Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
“Your Majesty, what should we do now? We can’t just ignore the border issues…” The scout knelt on the ground, his face ashen. Out of the entire group of over a hundred people, only he remained alive; the rest were contaminated.
“Do you have any more information? Why did the King of Winter destroy Tantinger City with a single sword strike?” Kairid took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Panic was useless; it would only lead to greater fear.
“Your Majesty, I’m not entirely sure of the details. I only know that the first place invaded by the evil god’s subordinates was Tantinger City, followed by the city guarded by the old knight Gewen. A merchant caravan informed Gewen about the situation in Tantinger City, and after Gewen went there, he brought contamination to his own city,” the scout recounted truthfully.
This intelligence was bought with the lives of his comrades, with no embellishments.
The entire Andor Empire was now on high alert, with no one slacking off in any matter. They were all focused on protecting their homeland, giving it their all.
“Could the King of Winter’s sword strike have been to eliminate the contamination?”
A glimmer of hope flashed in Kairid’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, what you said is very likely. Kairid has also recently experienced invasions by the evil god’s subordinates, and the Kairid Empire is right next door. These subordinates could very well have spread from Kairid…” The scout pondered and gave this answer.
Kairid sat on his chair, deep in thought, his rough fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest.
“I remember a Duke came to complain before, saying the King of Winter killed a lord in his territory, but I was busy dealing with the Naga Empress at the time and didn’t pay much attention…”
He stared at the flames in the fireplace, thinking that he too could easily destroy a city with a single strike. The King of Winter’s strength shouldn’t be that formidable. What level could a young Legendary achieve?
“How many troops do we still have available for deployment?” Kairid turned to ask the scout.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, we still have a heavy cavalry knight order of ten thousand men that can be deployed. The knight order is led by the Wittner and Vyrus brothers, both Champion Knights. In addition, the heavy cavalry knight order is reinforced by a Star Source Mage. However, this force is the last line of defense for the entire Royal City.”
“Never mind the last line of defense! Let this legion handle the border issues. Kairid has also suppressed the situation over there. Have them go to the shrines and wear protective gear with holy water. We cannot abandon the war with the Naga. The reinforcement Orc legions have already gathered. As long as we win this war, we can gain more territory, wealth, and slaves!”
Kairid’s eyes seemed to burn with flames. If the conflict with the Naga had started as a misunderstanding, it had become a relationship of irreconcilable enmity the moment he emptied the national treasury to ally with the Orcs. He would never forget the humiliation the Naga Empress had inflicted upon him!
“But Your Majesty…”
The scout wanted to say that two Champion Knights and a Star Source Mage might not be enough to deal with those troublesome servants of the evil god. Moreover, there wasn’t much holy water in the shrines. The entity protecting the Andor Empire was the God of Night, Yurinas. That deity did not belong to the forces of Light, nor was it an evil god. The Bishop of the God of Night had even joked that their holy water was obtained from the God of Light.
“No buts! I know what you’re worried about, and I can anticipate all your concerns! Send envoys to the Wintery Empire and the Kairid Empire, and explain what’s happening here. Especially to the Wintery Empire, tell that arrogant King that the matter of Tantinger City cannot be let go. This is an insult to me! I demand that he immediately send troops to help clear out the evil god’s subordinates!”
Kairid slammed the chair in anger. The Andor Empire was the eastern barrier of the North Continent, blocking the undead from the Desert of Death and the Naga from the ocean. If the Andor Empire were to fall, the Wintery Empire would have to face invasions from the undead, the Naga, and the evil god’s subordinates. Furthermore, the Orcs would absolutely not stand idly by. When the nest is overturned, there are no eggs left intact. He believed the King of Winter would understand this.
However, Kairid was unaware of the true strength of the Wintery Empire’s army, nor did he know that the realm of the dead was being heavily bombarded by four angels. The Naga invasion had forced his intelligence network to contract to its absolute limit. He was unaware of much of what had happened in the past half-month. Most of the news from the outside world came from the Orcs, but even they didn’t know much.
“Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. But who do you intend to send as envoys? Our knights are all on the battlefield. If we send someone without sufficient strength…” the scout trailed off.
The Wintery Empire had now annexed Karari and Medon and was even maintaining a ambiguous relationship with the Church of Light. Although they showed no signs of further aggression, their arrogant demeanor already hinted at the posture of a hegemon on the North Continent. Meanwhile, Kairid, while always maintaining a low profile, had always been in league with the Church of Light. Looking at it this way, the entire North Continent’s situation seemed to be controlled by the Church of Light. The Andor Empire, on the other hand, had become the sole exception.
What was even worse, the Andor Empire was now under attack from all sides. In such circumstances, would the surrounding countries truly offer help? If a weak envoy were sent, the King of the Wintery Empire and the King of the Kairid Empire would most likely consider it an insult!
“I have already considered this. Doesn’t the King of Winter like women? I heard he has some sort of maid troupe. Send my two useless daughters as envoys. No matter what methods they use, just bring me reinforcements from the Wintery Empire!”
Kairid’s gaze was cold, his tone chilling and devoid of emotion, as if his daughters were not princesses but rather disposable objects. However, the scout had no strong feelings about this. The fate of imperial princesses was indeed such; if they could bring reinforcements to the Andor Empire, it would be a feat worthy of being recorded in history!
“As for Kairid, let the youngest prince go.”
Kairid sighed, the flames in his eyes finally dimming. “That boy looks the most like me, and I favor him the most. From childhood, I’ve showered him with affection, giving him whatever he wanted. In contrast, his two older brothers received the strictest training. Now… it’s time for him to play his part.”
Upon hearing this, the scout inwardly clicked his tongue. He vaguely recalled the saying about farmers killing pigs. Pigs were fattened up before being slaughtered, not out of the owner’s affection, but because the owner wanted them to die…
