Translator: Exodus Tales Editor: Exodus Tales
Head Commander Joe was the first one to arrive at Bayli City, but he did not attack.
He knew how scary a Duchy’s city defense could be. Most of his men would be sacrificed if they didn’t come up with a concrete plan to forcefully open up a passage.
He would not waste 3000 knights from the Duchy of Tex. Instead, he waited for the city penetration machines and the other duchies to arrive.
When all 3 duchies had arrived, something strange happened. None of them want to attack first.
The Head Commanders knew one thing. They were knights, so penetrating a city was not one of their skills, and the first ones to attack would take the biggest hit.
They had 2 options.
The first was for all 4 duchies to attack together and equally divide the resources within the Bayli City, but there are a lot of problems with this. The 4 duchies were not great friends either. They were all skeptical.
Power was crucial in times of crisis. Once a duchy’s power decreased, they would turn into the second duchy of Keyen.
They were all knights representing their duchies, so if too much of them died. The power of their duchies would decrease.
Therefore, fighting together seemed unlikely.
The second was to wait for more support and machines.
This was a good method since no duchies wanted to lose knights. Soldiers with shields were trained in breaking into a city, so they were more suited for the task.
But the downside of this was time. Those soldiers with shields were not fast.
As the 4 duchies gathered outside of Bayli CIty, 4 different camps were set up. They all monitored each other, but they didn’t think any of them would attack first.
Suddenly, all the knights from all 4 duchies received a message from their commander. The kingdom had sent out troops.
Now they were battling against time. If their shielded soldiers and machines arrived before the troops from the kingdom, they would be able to break into Bayli City and wipe out the Duchy of Keyen.
If the troops from the Kingdom arrived first, they would be the ones getting wiped out.
The atmosphere was hot and tense during the third day.
Head commander Joe suddenly felt his heart drop. He lowered his voice and asked the vice-captain, “Still not here yet?”
“Sir, we have already sent out 3 patrols, but none of them returned!” Vice-captain replied confusingly.
“Damn, send out more. Send all of them out!: head Commander Joe yelled.
He just had a natural reaction. He sensed danger coming, but he didn’t know where it was coming.
The moment after, the grounds began to shake. He was experienced, so he immediately yelled again, “Careful, get ready, put your guards up!”
He came out of his tent and jumped on his warhorse. The patrols had just mounted their horse, but they heard the vice-captain yell again, “the captain’s commands, organize defense!”
The 3000 knights reacted quickly and mounted their horses shortly. They came out of their camp and formed a battle formation outside of the camp.
The other duchies followed. The knights were the first to arrive.
The 4 duchies had 10,000 knights in total. They formed 4 defense formations, gazing over at the incoming team of knights from afar.
That incoming team of knights seemed almost endless. Even 10,000 knights had shown up. There were still more coming. They had 20,000 knights in total—hopelessness formed in the 4 duchies.
The flag of the kingdom of St Ellis was waving in the wind spearheading that endless team of knights.
They were not moving quickly. Those leading horses were just jogging. This could save a lot of energy. Also, knights could nourish their warhorses with their combat qi. With this speed, they could m0ve for tens of hours without stopping.
The kingdom had learned this technique from the wolf riders, and now the 3 big human kingdoms were learning it.
“The kingdom’s troops have arrived!” Head commander Joe realized where his patrols had gone. In the faced troops from the most powerful kingdom in the human world. There was nothing they could do.
All the knights from the kingdom of St Ellis were wearing a full set of black armor. They did not say a word. The only sound that could be heard was the breathing of the warhorses and their footsteps.
Head Commander Joe realized how far apart the duchies were from the kingdom. His 3000 knights were already the entire military force of his duchy, but the Kingdom had sent out 20,000.
The fury of the kingdom of St Ellis’s team of knights was not something his 3000 knights could mess with.
If the kingdom’s knights unleashed a charge, there was nothing his men could do. The confidence he built up after days of victory was destroyed.
It had been many years since the Kingdom of St Ellis had flexed their power, and many duchies seemed to forget how scary it was.
The kingdom’s knights stopped 400 meters in front of the defense formations of the 4 duchies. It was the best distance for both sides to attack.
