The morning of the eighth day arrived.
Under the king's orders, the troops in Saint Sunil City that still had some combat ability were quickly organized to carry out the first counterattack since the start of the city defense battle.
The troops that were ordered to set off were divided into two groups. One was the Royal Knight Regiment that was loyal to the king, and the other was the mixed Knight Regiment that was made up of the children of the Captical nobles and private soldiers. The two groups passed through the city gate one after another at the time of dawn, but their styles were completely different.
The Royal Knight Regiment had very few people, and only forty percent of the original number survived with combat ability. They were wearing armor that was already riddled with scars, and they did not even have the time to wipe off the blood on their weapons. They were like a group of rust-colored war sculptures, silently passing through the city gate. Their killing intent was restrained, but they were orderly.
Compared to them, the other group was more boisterous and ostentatious. Colorful flags fluttered in the air above this group. Clad in bright armor, the knights of the nobility with rosy complexions were riding on tall horses. It was like a troupe of splendid costumes. Along the way, the group was very lively. Between the different banners, one could see the heraldic flags inlaid with colorful lace fluttering high in the air. That was a way to show off the nobles' personal military expedition.
Of course, they had to show off because the following 'battle' would be a performance with almost no risk. Just like the hunting in autumn and winter every year, people with prominent backgrounds would use enchanted bows and arrows to hunt a group of beasts that had been forced into a desperate situation under the strict protection of the Knight Regiment. No matter what the process was, as long as the arrow pierced into the body of the beast in the end, the person who drew the bow and shot the arrow would win the title of 'bravery'. And now, they were going to take this title of bravery.
After all, the speculators also knew that they had a stain on their records, especially those who were prepared to move their belongings and only swore their loyalty to the king after the coronation. They desperately needed some 'battle results' to make them look good.
This result was not for the king to see, but for Gawain? Archduke Cecil saw it.
That was a duke with outstanding military exploits, and at this moment, he was turning the tide with his force. Such a duke would certainly pay attention to the performance of all parties in the previous defense battle after entering the Captical. Therefore, he timely accumulated some military exploits to accumulate resources in the following political investments. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the situation in the Ansu would be completely reshuffled after the end of this war. Both the Eastern Region and the Northern Region would decline, and even the Western Region had been damaged. Only the Southern Region would be the real winner, just like the Wilde family who controlled the Ansu in the name of "regent" after the civil war in the Month of Mist a hundred years ago.
As for the king … Poor king, his royal authority was probably in Gwen's hands. The moment Duke Cecil entered the city, he would reach the end.
The Captical noble, Count Uriel, who was dressed up, raised his head and looked back. Looking at the king's flag fluttering on the tall city walls of Saint Sunil, he could not help but shake his head and sigh with an aria typical of the northern upper-class society. "How pitiful. The king was only free for eight days."
Another person chimed in. "Yes, he got rid of the Wilde family and ushered in Cecil … Who would have thought of this a few years ago?"
Count Uriel smiled reservedly. "I once bought a large amount of alchemy potions and magic-powered equipment from the Southern Region. As his important customer, I'm sure Gwen? Archduke Cecil will have some impression of me. "
"Of course, my friend, your investment vision has always been admirable …"
…
Wales stood on the city wall and watched the well-dressed troop move in the direction of Crow Terrace. He did not say a word for a long time.
Duke Bodwin's voice came from the side. "Your Majesty."
"Look, what a well-dressed troop." Wales raised his head and pointed at the advancing troop with his chin. "Their armor is brand new, their horses are unscathed, and their flags look like they were just taken out from the warehouse. Bodwin, where do you think they were hiding before? "
"… hidden in the filthy bellies of those people."
Wales turned his head and looked at him in surprise. "… You actually know how to scold people."
"Only when necessary," Duke Bodwin said calmly. "Compared to this, Your Majesty, are you sure your choice is necessary?"
"I saw with my own eyes the efforts of you and Archduke Victoria. I saw with my own eyes the confrontation and division between the reformists and the conservatives. I saw how the lords increased their wealth and nibbled away the land of the free people. I also saw how the so-called 'factory reform' became a new excuse to enclose land and make the civilians more homeless. I know all the rules of the upper class of this kingdom, and in these rules, I found a truth … "
Bodwin looked at the king in front of him quietly.
"Our reform did not succeed because we did not risk enough. The prosperity that Ansu wants is not on the table."
After saying this, Wales suddenly laughed. "And I'm really curious, what kind of choice will that founding hero make in the face of such a difficult problem? I've set up such a stage, can I make him feel at a loss for once …"
…
The sound of cannon fire from Highland No. 2 gradually subsided. In the command center, the information about the situation at the frontline was constantly being summarized in front of Gwen.
Overall, the battle was developing according to plan. When the crystal giants became frenzied monsters, the things that the Cecil Army had to consider became simpler. Monsters that lacked command and tactics naturally lacked variation. As long as there were no major flaws in the strategy, it could basically be deduced. As the commanders and soldiers of all levels became more and more accustomed to the battlefield, the situation could be said to not change much anymore.
