Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons

Chapter 379 - Taming the Distraction

Some time earlier...

The small bird Wei had released beat its wings as fast as it could, carrying the encrypted message through the sky. Its feathers blended with the overcast heavens, but not enough to fool the trained eyes watching the border.

”Interception!” shouted a guard from a watchtower, pointing toward the sky with urgency. ”Messenger bird, sector seven!”

A four-winged silver eagle rose immediately. Its talons caught the small messenger with perfect accuracy, the predatorʼs enhanced senses making escape impossible.

The captured bird struggled just for a moment before resigning itself to its fate, its small black eyes gleaming with an intelligence that seemed disturbingly human.

The eagleʼs tamer smiled grimly as he guided his beast back toward the communication post. Another intercepted message, another small victory in the information war that raged parallel to the political tensions.

♢♢♢♢

At the border communications post, the Sergeant unrolled the tiny parchment with expert hands. His eyes, enhanced by fusion with his beast, could read and decipher the smallest symbols without effort.

Years of experience had taught him to recognize different coding systems, different handwritings, different levels of urgency. This message had all the hallmarks of something important.

”Encrypted,” he murmured, passing the message to his subordinate for confirmation. ”But itʼs one of ours.”

His assistant, a nervous young man who still jumped at sudden sounds, leaned in to see better. The border duty was wearing on everyone… too much tension, too many sleepless nights watching for threats both real and imagined.

”Goldcrest?” he asked, though something about the cipher structure seemed off.

”No.” The Sergeant frowned at the guy, a calculating smile spreading across his weathered features. ”This is Yinoʼs work… I have some idea of their language codes.”

The assistant stepped back instinctively. Everyone now knew about Yinoʼs ”support” for the Goldcrest cause, but nobody trusted it. Their agents were everywhere, their motives always suspect.

”Should I report it?”

”Not so fast. Kharzan gave them ʼfreedomʼ to operate.” The Sergeant leaned back in his chair, drumming his fingers thoughtfully against the wooden surface. ”If weʼre intercepting communications between our Yino allyʼs spies, we could use this to our advantage. Let the message reach its destination.”

He held the parchment up to the lamplight, as if the paper itself might reveal additional secrets hidden between the lines.

”Are you sure? If command finds out we let information pass...”

”Command asked us to help Yinoʼs ʼsupportʼ,” the Sergeant smiled, releasing the small messenger through the window. The bird immediately took flight, disappearing into the sky with renewed urgency. ”Especially if that little bird can lead us straight to the nest.”

The assistant watched nervously as the intelligence flew away, but said nothing. The Sergeantʼs experience had kept them alive long… questioning his judgment now seemed unwise.

♢♢♢♢

At the academy...

Han was in his room, staring out at the distant city spires with hollow eyes. There was no way he could return to his false family in Yano now…

The weight of his double life pressed down on him like a physical burden.

The familiar that Yino had given him tapped against his window, alerting him to his messengerʼs return.

His hands trembled slightly as he unrolled Weiʼs message, eyes moving rapidly over the encoded words.

”Situation compromised. Need distraction at border. The Patinders are in danger. The boy needs support to divide forces soon. He threatened that his parents must escape unharmed or we lose his contributions, and with them, any opportunity to study the purification ability or other cultivation methods. H, I need you to notify S. - W”

Han closed his eyes. He had been reporting to Yino about academy movements, yes, but always carefully filtered information…

Small betrayals to maintain his cover and protect the larger truth.

Now he had a new employer who helped him obtain that ”seemingly useful information”. He was understanding the new dynamic well and was already handling most operations independently...

But this was different.

This required direct action from his employer.

He moved to his desk and quickly drafted a response, but not for Wei. This message was directed toward someone with the power to actually change the game rather than simply observe it.

”Plan B… They need urgent help. The ʼvaluable assetʼ is in danger in Goldcrest territory. It appears their being ʼwell hiddenʼ was a facade... Requires immediate intervention at the border. - H”

♢♢♢♢

In the Ashenway mansion...

Selphira was reviewing financial reports, comparing them closely with growth statistics on the effectiveness of the new cultivation methods. The figures were, as always, encouraging: each week, children from lower-class or working families reached ranks they never would have had access to before, bringing new hope to the people.

A huge advantage… and a rest from the endless stream of numbers that tracked the economic warfare sheʼd been waging.

The transformation was systematic, measurable, and exactly what she had hoped for in Renʼs potential. Each successful cultivation was a vote against Goldcrest authority, and a small revolution in the lives of ordinary citizens.

But her good mood evaporated when the message arrived.

Her eyebrows rose upon recognizing Hanʼs personal code, the double agent she had taken under her wing shortly after the ring incident. The boy had proven remarkably adaptable.

”I see,” she murmured, folding the paper with deliberate care.

She moved to her window, observing the city that stretched before her like an elaborate chess board. The last few months had seen dramatic changes in the balance of power. Renʼs cultivation methods were transforming society from the bottom up, giving her faction an advantage that Kharzan hadnʼt anticipated.

But if the Goldcrests could find and capture Renʼs parents...

ʼI shouldnʼt have given the boy so many freedoms...ʼ Selphira began to regret allowing Ren the decision not to move his parents, trusting in the supposed tranquility of their remote location and how sparsely populated it was.

The letters hadnʼt helped either…

ʼI should have anticipated this. Besides, the boy adores them... it would have been easy to scare him into compliance. Though after the incident with his ”inner God beast”, I didnʼt want to disrespect him again…ʼ

Yes, the boyʼs loyalty was absolute when it came to his family. But ”threatening” them would either make him completely compliant or completely hostile… and given his recent growth in power, the latter option was becoming increasingly dangerous for everyone.

She called for an assistant. ”I need you to discreetly contact Julius, Sirius, and Victor. Tell them we have a delicate situation at the border.”

An elderly man nodded immediately. ”Whatʼs the priority level, madam?”

”Maximum. The Goldcrests may be escalating faster than we anticipated. We need to show presence at the border, but...” Selphira paused, considering her words with the care of someone whose decisions affected thousands of lives, ”without provoking a response that none of us are ready to handle.”

”A demonstration of... defensive strength?”

”Exactly. Enough to remind them they canʼt act with impunity, but not so much that they feel we want to cross to their side.” Her fingers drummed against the windowsill as she calculated possibilities. ”We walk the razorʼs edge between deterrence and provocation.”

♢♢♢♢

In Goldcrest territory...

Kharzan received the report about increased troop movements on the opposite border while dealing with furious representatives of the Strahlfang clan.

The timing couldnʼt have been worse… internal pressure from his allies coinciding with external pressure from his enemies.