If the kingdom’s knights struck first, 400 meters was enough for them to accelerate their speed to the maximum.
At the same time, 400 meters was just outside of the 4 duchies’ long-distance attack range.
Eldest Prince Derek emerged from the team of knights on a snowy white horse in a full set of golden armor with 4 head commanders closely following behind.
“By the Emperor’s command, the duchy of Tex….” the prince paused and gazed at the knights from the Duchy of Tex and continued, “is to return all the land you have taken from the duchy of Keyen!”
“Yes, your majesty!” Head Commander Joe bowed on his horse and sighed.
They could just keep making excuses and drag out time in the past, but now 20,000 knights from the Kingdom were standing right in front of them. If they didn’t obey, none of their men could return.
This would be a huge hit to the duchy of Tex’s power. They would almost be wiped out like the duchy of Keyen.
“The Duchy of Larvid, return the lands you’ve taken from the duchy of Keyen!” The Prince then gazed at the men from the duchy of Larvid and said with authority.
“Yes, your majesty!” The commander from the Duchy of Larvid also helplessly bowed.
What the duchy of Larvid had done deeply angered Prince Derek. The kingdom had always been very close to the Duchy of Laka. They had always taken good care of them, but the Duchy of Keyen had slapped the kingdom in the face.
The kingdom of St Ellis was at its weakest point. Although they could still defend themselves, sending out men was not possible without Abel’s help. What the duchies had done had almost made the royal palace lose their sovereignty.
“The Duchy of Laka must return the lands you’ve taken from the duchy of Keyen!” The prince then turned to the men from the duchy of Laka and lowered his voice.
“Yes, your majesty!”
At last, the prince turned to the men from the Duchy of Koror and lowered his voice again, “the Duchy of Koror, return all the land you’ve taken from the duchy of Keyen.
“Yes, your majesty!”
“At the same time, all 4 duchies will pay for the expense the kingdom had used to send out troops!” The Prince added.
This was a very stingy move from the kingdom. They did not ask the duchy to return the goods they stole. Instead, they wanted to keep some for themselves.
The hearts of the men on the Bayli City Wall was lifted when they saw that immensely powerful team of knights from the kingdom.
“The kingdom did not bring us down. Long live Emperor Ambrose!” King Kenneth yelled in joy.
“Long live Emperor Ambrose!” All the knights and soldiers on the city wall also yelled. They avoided a huge battle, and everyone was filled with joy.
King Kenneth and his citizens thought the kingdom was their savior.
But they never expected that their savior was just dividing their wealth with their invaders.
Prince Derek did not question too much afterward. Knights were sent to each duchy to make sure the lands were returned, and the expense would be taken care of by the kingdom.
After half a day, head commander Joe from the duchy of Tex left with his men with a grudge.
The kingdom was too ruthless. They had taken almost everything from the duchy of Tex.
He was not the only one. All the other duchies were not in a good mood.
They had all gotten quite a lot of goods, but they had wasted a lot of food for sending out their men. Also, the Duchy of Keyen was also going through a food shortage, so they didn’t get much food from them in the first place.
The kingdom had almost exclusively taken the food, not the luxuries they stole from the palace and nobles.
Why did the duchies attack the duchy of Keyen in the first place? For food. They needed food, and wiping out a duchy could help them nourish their men. They had almost succeeded, but the kingdom had taken everything from them immediately afterward.
Still, there was nothing they could do. They knew how powerful the kingdom was. They could only obey.
“They left!” An uproar of joy emerged again from the Bayli City City wall.
King Kenneth was afraid that the kingdom would change their mind, but his heart was lifted once again when he saw the knights retreating.
Afterward, he saw Prince Derek and 4 head commanders coming towards the city gate, so he quickly yelled, “Quickly open the gate, welcome the ambassador front the Kingdom!”
He quickly fixed up his robe, walk down from the City Wall, and waited by the gate,
King Kenneth had full trust in Prince Derek. The Prince had only brought 4 head commanders with him, so it must be a sign of kindness from the kingdom.
King Kenneth would not deny Prince Derek even if he wanted to bring a few thousand knights with him. He trusted him with his heart and soul anyway.
“The prestigious Prince Derek, welcome!” King Kenneth stepped up and bowed on his knees.