Above the magic network terminal next to the map table, half of Philip's body appeared on the holographic projection. "… We're close to the Valley Corridor. We can reach the Saint Sunil area as soon as tomorrow …"
"Very good." Gawain nodded in satisfaction, his tone full of praise. The original meeting time was actually three days later, but the main ground forces led by Philip had forcibly moved forward by two days, which further ensured that the scales of the battle were tilted in their favor. "But how did you get here so quickly?"
"The enemy's counterattack was smaller than expected. It seems that a large number of monsters that were originally wandering in the central area of the plains have been attracted to the Saint Sunil area," Philip explained. "However, we still set up enough firepower along the way. You can rest assured about that."
Gwen nodded. He then exchanged a few more words with Philip about the battle situation before ending the communication.
The north-south blockade was finally about to close.
He let out a sigh of relief and felt a little relieved. He then turned around and wanted to discuss the arrangements for entering the Captical with Victoria. However, before he could say anything, he heard Amber's voice not far away.
"Just because you say you're a messenger, you're a messenger. You're a messenger, and you're hiding? You think you can hide with that little ability of yours?"
Gwen looked up curiously and saw Amber dragging someone over. The person whose arm was being dragged by her awkwardly was a familiar-looking young man in black light leather armor.
Victoria, who was standing next to him, recognized the man immediately. "Raven?"
Gwen then suddenly remembered the other party's identity. This was an old friend.
A Royal Shadow Guard who did not know how to use the two-handed greatsword Whirlwind Slash.
"I caught him outside the camp. He sneaked over sneakily, and I kicked him out of the Shadow Realm." Amber pushed Raven in front of Gwen and said with her arms akimbo, "He said he was here to deliver a letter."
"Raven, what letter are you here to deliver?" Victoria immediately frowned and asked the Royal Shadow Guard in front of her.
Raven first looked at Victoria, then looked at Amber helplessly. Finally, he lowered his head in front of Gwen and said respectfully, "I have a letter from the king. Give it to Gwen? Duke Cecil. "
As he spoke, the Royal Shadow Guard took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to Gwen.
Gwen took the letter with the seal of the Ansu Royal Family and curiously looked at the contents inside. Although the battlefield in the south of the Ansu Empire had basically been cleared, it was still not a simple matter for a Royal Shadow Guard to cross the war zone and come to Cecil's camp alone. What kind of emergency would require the new king of the Ansu Empire to contact him in such a way?
He opened the letter and saw that there was only a simple sentence on it:
"Raven Terrace has been corrupted. Duke Cecil, please help clean it up — Wales? Moen. "
Gwen's gaze froze. After a few seconds of silence, he slowly put down the letter and looked at the Royal Shadow Guard in front of him. "Other than that, what else did your king say to you?"
"He has a message for you." Raven repeated Wales's words. Mo En said, "He said he put a ball of thread there."
"…"
Victoria saw the contents of the letter and heard Raven's words. She did not know what the so-called 'ball of thread' meant, but based on her guesses and intuition, she had already vaguely guessed what Wales was doing.
She suddenly looked at Gwen. "Duke Cecil …"
"Your king has given me a difficult problem." Gwen sighed softly and looked at the letter in his hand again.
This letter did not have any 'burn after reading' seal. It was still lying in Gwen's hand, and every word on it was clear and sharp.
This was a conundrum, but at the same time, it was also an observation. Gawain seemed to see Wales behind this thin piece of paper. Moen's eyes.
Those eyes were full of scrutiny.
Amber also saw the contents of the letter. After a moment of reaction, this goose let out a cry of surprise. "… Oh my God."
Then she said, "Be careful, this may be a conspiracy. He's lying to you. What do you call this … borrowing a knife or something …"
"In fact, I don't care if this is a conspiracy or not." Gwen looked at Amber. "But I do need to confirm the situation in Crow Terrace. Inform Gina and let her take off."
Then he looked at Victoria, who had a complicated expression. "Let's wait here for a while."
They did not have to wait long. The aerial reconnaissance image from the Griffin Knight was quickly sent to the command post.
The armored griffin flew over Crow Terrace, and colorful flags and emblems danced in the wind in the image.
Gwen and Victoria stood in front of the magic network terminal and looked at the holographic image. Gwen asked softly, "Do you know him?"
In a trance, Victoria felt as if she had returned to her teenage years. She felt the nervousness and fear that she had when she was standing beside her father. Even a simple question from Gawain was enough to make her feel pressured. She could not help but take a deep breath before she answered, "Yes."
"What's your evaluation?"
"… Duke Cecil, you are making a terrible decision, it will …"
Gwen just calmly repeated his question. "What's your evaluation?"
Victoria suddenly recalled the scene that she had recalled not long ago. She recalled the question that her father had asked her.
"… If pruning, fertilizing, watering, and applying medicine do not work, what should you do?"
She closed her eyes slightly, and when she opened them again, the cold Ice Duke seemed to have returned.
"Should all be uprooted."
"Very well."
Gwen nodded and turned to the nearby commander.
"Crow Terrace is polluted. Purify it."
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