“Benzen has betrayed us!”
“Are they siding with the Khalodians?”
“How dare…”
“This is outrageous!”
“We must act now!”
“Report says thirty thousand men have crossed the border.”
“Katzback Kingdom is also sending twenty thousand men in defense of Khalodian. They’re demanding we send a formal apology to the Khalodian and…”
Nobles were infuriated by the news of neighboring countries siding with the enemy. But they were also shocked and scared by the unexpected turn of events.
‘Idiots… Khalodian is the food storage of the continent. We have no allies with our war against Khalodian. You all should’ve known…’
These aristocrats were once noble and loyal to the kingdom, working hard for their own country. But as they lost their youth, they were now greedy and stubborn, not accepting the reality of the situation.
‘We have fallen into our own trap.’
Khalodian was, in fact, part of the Torian Kingdom. It did not need to be greedy against its own land. But it was too late.
“Reporting! Dentrion Kingdom has sent fifty thousand troops over the border!”
“Reporting! Galian Kingdom has declared war! Twenty thousand troops have appeared at our border, attacking the outlying castles! They are requesting reinforcements!”
All nobles became pale as more and more messages arrived. There was no way they could send reinforcements. They turned to the marquis who was the most powerful figure among the kingdom’s aristocrats with over two hundred thousand soldiers at his disposal. He sent one hundred thousand against Khalodian, but he still had more. But Marquis Atua’s face was grim with no words coming from his mouth.
“It’s over…”
“He was too greedy!”
Nobles began mumbling to themselves coldly as they watched Atua’s face turn pale.
“Your Majesty, I will now return to my land and…”
“I am returning to defend my own…”
They began leaving the hall where they all gathered for war efforts. Soon, not many were left in the hall.
‘Is this a chance?’
Baron Jenobi glanced around. Atua was now speaking with the king quietly.
‘This kingdom is failing… will it be Khalodian?’
He turned out to the window, thinking of the man, Brant Khalodian. He was a brave man, strong and persistent. He was good at protecting his own land, but nothing more. Yet it had changed. After he gained two specific people, his land began to prosper. The land now had several cities that rivaled the grandeur of the capital of the kingdom.
‘White road…’
Since all the merchants and food deliveries were being made from the land, the road connected to the land was now called the ‘White Road.’
‘Toria is finished. I must leave this sinking boat now.’
Jenobi made up his mind. It was sure that he would be considered a traitor, but he needed to take a chance.
‘I will take all the nobles on my side. I heard Khalodian was welcoming all people.’
Jenobi knew a lot of nobles in Toria who had weak families to back them up. He came out of the castle and looked back. The castle was covered in darkness, just like the kingdom it represented.
*
Thousands of men struck their own steel shields with their spears. It was a bizarre sight.
“What is that? Are those really spearmen?”
Viscount Kalessi Norman gasped as he watched. It was apparent that he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Two thousand spearmen fully equipped with steel armor and shields stood before him with a huge flag over them with pictures the Guardian wolf.
‘Steel armored spearmen… It is not possible!’
He heard that Khalodian acquired a mine, but having thousands of men equipped in full body armor seemed impossible. It was also because the cost of making of the armor was so high that only knights were able to acquire them. But these spearmen were no knights.
“How much did they spend?”
“This is a waste of money!”
“Outrageous!”
Nobles and knights alike watched in disbelief. They were wearing ragged robes, and they did so to protect themselves from being targeted by mysterious assassins that the enemy was using. It proved to be useful, so they were now eager to fight back. But the sight of such a grand army made them feel defeated once again before they even started fighting.
