Chapter 97

--- A little while back ---

"Wh-what... Is that true!?"

He receives the report again from the one he sent to scout.

"Ha! There is no mistake!

The Pornezia army led by Lady Pretoria, who came to our aid, was ambushed by the enemy coalition and annihilated.

We have retreated!"

"What a disaster..."

The man, who had been counting on the Pornezia army, collapsed onto his throne in shock.

He repeated the words over and over.

"What a disaster..."

He never thought that the Pornezia army, led by a Near-Hero, would be defeated so easily.

The empire's Near-Hero from the north, the Badragia Kingdom's large army from the south, and the empire's main force from the west were all advancing.

To the east lay the forest elf kingdom, a territory untouched by humans.

The Ryumion Kingdom, betrayed by the empire and the Badragia Kingdom ten years ago, had only the southeastern Pornezia Kingdom as an ally.

Of course, they had been putting effort into diplomacy, but unfortunately, it had not yielded results.

And now, the Pornezia Kingdom had been defeated.

The king of Ryumion, clutching his head in despair, was approached by the prime minister standing beside him.

The prime minister, a noble who managed the eastern region of the Ryumion Kingdom, was very wealthy, and his body reflected that.

"King Ryumion.

What will you do now?"

"I am thinking about it right now!!"

He raised his voice at the prime minister's insensitive words.

The prime minister calmly dealt with the king's outburst and then knelt before him with a respectful attitude.

"I apologize.

May I humbly offer a suggestion?"

"Hm? Do you have a plan? Speak."

Forgetting his anger, the king listened to the prime minister, grasping at straws.

The prime minister responded with a smile.

"Thank you.

Let me present my humble proposal.

This time, the Pornezia army has been defeated.

Our forces in the Ryumion Kingdom are no match for the coalition army."

"Yes, I know. So what?"

That much was obvious.

The king frowned, urging the prime minister to continue.

The prime minister answered with a broad smile.

"Yes. Most likely, the Pornezia Kingdom will send Duke Orion or a general of similar rank.

So, we will defeat them."

"What!?"

The king, not understanding what the prime minister was saying, asked him to repeat it.

"Yes. We will offer the head of the Pornezia general as a gift to the empire and beg for mercy.

Then..."

"Silence!!"

The king, who had been listening to the prime minister's confident words, ended the conversation with a raised shoulder.

"Do you have no pride!? The Pornezia Kingdom and Duke Orion saved this country with their lives in the war ten years ago!

To forget that and repay them with treachery... Have you gone mad!?"

Despite the king's angry words, the prime minister tried to argue back.

"But..."

"Get out of here right now! I don't want to hear another word from you!"

The king forcibly expelled the prime minister.

As the prime minister was being escorted out of the meeting room, he heard the words, "Why is such an incompetent person the prime minister?"

The prime minister, his face contorted with anger, stormed down the hallway.

---

Time passed, and finally, the enemy army surrounded the capital of the Ryumion Kingdom.

"The army of Duke Orion is heading this way! Hold out until they arrive!"

He ordered the soldiers.

According to the scout's report, the Pornezia army had easily defeated the Badragia Kingdom's forces blocking their path and was now only two days away from the capital.

Moreover, they were led by the House of Orion.

If they arrived, the situation could be salvaged.

Just as he thought this,

"What...?"

One of the four city gates opened, and a large enemy army poured in.

It happened so quickly.

With such a small force, there was no way to defend against the enemy once they entered the gate. The king's soldiers were cut down one by one.

"Your Majesty! Flee!"

A subordinate, judging that the situation was beyond recovery, advised the king to escape.

But the king, shocked by the sudden turn of events, was unable to move.

Why? His mind was filled with that question.

The capital's gates were not so weak that they could be breached so easily.

"Your Majesty! Flee! The enemy is approaching!"

Finally, the king, roused by the desperate cries of his subordinate, headed towards his children.

Abandoning the castle and fleeing was a disgrace for a noble.

(And I must take responsibility for the defeat.)

If he fled, it would be impossible to rebuild the country.

He would lose the support of the people.

The Pornezia army was close, and he had prepared an escape route for this very moment.

If he could get his children to safety, the country would not be lost.

With this thought, he hurried towards his children.

But then, he heard multiple footsteps, and soldiers ran down the corridor ahead.

Relieved to see that they were Ryumion soldiers, he was about to call out to them.

However, the moment they saw the king, they shouted,

"There he is! King Ryumion! Capture him!"

"What...?"

(Are they spies from the enemy country?

Did soldiers from the Badragia Kingdom or the empire steal armor and infiltrate our ranks?)

The king thought this, but his attendant knight shouted,

"Flee! It's a betrayal!"

Only then did the king realize what was happening.

He turned to flee, but soldiers were coming from behind as well.

"Protect the king!"

The knights shouted, but they were vastly outnumbered. One by one, they were cut down, and the king was captured.

He was then brought before the prime minister.

"You! You betrayed us!"

The king shouted, but the prime minister responded with a calm smile.

"Me? Ho ho ho!

No, no, I believe I made the best choice for this country."

"What!...!?

Did you open the city gates from the inside?"

At the king's words, the prime minister's face, sagging with fat, broke into a broad smile.

"Yes, indeed, I opened the castle gates from the inside and let the coalition army in! Yes, I did!"

The prime minister's words confirmed the king's suspicions.

"You traitor! To sell out your country, you should be ashamed as a noble!"

"Ho ho ho, as I said before.

I believe I made the best choice for the country.

I will hand you over to the coalition army and beg for mercy.

And I will claim that all the previous actions were the king's decisions, and we opposed them but were not listened to!

Oh, how pitiful we noble people are!"

The prime minister shouted dramatically.

"And this country will continue to exist, and those who did not foolishly resist will continue to live as nobles after the defeat."

The captured king反驳道：

“继续存在？简直是笑话！从今以后，这个国家将面临地狱般的日子！

如果你什么都没做，波尔内西亚的援军本应已经到达！”

宰相用鼻子哼了一声，回应道：

“是的，我知道波尔内西亚的援军，由奥里翁公爵率领的军队正在向这里进发。”

“那么……”

“但他们只有三万人。

这样的兵力能做什么呢？

换个说法，他们来这里是为了做什么呢？

要驱逐这个国家里的所有敌军，三万人远远不够。

即使奥里翁公爵再强大，他也不是无敌的，这是上次战争中众所周知的事实。

他们三万人能做什么？

如果我是他们……”

说着，宰相用他那肥胖的手指指着国王。

“我会把你们王室成员带走，获得正义，然后尽可能地扩大我靠近森林精灵的领地。”

国王无言以对，宰相继续说道：

“您明白了吗？

他们已经放弃了。

所以，我认为把你们交给他们，让这个国家继续存在，才是最好的选择。”

然后，他命令手下：

“带他走。”

说完，宰相深深地鞠了一躬，仿佛在送别即将赴死的朋友。

国王并不是无话可说。

他选择沉默。

从宰相的眼神中，他看出了宰相的脑子里只有自己的利益。

他明白，指出这一点也是徒劳。

就在这时，负责看守王子们的部下报告：

“莉莉公主和露娜公主不见了！”