Reincarnated with the Country System-Chapter 168: A failed escape attempt

Princess Elena sat on the cold stone floor, her back against the damp wall.

Her fingers traced the jagged edge of a loose stone ledge—a habit she had developed during her weeks of captivity. It was her only connection to the outside world, a small, incomplete crack that seemed to mock her with the illusion of freedom.

Elena was a philosopher and a scholar; she had read many books in her life—from the scriptures of the ancient Elysian sages to the revolutionary theories of the Britannian Enlightenment. Her brain was her most powerful weapon, and since her captivity she had spent every moment analyzing her surroundings, finding weaknesses and devising escape plans.

She knew that Fort George was a fortress of unparalleled strength, but no fortress was impregnable. Every system has weaknesses, and every weakness could be exploited.

She had studied the movements of the guards, the daily activities of the slaves, the architecture of the fortress—everything. She had obtained a blueprint of the fortress from a slave girl here. Who had helped her, though Elena did not know why, did not think much of it.

Fort George was an intricate maze of stone and steel, with walls so thick that they could withstand the blows of siege engines. The corridors were designed to make it easy for intruders to get lost. But Elena had found a flaw that the architects had overlooked—the castle was old, and some of its defences had weakened over time.

The masonry between the stones had cracked in several places, and the drainage channels under the castle were vast and almost unprotected. If she could somehow get into that tunnel, she might be able to escape.

Her plan was daring but straightforward.

She would wait for the darkest hour of the night, when the Krieg guards were at their most careless. She had observed their routines and knew that the guard outside her room was changed at midnight, leaving a brief five-minute window when the corridor was unguarded. If she could slip out during that time, she could make her way to the east end of the castle, descend a narrow staircase to the kitchen, and from there, find the entrance to the drainage tunnels.

It was a risky plan, but she had no other choice.

She tried to talk to Strom and tried to awaken his human side, but Strom was completely irrational. His infatuation with her was a kind of sickness, a perverted form of power and control. She knew that waiting for rescue would not do; She had to do something herself. {I'll kill that Strom. But I have to get out of here first}

The hours ticked by.

Elena prepared herself. She tore her bedsheet into strips and braided them into a crude rope, which she hid beneath her mattress. Using a piece of metal she had pried from the bed frame, she fashioned a makeshift knife. It was far from perfect, but it was better than nothing.

When midnight finally arrived, Elena moved swiftly and silently. She pressed her ear to the door, listening as the guard's footsteps faded away. With a deep breath, she retrieved the key the maid had slipped her and unlocked the door. The corridor was eerily quiet, the shadows stretching and swaying in the torchlight.

The glowing shadows were growing larger and swaying. She walked as silently as shadows, her bare feet making no sound on the stone floor.

She reached the stairs and descended into the darkness.

The kitchen was deserted, the fire long gone. She moved forward with precision, keeping an eye on the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling.

Then she opened the door to the cellar and stepped inside.

The air was damp and heavy with the scent of rotting earth. She lit the small candle she had stolen, its feeble glow illuminating the narrow passage. But just as she began to search for the entrance to the drainage tunnels, a sound froze her in place—the unmistakable clank of armor.

Elena's breath caught in her throat. She quickly extinguished the candle and pressed herself against the wall, her mind racing. Had she been discovered? The sound grew louder, and she realized it was not just one guard but several. They were coming her way.

She strained to hear their voices, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I swear, if we don't find that wine soon, the commander will have our heads," one guard grumbled, his voice echoing in the narrow passage.

"Relax, it's here somewhere," another replied. "The old man said it was in the far corner. Keep looking."

Elena's mind raced. She couldn't retreat, and she couldn't hide for long. Desperation clawed at her, but then she remembered something—a book she had read on military strategy. It mentioned that many old castles had secret tunnels hidden beneath their foundations.

Her fingers fumbled along the wall, searching for anything out of place. Then, her hand brushed against a loose brick. She pressed hard, and to her astonishment, the wall began to shift.

A hidden door creaked open, revealing a dark passage.

Without hesitation, Elena slipped inside.

But when she reached the other end of the tunnel, her hope turned to dread.

