ALL NOVEL Chapter 18
Chapter 18: The Crisis at Wanku Fortress
It can’t be wrong; it must be legendary.
Indeed, such exquisite archery skills can only belong to one person in the kingdom, and that young woman with red short hair.
Panting in rapid breaths, the young officer, still shaken, got up to halt the army rushing to protect him. He took off his feathered helmet and removed the arrow embedded within it, along with the two pieces of identification attached.
What astonished him was that despite just enduring such a violent collision, the fragile parchment remained intact, seemingly the fiery flower that bloomed before was not to enhance power, but to protect the contents inside.
What a show of force.
He unfolded the parchment and read it carefully, confirming the seal at the bottom before examining the badge. The young officer appeared to breathe a sigh of relief.
If it weren’t for the circumstances, he wouldn’t want to engage in such a thankless task. If Princess Liliya held a grudge, he’d surely have a rough time ahead…
“It really is your Highness, Princess! Open the gates!”
With a command from the young officer, the heavy east gate slowly swung open under the internal mechanics’ push, and the massive drawbridge was lowered, allowing Liliya’s troops passage.
“Let’s go; we’ll talk more once inside the city.”
Liliya didn’t rush to reclaim the decree or badge. After nodding to the two women behind her, she turned around and returned to the carriage.
A princess must maintain her demeanor, and particularly as the newly appointed commander of the western army facing such unusual circumstances, she needed to put up a proper front to stabilize the troops’ morale.
After some twists and turns, the Imperial Guards led by Liliya finally entered Wanku Fortress, and the captives were taken away and imprisoned. The young officer guided them ahead, leading the princess and a small contingent of bodyguards to the general’s residence in the city center.
“Your Highness, I have wronged you previously; I hope you can forgive me.”
Perhaps confirming Princess Liliya’s identity, or being spooked by that arrow of Hua’s, the young officer in white armor became notably more polite, and upon entering the residence, he quickly knelt on one knee to apologize and seek her forgiveness, his attitude extremely humble.
“That’s enough; it was your duty. Let’s skip the past. Can you now tell me what has happened in Wanku Fortress? Where is General Layton?”
It was quite strange; as the Grand Marshal of the western region and Liliya’s future top subordinate, Layton should have been aware of her itinerary and prepared to welcome her in advance.
But even now that the princess had arrived in the city and gone to the general’s residence, he hadn’t shown up at all. Wasn’t this a bit over the top?
For such an incident to occur, it meant either the old marshal Layton harbored treasonous intentions and deliberately slighted Liliya, or… something had happened to him.
Recalling the earlier scene at the east gate and the young officer’s subtly worried expression, a bad premonition struck Liliya.
“Your Highness, please don’t be upset. The situation is…”
…
“What! General Layton is seriously ill and hasn’t been out of bed for nearly half a month!? Why hasn’t the capital received such urgent intelligence? What in the world are you all doing?!”
Liliya glared fiercely, almost ready to flip the table in front of her.
Are you kidding? Layton is the core leader of over 300,000 regular troops in the western army, along with the city garrison forces and countless small militia units, with the potential to mobilize nearly a million troops in extreme situations. And just like that, he falls ill, and there’s absolutely no news?!
Moreover, as Layton comprehends the layout of the western front better than anyone, Liliya’s ability to swiftly command the situation almost hinged on his presence.
“This was the marshal’s decision; he said with the autumn war approaching and the beasts stirring, if news of his illness were to spread at this time, what was merely routine plunder would escalate; that Beast Emperor might take the chance to expand into an all-out war between the two races. The consequences would be unimaginable…”
“So you chose to conceal it!? ”
Bam! Liliya slammed the table in anger, and Vilyric felt like today wasn’t her day; perhaps it was too much pressure or something else…
By the way, from eavesdropping on the conversation earlier, Vilyric learned that this young officer in white armor was actually Layton’s son, Rekter, being groomed as his successor. With Layton suddenly incapacitated, he had to shoulder the weight of Wanku Fortress prematurely.
“Huh? No?”
Rekter had a puzzled expression, “By the way, I’ve been curious since earlier, didn’t we send spies with the real intel to the higher-ups in the capital, informing them of the marshal’s critical condition? Otherwise, why would such an annual routine war suddenly need someone from above to oversee the situation? Didn’t the princess receive any news?”
“Tsk…”
Liliya grimaced in silence for a moment, gritting her teeth tightly: “I see… So that’s it…”
“No wonder it all reeks of conspiracy from start to finish… My dear brothers, you really know how to play it, hiding such an important matter from me! To ensure my downfall, you went through such trouble, huh, haha…”
Upon hearing this, Vilyric understood everything.
Firstly, the western region genuinely needed support, for the pillar that sustained it was already swaying. With or without Layton, defending the western front was a completely different matter.
Those princes must have been aware of the situation in advance and deliberately concealed it from Liliya, sending the talented and most threatening one here to face death.
But it’s a little strange. Were they not worried that if Liliya truly lost a battle and Wanku Fortress fell, the beastmen would storm in? Without Layton as a backup, such a thing was entirely possible. Were those princes so audacious?
Or did they simply want to eliminate Liliya, even at the risk of losing territory? Was this little princess truly that much of a threat?
“Where is General Layton? Take me to see him!” After her fit of anger, the princess immediately realized the key issue.
“This… Your status is noble, of course, that’s fine. But for these two…”
Rekter scratched his head awkwardly, glancing at Hua and Vilyric behind Liliya, hesitating to speak.
“It’s fine; they’re my trusted aides, there’s no problem. Besides, didn’t we just hear the news? What’s the point in being hung up over this now?”
“Uh, then alright, please follow me.”
Rekter led Liliya and the others through the general’s residence, moving as if following a specific pattern, until they arrived at an inconspicuous stone house where few people ventured. Two seasoned warriors clad in the Imperial Guards’ attire stood watch at the door.
These two weren’t too shabby; while they couldn’t compare to Hua, they were certainly above Rekter in strength, likely sky-level warriors. It seemed Layton was indeed inside.
“Young General, who are these women?”
The guards appeared to be of the quiet type, and one even reached out to stop Rekter with a vigilant look at the three women. It seemed that even with Rekter leading, they couldn’t fully lower their guard.
“They are noble visitors from the capital; their identities have been verified.”
Upon hearing Rekter, the two warriors exchanged glances and showed no further reaction; they just nodded and stood aside silently.
“Please, your Highness.”
Rekter seemed accustomed to this, apologizing with a smile towards Liliya, then pushed the door open and entered the unremarkable stone house, with Liliya and the others following behind.
As soon as they stepped inside, a potent smell of herbs mingled with a decaying stench hit them hard. The pampered princess couldn’t help but cover her nose, but after a moment, perhaps realizing it was inappropriate, she forced herself to lower her hand again, appearing a bit awkward.
As for Vilyric and Hua, the former, being a Special Race, could withstand harsh conditions with ease, and the latter, as a seasoned adventurer shaped by countless life-or-death challenges, showed little reaction amidst such small troubles.
“Father, how are you feeling?”
Rekter rushed to the bed where an old man lay, checking his pulse and attentively observing his complexion. Although he didn’t voice it, it was clear that this young man was quite worried about his father’s health.
“You are General Layton? Oh heavens, how did it come to this?”
The princess’s shocked exclamation echoed in the room.