27. The Kingdom Invasion (Part 1)
It was late in the game, but the Kingdom of Llahendia had an enemy.
The Gudentale Empire was a great power that ruled over a wide area in the Southern part of Isas. At the same time, it was also a hostile country that had invaded Llahendia many times in an attempt to conquer its bountiful land.
However, during the reign of King Xanagan’s father—Lydian’s grandfather, the number of invasions decreased and everything quieted down. Nevertheless, since Xanagan didn’t know when Gudentale would attack again, he cooperated with the Margrave of Druiz to monitor said empire.
Lydian was also aware of it, but only said. “It’d be uncouth for me to intrude in the Margrave of Druiz’ jurisdiction. I’ll only make a move if it’s necessary.”
If the higher-ups of the Gudentale Empire were any wiser, they’d have shed tears of joy at their good fortune. Unfortunately, their intel sucked at their job.
“—Finally, the country has lowered their guard! The time has come for us to settle the score with Llahendia!”
The present emperor of Gudentale, Groove, announced to his subjects. His rotund body—the result of his licentious lifestyle—jiggled all the way.
“Ooh!! At last, the day has arrived!!”
“We’ll make Llahendia pay for our unending suffering!”
The subjects were rallied by Emperor Groove’s words. After all, Llahendia was a treasure trove with abundant agricultural products and various mines such as gold, silver, copper, and iron. The subjects, who were as greedy as their master, were excited.
“Even so, the Kingdom of Aisha, which I always envisioned as my vassal state, has since allied with Llahendia…”
As a matter of fact, the Kingdom of Aisha was a neighboring country located in the Northwest of the Gudentale Empire. Madelle was reluctantly dodging the empire’s offer.
“Your Majesty, leave it to me. I heard that their daughter-in-law, the crown princess, is staying in the Kingdom of Aisha. I shall lead the army and capture that woman as a prisoner!!”
The conceited marquis, Bentley, brandished his trusty sword.
Other subjects also volunteered, but it was all for show.
Regardless, the arrogant emperor believed in their loyalty and applauded him.
“Your gallantness has touched me, Marquis Vendre. You shall lead your entire army and launch an attack on the Kingdom of Aisha. I shall leave that Eleonora girl to my right-hand archwizard, Rubaz.”
When the emperor announced that, there was an uproar among his subjects.
Archwizard Rubaz was the ultimate weapon of the Gudentale Empire. The emperor levied high taxes and spent a quarter of the national treasury just to hire Rubaz. Of course, many were against the idea, but when Rubaz conjured flames out of thin air and set their chairs on fire, everyone fell silent.
The people of Llahendia had long grown desensitized to it, but only very few people could use magic in this world. As such, even a palm-sized fireball was enough to shock and terrify them.
While all countries were eager to acquire even low-ranking wizards, one couldn’t simply describe the rarity of high-ranking wizards.
Therefore, the moment the emperor obtained Rubaz, he was convinced that he could conquer the world.
“Marquis Bentley, your loyalty is admirable. Hence, I shall allow you to accompany Archwizard Rubaz. With a high-ranking wizard around, kidnapping a girl should be a simple matter.”
“Of course, Your Majesty—! No matter how vast the Continent of Isas is, only Buffeg and I hold the title of high-ranking wizards. Luckily, Buffeg isn’t in the Kingdom of Aisha, so kidnapping her would be a walk in the park!”
The chubby archwizard, Rubaz, showed a toothless, creepy grin.
“Hahahahahaha—! Indeed! The crown prince, Lydian, is rumored to be the Demon King, but it must be the work of the Archwizard Buffeg! I’m looking forward to your work!”
“Understood!”
Rubaz deeply bowed his head. It’d be a nice touch if he’d teleported there, but that was an insanely high-level magic that even Buffeg had given up on.
…Instead, Rubaz left the hall on foot and headed for the Kingdom of Aisha in a horse-drawn carriage.
With the powerful archwizard alongside him, Marquiz Bentley was in high spirits.
“With this, our victory is secured!!”
With that conviction, he donned the luxurious armor. As he couldn’t ride a horse, he led the army in a chariot. His personal belongings (his favorite pillow, bed, etc.) were transported in a wagon, so it looked like a lavish trip rather than an army.
As a result, unlike Rubaz, the departure of Marquis Bentley’s army was delayed until ten days later.
The movement of a large army didn’t go unnoticed.
The Margrave of Druiz, who governed the South and was tasked by the king to monitor the Gudentale Empire, organized an intelligence unit and gathered information about the Gudentale Empire.
“How vicious of the Gudentale Empire! To think that they’d attempt to kidnap a defenseless princess because they can’t win in a direct fight! For the sake of Lady Eleonora, to whom I owe this massive debt, I shall immediately dispatch my troops!”
The earnest and loyal Margrave Druiz was trusted by the king, so he could move his troops at his own discretion.
“My Husband. Back when our daughter, Charmia, was lost, Lady Eleonora was the one who showed her the way. She’s a delicate person, so she must be overcome with anxiety. Please save Lady Eleonora.”
His wife implored with tears in her eyes.
Because of Charmia, a fanatic believer of Eleonora, the couple was in a deep misunderstanding about Eleonora’s character.
“Oh, don’t cry, My Wife! I’ll definitely save Lady Eleonora without fail!!”
The margrave could’ve just told Lydian and that’d be the end of the story. But instead of requesting reinforcements, he only sent his own troops.
“Llahendia is far away. We mustn’t bother Crown Prince Lydian, who is busy.”
At the Margrave of Druiz’s mansion, where the tension could be cut with a knife, a certain boy made a suggestion to the margrave.
He was none other than the second prince, Valdo. Having had enough of being compared to his older brother, he ran away from the royal capital. The kind-hearted Valdo worked in the forest to protect wildlife and research medicinal herbs.
Of course, Valdo was once again misunderstood. Everyone thought that he was honing his swordsmanship by hunting monsters—just like Lydian. The poor boy.
He normally stayed away from fighting, but when he heard that his sister-in-law was in danger, he withstood his fear and stood up.
“Uhm—! I, I’d like to join the army, too—!”
“Ooh!! If His Highness Valdo participates, we’d need 100 people!! We have to make an army worthy of His Highness!!”
The Margrave of Druiz was overjoyed and added excellent soldiers to Valdo’s unit. Valdo desperately tried to stop him, but just like his daughter, he was too presumptuous to listen.
“—I heard that Prince Lydian’s younger brother will lead us! Isn’t Prince Lydian a great tactician? King Xanagan is also renowned for his heroicness. What an honor it is to have His Highness Valdo—who has the blood of such men—as our general!!”
The morale of the soldiers was high.
…As a result, Valdo, who was supposed to provide logistical support in the medical field—his forte—was promoted to general. Heck, he was even assigned to be the vanguard.
He was mature and slender for his age. His face was intimidating, while his sharp eyes made him look like a natural champion.
Because it’d be the young general’s first battle, the soldiers were extremely excited.
“…What do I do? I-I can’t fight!”
Valdo was so frightened that he shook in his boots. It was a stark contrast from his menacing appearance. However, his surroundings completely misunderstood it as the trembling of a roused warrior.
“—As expected of His Highness Valdo!”
Valdo’s whining fell on deaf ears.
Translator’s Note:
lmao let the healer be in front line
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