This was a very humble act. But his vigor had been lost long ago since the kingdom had just saved him on the verge of death.
“King Kenneth, I came with commands from Emperor Ambrose to help the duchy of Keyen. I’m sorry we’ve come late!” The Prince bowed back.
“Don’t say that, don’t say that. The Duchy of Keyen is very thankful just seeing those powerful men from the Kingdom saving the duchy of Keyen from a crisis!” King Kenneth quickly bowed again.
Although the prince was acting very respectfully, King Kenneth was starting to get worried. He heard a demand within the prince’s words.
Yes, it was a rule within the Holy Continent. If a sovereign had saved another sovereign, the one being saved must cover all their savior’s expenses.
As the main sovereign, the reason why the kingdom of St Ellis had saved the duchy of Keyen was just to secure their status. But from Prince Derek’s words, they had another agenda, and that was demanding the duchy of Keyen to cover the expense of those 20,000 men.
This was a huge price to pay for a duchy, so huge it was almost impossible.
“Kenneth majesty, my men can’t stay outside forever. Please hand over the supplies to my assistant, so my men can be on our way back to the kingdom!” Prince Derek said bluntly.
He did not care too much about king Kenneth. As long as the duchy was safe, he couldn’t care less if everyone within it died.
The Duchy of Keyen did not have any official wizards, no final lifesavers. If the prince did not take benefit now, he might never be able to!
The duchy of Keyen’s fate was set, and it was just a matter of time.
“Derek, Your Majesty, I’m afraid my duchy does not have enough resources to supply 20,000 men. Please consider again, or let us repay it in the following years!” King Kenneth begged and bowed.
“King Kenneth, do you think you can mess with the Kingdom? No negotiations. Give the supply of 20,000 men, not a penny less. If not, I will send my men into your city!” A cold gaze flashed in prince Derek’s eyes.
Afterward, Prince Derek turned and left, leaving a look of hopelessness on King Kenneth’s face.
The battle between the duchies was settled, but none of them got many benefits. The final winner was the kingdom of St Ellis. Abel had supplied them with food but then had gotten doubled the amount as rewards.
The duchy of Keyen had become extremely weak. They had lost countless troops and civilians. Their loss of food was so huge. They might not be able to even plant the seeds for the next season.
On the other hand, the Kingdom had flexed its muscles and suppressed all duchies’ impulsive greed.
This Battle had opened Pandora’s box, and the entire human world would be affected.
All the duchies realized the Kingdom was in crisis due to its initial hesitation, and their increasing shortage of food forced them to turn their gaze towards other weaker duchies nearby.
All of this had nothing to do with Abel. The Duchy of Carmel had remained stable. All of its citizens were immensely loyal due to their sufficient food supply. The duchy of Carmel had never been this attractive.
The population of the duchy of Carmel began to grow. Although Abel had set a strict immigration system, it still could stop the distant relative of nobles located in other duchies seeking refuge.
Normally nobles would not come in a family, but their entire clan with large amounts of soldiers, knights, guards, and servants.
This was a slow process, but just like that, the duchy of Carmel had become more and more powerful under everyone’s nose.
Especially in the past 2 years since the magic bread had made common in the Harry Castle wizard circle, and those knights training potions had led to an explosion to their number of knights.
With Abel’s help and that ‘dragon blood wall breaking’ potion, the duchy of Carmel had gotten another 5 head Commanders.
In the sky of Harvest City, 14 Griffin knights were closely patrolling the secret land. 4 of them were head commanders, and the other 10 were in the prime of their development.
Although this team of griffin knights was not too powerful, they were all equipped with a Harry bow. They could kill anyone less powerful than a head commander in a second.
The duchy of Carmel was like a growing tiger. Its fangs and claws were beginning to show.
Abel no longer got involved with the business of other duchies after the deal with the kingdom. Instead, he returned to his ruthless training.
In the Dark World’s Lut Gholein palace second level, Abel spent half a month of Holy Continent time wiping out hell creatures and took back countless art pieces.
At the same time, he discovered the passage to the palace prison. There were 3 levels of the prison in total, and the hell creatures were the most powerful there.
Those scar archers could shoot out magic arrows.
