In a private room used to entertain special guests in the palace, Mordred sat in front of the ruler of the Hellan Kingdom, King Noah Ernest Vi Hellan.
“Are you sure this information is credible?” King Noah asked after reading James’ letter. His silver-gray eyes looked at Mordred with a serious expression.
“That is the information we received from the people who attacked Lont,” Mordred answered. “We used a special method to extract the information so we can guarantee that the captives weren’t lying. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the information they gave us is true.
“They can be just disposable pawns that were thrown away in order for us to learn of this information. Whether to believe this information or not is up to you to decide, Your Majesty.”
For James and Mordred, they didn’t really care whether the news was true or not. Their only concern was whether it would affect Lont or not.
After a discussion among the experts of Lont, they decided to pass the information to the king, so he could take appropriate countermeasures to handle the problem.
The other man present inside the room was the Grand Archmage of the Hellan Kingdom, Emrys. He had a frown on his face as he read James’ letter, and one could tell that the contents of it were not good.
“My King, if what is written in the letter is true then that explains the movement of the Anaesha, and Zelan Dynasties on our borders.” Emrys sighed. “Although I don’t know how they’re doing it, they are doing a good job at chipping away the armed forces of our Kingdom.”
Noah nodded absentmindedly at Emrys’ comment. The Beast Tide and the Dungeon Outbreak, had greatly diminished the military might of the Hellan Kingdom. If the two Dynasties on their borders decided to attack them during their moment of weakness, the Hellan Kingdom wouldn’t be able to resist their combined forces.
“What do you suggest that we do?” Noah asked his loyal adviser.
Emrys stroked his beard as he pondered, “The Kingdom of Freesia is our ally, but they are too far away to offer assistance. It would be best to alert them of our current situation and have them prepare for the worst.
“As long as the two Dynasties don’t use all of their military might to suppress us, we may still have a chance. The King of Freesia is no fool. He knows that if we fall, his kingdom will be the next target of the two dynasties.”
Noah nodded his head in understanding. “So you mean to say, have them use us as a deterrent so that our two friendly neighbors don’t use their full strength to attack us in fear that they will get stabbed in the back, correct?”
“Yes, your majesty,” Emrys replied. “This is the only thing we can do right now. The losses we have received from the constant monster outbreaks are nearing half of the kingdom’s overall strength. We even had to resort to asking the children to help resist the Dungeon Outbreaks that are currently spreading across the land.”
Noah bit his lips in frustration. Indeed. The kingdom was really nearing its limit. Because of the losses they suffered, they had no choice but to conscript the students who were still studying in the various institutions in the kingdom. Many seeds had already fallen due to this incident and it was truly heartbreaking.
“Aside from notifying our ally, is there anything else that we can do?” Noah asked.
“Well, there is one more thing we can try, but I doubt that it will work.” The Grand Archmage gave Mordred a side-long glance before shifting his attention to the king. “We need the help of the Northern Tribes. If they are willing to give their support then we will be able to resist an invasion.”
Noah had a troubled expression when Emrys mentioned the tribes in the North of their Kingdom. These tribes were given free reign on their lands and were “technically” not citizens of the Hellan Kingdom.
The reason why they were not included in the kingdom was because the former kings weren’t able to conquer their lands. This proved how strong these tribes were and the best thing they could do was to sign a non-aggression pact with them.
These tribes did what they wanted to do, and the Hellan Kingdom couldn’t interfere. Of course, this also meant that the tribes couldn’t invade the lands of the Hellan Kingdom as well. They were more like “the neighbor next door” that they couldn’t afford to offend.
The oath both sides took was a powerful one and the main reason why there was a lasting peace between the two factions.
“Let me think about this first,” Noah answered after some time. “For now, alert the Sword Saint and tell him to observe our borders.”
“As you wish, My King.” Emrys bowed and left the room.
Mordred was quietly sipping his tea at the side. He was perfectly fine pretending that he didn’t hear the conversation between the King and the Archmage.
Noah looked at his future Viscount with a helpless expression. He knew more than anyone that the Ainsworth Family didn’t plan to interfere with matters of the state. Even if he made Mordred a Viscount, he wouldn’t actively help the kingdom resist the invasion.
After all, he was the one who exiled one of their family members to never step foot in the Hellan Kingdom ever again.
—-
“It seems that all of you didn’t slack on your training while I was gone,” William said with a smile. “Very good. As expected of the Martial Division.”
A day after he returned to the academy, William announced that he would be making an important announcement and all the students of the Martial Class were required to attend.
The students who numbered just slightly over three hundred looked at their Head Prefect with solemn expressions. Kenneth, Priscilla, Dave, Spencer, Drake, and Conrad were standing behind William. They were the officers he chose among the batch of students to form his council.
“The reason why I called you here today is to announce the name of our Order.” William scanned the faces of the students who were looking back at him. “From this day onwards, by the power vested in me as the Head Prefect of the Martial Division, I hereby declare the founding of the ‘Angorian War Sovereign’!”
James had already told William about the impending danger that would befall the Hellan Kingdom if the information they gathered from their captives proved to be true.
Because of this, William had decided to speed up his plan to create his own fighting force before the Academy would dismantle the ranks of the students in order to join a possible war with the two neighboring kingdoms.
“With all due respect, Sir!” a teenage boy raised his hand as he looked at William with a serious expression. “I don’t think that forming an unauthorized organization is allowed within the Hellan Royal Academy. We might get suspended by the Dean if he finds out about this.”
Some of the nobles nodded their heads in agreement. This meeting that they were currently having was a private one and no instructors were present. It was as if William was planning to stage a Coup d’état and take over the entire academy. If anyone were to find out about this action, all of them might get punished.
“Yes, what you say is true.” William nodded his head. “That is why I won’t force any of you to join. If any of you don’t want to participate in this undertaking, feel free to leave this hall right now. Don’t worry, I promise that I won’t do anything to harm any of you who chose not to be part of my Order.”
The students glanced at each other, but none of them moved from their spot. After following William’s strict training regimen, they noticed significant changes in their martial prowess. Although they were afraid that they might get in trouble for forming a secret order inside the school, William’s charisma had won them over.
Even so, they didn’t say anything and stayed where they stood. Some of them had a nagging feeling that if they really left the room right now, they would regret it for the rest of their life.
Kenneth and the other officers were shocked by William’s sudden declaration because they were not told anything beforehand. They knew how serious this undertaking was and they were wondering if the red-headed boy was really serious or just joking around.
William was surprised when nobody left the hall. He was expecting that at least half of the students would leave. Seeing that nobody was planning to go, he decided to proceed with his speech.
“So, none of you want to leave?” William asked. “Since this is the case, I want all of you to sign a contract and you will sign it with your blood. This is your last chance to back out. Once you sign the contract, I will do everything in my power to make all of you strong. However, you are duty bound to stand by my side. Whether we are going to face a mountain of fire or a sea of knives, none of you are allowed to retreat.”
“Think carefully and think well. I’ll give you all exactly ten minutes to decide.” William placed his hands behind his back as he waited for the ten minutes to end.
He was not afraid even if the Academy Dean found out about his plan or not. His grandpa had already made the necessary arrangements when he gave the letter to his Uncle Mordred.
The die has been cast and whether the King approved it or not, was up to him to decide.
