Amidst the panic of the people, the Demon Clan had completed their encampment not far outside the city and began their formal assault.
“Don’t let those things climb up!”
On the city wall, the knights were shouting frantically, while the soldiers below were constantly throwing large stones and rolling logs down towards the wall.
The cannons imported from the Northern Border were roaring continuously. Due to poor maintenance, many cannons had exploded several times after continuous firing. The rune craftsmen and alchemists within the city had voluntarily stepped up to start repairing the cannons, but due to technical limitations and being restrained by the Northern Border for materials, the effects were not very good.
Although the Sludge Monsters could not corrode the city wall due to the barrier, they could still start climbing up along it.
Just a glance at the tons of sludge on the city wall was enough to make one’s scalp tingle, resembling the green caterpillars crawling on trees during summer, occasionally dropping a few.
But there was no choice; the more scared one was, the less they could let these monsters into the city.
Although the barrier had some offensive capabilities, under Judith’s arrangements, the magic power of the profession mages in the city was still to be conserved, using the barrier’s attack function only when it was on the verge of breaking down, and employing some physical means to attack the monsters on the wall while it could still hold.
Even though there was a partially constructed obelisk supplying energy from the Northern Border, Judith could only plan for the worst, unsure of when reinforcements would arrive.
This giant obelisk truly lived up to the Northern Border’s reputation; even in its half-finished state, it was able to relieve a significant pressure from the mages in the city. However, since the obelisk was not yet fully constructed, the mages had to manually adjust it to maintain the barrier, and most of the mages from the Royal Capital had not figured out the operational logic of the obelisk. Under the premise of “if it’s working, don’t touch it,” Judith did not dare to use it too aggressively.
As for the hereditary potions left by that Queen Your Majesty, although they had miraculous effects, using one reduced the number of remaining potions. Judith had reserved these potions as a last resort.
The mages stood on the city wall, continuously unleashing various spells. Even the apprentice-level mages from the Magic Association and Royal Capital Academy were brought out, and lightning and fireballs, frost and storms poured down from the walls.
Magic was very effective against those Sludge Monsters, but spells that couldn’t be concentrated were difficult to produce obvious effects on the continually expanding Demon God Offspring.
Judith and Scott were constantly moving around the city directing, preventing the morale of the troops from dispersing. But facing the relentless assault from those inhuman monsters day and night, both Judith and Scott were already quite exhausted, both physically and mentally.
From the information at Golden Ear Plains, Judith and Scott had known that the Demon Clan’s monsters were quite terrifying, but what they hadn’t anticipated was the most frightening aspect: their unending stamina. The ceaseless attacks had already worn down the people inside the city to a state of extreme fatigue, especially for those mages.
This also made Judith suspect how the Northern Border had initially defeated these monsters.
The stamina of the knights and soldiers on the wall had also reached their limit. Many monsters had already climbed up the wall as everyone was growing tired.
At this time, the bell of the Central Church within the Royal Capital rang, and the Holy Army, already prepared, clad in specially enchanted armor and bathed in Holy Light, ascended to the city walls to engage the enemy.
Under the blessing of the Holy Light, the Holy Army could be said to be cutting through those monsters like cutting vegetables, neutralizing the situation on the city walls very quickly.
But this was merely a stabilization of the situation on the city walls, just as Judith feared the most; the monsters from the Demon Clan seemed endless, and there was no way to eliminate them completely. The Demon God Offspring continued to bombard the city walls, making it difficult for the Holy Army to venture outside to fight.
Oppression—this was the feeling shared by everyone within the Royal Capital.
Kuf, following the traditions passed down from Augustus III, summoned all the nobles in the royal palace for a meeting, but each time, the number of nobles attending was decreasing.
In this tumultuous time, the notions held by those nobles were barely concealed, for the Demon King Antipa had already sent Monroe to speak to the nobles of the Royal Capital, promising that if they surrendered, all nobles would retain their titles and benefits.
In the most recent meeting, Judith reported on the current situation, mentioning that the number of nobles attending had decreased by two-thirds, as those nobles were already considering distancing themselves from the royal family, refusing to contribute to the defense, leaving Kuf helpless against them.
Currently, the only hope for the entire Royal Capital was that the Northern Border Governor, who had previously defeated the Demon Clan, could come to provide support. Although it was known that the Queen had already contacted the Northern Border Governor to request assistance, the people did not know how quickly information could be exchanged between the two parties. Pessimistically, many believed that the Royal Capital might not be able to hold out until the Northern Border Governor arrived.
However, Judith remained optimistic in the meeting, stating that since the Northern Border Governor had defeated the Demon Clan once, he could do it a second time. As long as the Royal Capital could hold out until the Northern Border Governor arrived, everything would improve.
“Your Majesty.”
At this moment, an Augustine stood up during the meeting.
“Even if the Northern Border Governor truly comes, how much can he help us compared to the Demon Clan?”
“As Princess Claire stated, the reason the Northern Border Governor suddenly changed his attitude was that he is the Queen’s disciple. If this information is true, now that the Queen is missing, even if the Northern Border Governor saves the Royal Capital, what does that mean for us?”
Then, this Augustine began to appeal emotionally and rationally, continuously playing out scenarios in the meeting of how terrible the situation would become if the Northern Border breached the Royal Capital.
Before Judith could rebuke this Augustine, Marcel, the leader of the Old Party who had insisted on attending the meeting, could no longer hold back, shouting: “You’ve said so much, and it’s all hypotheticals. Don’t you just want to surrender to the Demon Clan? Do you even have a shred of royal dignity left?! The past kings of Augustine should be ashamed of you!”
But the Augustine glanced at Kuf at the main seat and said, “But Your Majesty, all of this is in order for Augustine to continue. As long as the Demon Clan agrees that Augustine will remain the king of this land, then I naturally have face, and can even proudly meet the kings of Augustine!”
At this moment, Judith suddenly felt that the atmosphere in the room was a bit off. It felt like the meeting was surrounded by some unseen force. Kuf understood better than Judith that this was Augustine’s last resort, prepared to preserve Augustine’s bloodline, allowing them to escape the Royal Capital in an emergency. Judith never expected that it would be used in this context.
Just as Judith and this Augustine were in a standoff, a messenger rushed in, saying: “Your Majesty, another section of the wall has fallen. Our forces are almost insufficient; please, Your Majesty, prepare to escape quickly.”