Scary wizards could cast fire, lightning, ice, and poison attacks. Their speed was immense as well.
Invaders could use fire enchantment to strengthen themselves.
These 3 types of scary hell creatures kept Abel on his toes. He slowly made his way forward and entered the room one by one.
Time passed, and his growth remained at a noticeable speed. Most of which was coming from his daily meditation.
He could use a golden rank blue howling rabbit crystal core as a meditation resource ever since he became an official wizard. He also set up a huge mana gathering circle around a building near the Lut Gholein hotel. The mana density of the place was so thick that it had almost turned into steam.
It was best not to move in a flash in this place since the range of his power of the will was obscured in this prison.
The wooden door swung open, and he penetrated it with his power of the will. There were 10 invaders with double blades. Some of them at the front had already fire enchanted themselves. They were glowing in fiery red.
Abel immediately cast a firewall and locked the door again. He couldn’t rush in with his spirit guardian knights.
“Naga!” Abel called one of the spirit guardian knights.
The spirit guardian knight with 4 arms on its back appeared on the other side of the door. With the firewall in the way, those hell creatures did not notice it at first.
4 green glowing balls were formed from each of its arms. Afterward, it threw the balls into the room. The first wall faded after a few rounds of ball throwing, so it flashed back outside again.
2 firewall spell patterns had already formed on both Abel’s shield and sword. He then threw 2 more firewalls in the door, this time even further.
He did not stop. The firewall could do a lot of damage to hell creatures without fire resistance, which was also why it was his favorite.
In a locked up room, the power of the firewall was on full display.
The screams of invaders and sounds of bones cracking emerged from within the room.
The firewall was effective once again, so Abel doubled down on his casting and threw out more firewalls.
Some invaders glowing in red rushed out the door with double blades, but what awaited them were the spirit guardian knights.
The mud monster stood behind the spirit guardian knights. Although it did not attack, it’s mere existence could slow down the invaders.
Abel kept casting firewalls with the shield on his left, while a ‘chain of lightning’ spell pattern emerged from the iron sword on his right. A strike of lightning then landed on an invader.
Those invaders came out of the firewall, unleashed a hopeless strike on the shield of the spirit guardian knights, and were immediately struck by lightning.
The souls of 9 invaders flew into Abel’s Horadric Cube. The following invaders were met with the same fate. They were either killed with Abel’s lightning or the spirit guardian knights’ attack.
Through his power of will, Abel knew there were not many Scary Shamans left in the room. The only ones left over were standing beyond the range of his firewall.
A move in a flash spell pattern sparkled on his left, as he maintained a ‘chain of lightning’ spell pattern on his right. Afterward, he vanished from the spot with the spirit guardian knights and the mud monster.
They reappeared in the room. It was filled with scattered bones of dead skeletons. Tens of Scary Shamans started throwing fireballs from a corner.
The spirit guardian knights blocked them. Abel quickly struck back with his lightning chain, killed a chunk of them, and numbed the rest.
The spirit guardian knights flashed in front of those numbed Shamans. Since their fireball spells had been broken, they would only strike back with their magic staff.
It was almost laughable. Their attacks couldn’t do a single thing to those highly protected spirit guardian knights.
Abel cast another 2 chains of lightning. With its scary numbing effect, all those Shamans could only twitch until they died.
There was no longer a single hell creature standing in the room. Abel gazed turned to a wooden door in the room.
White light flashed in his hand. He ignited the telekinesis, and a beam of light opened the door.
There were no sounds or attacks coming from within the door. Abel carefully sifted his power of the will inside. He let out a breath of relief since there were no more hell creatures.
The flames on the lamp poses within had already been swapped out with the eternal flames of hell by hell creatures. The entire room was lit up in red.
In the center of the room, Abel spotted a closed portal door. It was clearly a hell style portal door with evil dark grey energy shifting out of it.
Abel was unsure if those dark grey energy would have an effect on him, so he carried his power of the will on top of the door through telekinesis and ignited it.
A dark blue glow slowly traveled down from the top of the door. Soon, the entire door was glowing in dark blue.
Abel approached the door. He did not feel any threat through his intuition, so he wrapped his spirit guardian knights and the mud monster in his power of the will and ignited a move in a flash towards the door.