations are defunct, one specific ancient array remains operational: the Space Wave Detection Array.”

“Even though we lack the means to replicate such a sophisticated ancient magic array, we have fully mastered its use over three thousand years. The array’s sensing range spans all scout posts and the routes taken by Her Majesty and the others; it even covers a vast portion of enemy territory.”

“For over a millennium, even when the Shadow Market in the Land of Divine Favor surfaced near the fortress multiple times, it was detected perfectly. This proves the array's immense power and sensitivity.”

Nal let out a soft sigh, concluding: “This implies that any activation of teleportation spells or the opening of a Barrier Area would have been easily caught by the magic array. During the time of the incident, however, the array showed no reaction.”

“So the chance of them entering a Barrier Area is non-existent?”

Crisis thought for a moment before asking: “General Nal, even if no physical evidence remains from the disappearance of the Dragonborn Queen and His Highness, you should be able to estimate the timeframe and the specific location of their vanishing based on scout reports, correct?”

“To the Lord Clan Leader of the Wood Fairy Clan, that is exactly what I intended to say next.”

Nal gripped his teacup tightly as he replied: “According to the reports from the outposts, Her Majesty and His Highness had finished their duties on time. They vanished on the return trip to the fortress, just before the two-hour mark. We have pinpointed the exact path and performed an exhaustive search of the area, yet we found absolutely nothing.”

“In other words, the Dragonborn Queen and His Highness Winged Prince disappeared within that half-hour window? No, since spatial anomalies have been ruled out, it is more accurate to say they were targeted.”

Hanal Tree rubbed his weathered chin and speculated: “To achieve all this in total silence within thirty minutes is a remarkably precise conspiracy. It would require formidable power. The most probable culprit is the Rainforest Fortress Alliance stationed across from us.”