Under the dim moonlight, knights with stern expressions gathered in front of the castle gate.
They were dressed in uniform black armor, and the royal crest on their chest seemed to be a pulsating flame, shimmering in the moonlight.
The Shadow Knight stood at the very front of the line, his piercing gaze slowly sweeping over everyoneâs faces.
âYou are all the most loyal knights of Her Majesty!â the Shadow Knight declared loudly, âNow, the Empire is at its most perilous moment, a time when heroes are needed the most!
Are you willing to become these heroes, to dedicate everything for the Empire, for Her Majesty?â
Thud!
A rhythmic sound of armor being struck echoed, forming a unified response:
âWe are!â
âVery well!â The Shadow Knight nodded in satisfaction, about to relay the Queenâs orders, but in the next second, he suddenly froze.
Because, to his shock, he discovered an overwhelmingly powerful aura enveloping him.
Such an aura only exists among the powerful beings of the Holy Field!
Who was it?
Prince Lexie? Mr. Ji? Duke St. Gregorian?
In an instant, the names raced through the Shadow Knightâs mind. But what confused him the most was, why was this person targeting him?
The phantom image of a white wolf was reflected in the Shadow Knightâs eyes, rapidly enlarging in size.
A Troll Holy Warrior!
The Shadow Knight turned pale with shock. He couldnât fathom that a Holy Warrior would appear in the Storm Fortress.
Thud!
A loud explosion resounded, as if a heavy curtain had fallen.
A giant iron-like hand shot out like a cannonball, grabbed the neck of the Shadow Knight who was in frenzy retreat, and hoisted him mid-air.
Before the royal knights could figure out what was happening, they saw that the Shadow Knight was already being held hostage by an armored figure who had suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Splat!
Blood and flesh splattered.
The Shadow Knightâs whole head was instantaneously crushed.
The headless corpse fell and tumbled a few times on the ground, then all was silent.
Next, before the royal knights could react, the armored figure vanished into the vast night. The entire process was swift and clean, without a hint of hesitation.
The royal knights stared at the corpse on the ground, lost and horrified.
They were just prepared to dedicate everything to the Empire, but they didnât expect that this dedication would be cruelly choked off at the bud before it even started.
As the Shadow Knight hadnât had time to dispense their tasks before his death, even if they wanted to contribute, they had no idea what to do.
âWhat do we do now?â
âWhat else can we do? We go back and seek an audience with Her Majesty to see if she has any instructions.â
â¦
At the top of the castle.
A group of imperial nobles was already in a frenzy of debate.
Regarding Queen Midelaâs candid sacrificial plan, some opposed it, while others agreed, resulting in an endless argument with everyone holding their ground.
Colin stood with his arms crossed, silently observing all of this while making a mental note of the choices of these imperial nobles at this point.
To his surprise, the majority of the nobles actually opposed Queen Midelaâs plan.
Perhaps it was because they were reluctant to give up their armies, but at the same time, this indicated that they still had the courage to face the Orcs head on.
Despite the devastating defeat in the Sky Breaking Mountain Range and the fall of the Westland, most human nobles still firmly believed that the orcs could be defeated.
Thatâs why they objected to this opportunistic, yet bloody and evil method.
This discovery pleased Colin quite a bit and gave him greater confidence in his upcoming plans.
However, at this moment, some nobles, emotionally excited due to misunderstanding Colinâs attitude, began to verbally attack him.
Of course, Colin was silent in response to these verbal attacks. After all, they posed no threat to him.@@novelbin@@
And also, once the time was right, these people will naturally understand Colinâs true position.
But soon, Colin realized he could no longer remain silent.
Because Count Nicoll made a rather heart-stinging comment:
âCount Angler, you agree to this sacrifice plan because the North Territory Army isnât in the Storm Fortress, arenât they?â
This remark startled Colin, and what followed from Count Nicollâs words made his face turn pale.
âCount Angler, I want to know, why does the North Territory Army not want to assemble at Storm Fortress? Could it be that Queen Midela had quietly informed Marquis Garcia about this plan before planning this sacrifice?â
Once this was said, there was a brief silence at the scene.
Then came a tumultuous questioning afterward.
âCount Angler, was Queen Midela deliberately helping North Territory conserve its strength?â
âCount Angler, what the hell is North Territory planning to do?â
âAll the elite armies of the other four territories of the Empire are exhausted, is North Territory just waiting for the right moment to come out and play savior?â
âHah, the St. Hilde family probably want more than to just be the savior?â
â¦
Count Nicollâs argument opened Pandoraâs box, triggering a number of speculations against the North Territory.
Eventually, even the nobles who initially supported sacrificing the Storm Fortress began to pivot their views.
After all, if North Territory was indeed conserving strength, or even planning a nefarious takeover, Queen Midelaâs true motive becomes quite condemnable.
And none of them want to end up as mindless sacrifices for the St. Hilde family.
Originally, Queen Midela had insinuated to Colin that if the elite troops of the other territories are all sacrificed, then North Territory could become the real ruler of the Empire, and even a changing of the royal familyâs surname could be possible.
But honestly, Colin didnât really contemplate this plan, because he knew that if North Territory dared do such a thing, the reputation of the St. Hilde family would be completely ruined.
Even Marquis Garciaâs withdrawal from the Sky Breaking Mountain Range would be seen as a premeditated betrayal.
Even if North Territory could usurp the throne through force, it wouldnât win the hearts of the people. The result of forcibly claiming power could only lead to endless rebellions.
âLadies and Gentlemen, North Territory did not receive any prior notice. Marquis Garcia chose to station his forces in Luwal Valley because it is the most suitable location to ambush the orc army.
As for any actions of Queen Midela, it has never represented the St. Hilde family!â
Unfortunately, such explanation was not able to satisfy the crowdâs doubts.
The nobles continued to question Colin relentlessly.
Colinâs face was as calm as water, but he didnât continue to argue.
Till he heard a loud roar, and then saw two figurers fiercely battling each other swooping through from beneath the castle.
Colin recognized them at once as Prince Lexie and Mr. Ji!
At this moment, he finally heaved a sigh of relief, knowing the moment he had been waiting for had finally arrived!
So, he yelled out:
âLadies and Gentlemen, if you canât trust me, at least you should trust His Majesty, right?â
âHis Majesty?â The crowd of nobles instantly froze up.
And upon turning their heads, they found the closed door of the room had indeed opened, and Emperor Reinhardt slowly walked out.