She had not escaped the castle. Instead, she found herself standing in the castle courtyard.

And before her stood the Krieg commander.

His wolf-faced helmet gleamed in the moonlight.

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"Did you really think you could escape, Princess?"

Elena's entire body stiffened, but she looked into the commander's eyes and said in a firm voice—

"I will not stop. As long as I live, I will fight."

The commander laughed.

"You have courage. Maybe that's why Lord Strom loves you so much."

The guards came forward and grabbed her arm.

"Send her back to the room. Double the guards. This time she won't be hidden from my sight."

The guards began to drag her away.

Elina clenched her fists, her mind racing. She had been so close—so close to freedom.

"The walls may hold me, but my spirit is unbreakable. I will find a way. I will be free."

♦♦♦

The command room aboard the aircraft carrier Midway (CV-41) was filled with officers and specialists. Vice Admiral Helena Voss observed the information before her. The success of Operation Sea Hammer had given them control of the seas, but the next step—Operation Noble Dawn—would be far more delicate. Their objective was clear: to rescue the nobles held hostage by Strom, thereby stripping him of his leverage over the Nobles.

The first step in any operation is intelligence, and the Bernard Empire spared no expense in gathering it. Satellite imagery, Collecting information from people, and reconnaissance drones provided a wealth of information about Fort George and its defenses. However, the most critical intelligence came from an unexpected source: rebels aligned with Strom.

"Admiral," began Lieutenant Commander James Carter, the operation's intelligence chief. He stood at the head of the table, a laser pointer in hand. "We have received vital information from Britannia's spies, as well as from some of the Elysian nobles and officers we captured. These individuals have provided detailed intelligence about the layout of Fort George, the location of the hostages, and the routines of the guards."

He clicked a button, and a holographic map of Fort George materialized above the table.

Carter pointed to a section near the center of the map. "The hostages are being held here, in a secret chamber beneath the main fort. Access is heavily restricted, with multiple layers of security. Krieg guards patrol the area 24/7, and Storm has reinforced the doors with magical defenses to prevent unauthorized entry. That could pose a significant challenge."

"Magical defenses?" interrupted Captain Morgan, the leader of the special forces tasked with leading the rescue operation. "We can neutralize them using portable anti-magic devices, so that shouldn't be an issue."

The team began formulating their plan.

The operation would be divided into three phases: infiltration, rescue, and withdrawal. Each phase had to be executed with precision, as any misstep could jeopardize the entire mission.

The first challenge was infiltrating Fort George undetected. The fort was surrounded by high walls and guarded by Strom's elite Krieg guards. The goal was to rescue the hostages without triggering a full-scale war.

"The infiltration will be conducted by a small, specialized team," Captain Morgan explained. "We will operate under the cover of darkness. First, we will parachute down from the aircraft and approach from the east side of the fort. According to our intelligence, there is a blind spot in their patrols there—a section of the wall partially obscured by trees. We will scale the wall using grappling hooks and silent ascenders."

He pointed to a section of the holographic map. "Once inside, we will move quickly and quietly toward the secret chamber. We must avoid the main corridors, which are heavily guarded. Instead, we will use service tunnels and maintenance shafts. These areas are less secure but are narrow and potentially hazardous. We will move in single file and maintain radio silence until we reach our objective."

"The rescue phase must be executed with extreme care," Morgan continued. "We will neutralize the guards in the area. Once the area is secure, we will deploy anti-magic devices to disable the magical defenses and breach the door."

He paused, his expression grave. "The hostages will likely be in poor condition. Many have been held captive for days. The medical team will be on standby to provide immediate assistance. Once the hostages are secure, we will escort them to a pre-determined withdrawal point." Morgan pointed to another section of the map. "There is a tunnel beneath the fort that leads to the sea. Two boats will be waiting there."

He turned to Vice Admiral Voss. "As ordered, the planes will destroy the entire fortress after our withdrawal. Additionally, if any hostile forces interfere, we will require air support."

Voss nodded. "The F/A-18s will be on standby to provide close air support. If the situation escalates, they will clear the way for you."

Captain Morgan concluded, "We will depart at 0200 hours."