Starting as a Prince, I Don’t Even Know How I Could Lose Chapter 135 : Chapter 135

Chapter 135. Ti Flies, A Conversation with Kroll II

However, over the next three days, the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom, the Reinhardt Kingdom, and the barbarian and orc forces all failed to send the Domain-Level Powerhouses they had promised.

Only the neighboring Dwarf Kingdom sent two Dwarf Domain-Level Powerhouses. The Kadiya Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom each sent only one, and with one from the Kroll Kingdom, there were only five in total.

When William learned of this, he felt deeply helpless. For a mont, he did not know whether to call them clever or foolish.

anwhile, deep within the mines of Magic Serpent Fortress, two Domain-level Hydras were continuously breeding young serpents.

The mountain of corpses provided them with more than enough nourishnt, making the entire scene especially sinister and horrifying.

As for Iron Skull Fortress, after the two dwarves learned that the other foreign races had failed to honor their agreent and co, they flew into a rage. After cursing furiously for a while, they left in indignation.

Ancestor Fenlilan did not try to stop them.

A few days later, the Domain-Level Powerhouses from the Kadiya Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom also departed one after another.

Ancestor Fenlilan then summoned William into his room.

“Little William, I will be leaving tomorrow as well. Here.”

William looked at the pendant in front of him, which was bigger than his own face. Seeing that the inside of it was empty, he could not help showing a puzzled expression.

The Ancestor gave an awkward laugh and explained, “Put the Grand Elder’s Dragon Scale inside it, then wear it on your body.”

“The pendant carries the aura of Dragon Island’s Grand Elder. The Hydra clan will not dare approach you. Stay stationed here and wait for the royal family mbers to grow strong enough...”

Hearing that, William imdiately understood Ancestor Fenlilan’s intentions.

Since the various kingdoms were unwilling to unite, there was nothing else to be done. For now, this was the only option.

Over the next several years, the number of Hydras multiplied at a terrifying speed, leaving devastation and death everywhere they passed.

Whether birds and beasts or human villages, as long as it was a living thing capable of movent, none could escape the fate of being devoured.

The forr Magic Serpent Fortress had long since ceased to exist, having been completely transford into a nest by the endless masses of serpents.

The entrance to the mine was permanently occupied by countless Hydras. Saliva dripped from their fangs, corroding deep pits into the rock. From afar, it looked like a giant maw waiting to swallow people whole.

What was strange was that the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom was never once disturbed by the Hydras, as though it were protected by so invisible barrier. Within its borders, a false peace was still maintained.

The other kingdoms, however, had sunk into living hell.

Nine out of ten border towns in the Dragon Kingdom stood empty.

Kadiya’s fertile fields had been trampled into scorched earth by the serpents.

The dwarves’ mountain fortresses had been forcibly tunneled through with countless passages, and even the mines buried deep underground had beco hunting grounds for the Hydras.

What made these magical beasts the hardest to guard against was their burrowing ability.

They could pass silently beneath the foundations of fortresses, bypass the defenses of magic arrays, and strike directly at the villages and towns in the rear.

Every raid was as swift as lightning. After stripping an area of both people and livestock, they would return to their nest with mouths full of blood, clearly having turned those three nations into inexhaustible granaries.

On the walls of Iron Skull Fortress, William stood day after day atop the tower, looking toward the distant horizon shrouded in smoke.

The years slipped by quietly during his steadfast defense of Iron Skull Fortress.

William had long since shed the youthful immaturity of childhood and grown into a handso young man with a tall, upright figure. Between his brows rested a composure utterly out of place with his age.

His Coming of Age was also held within the fortress, and for once, it brought a rare burst of liveliness to Iron Skull Fortress.

After the banquet ended, William and his Father King spoke for a long ti in the Study, and he finally ca to understand the situation within the Royal Family Secret Realm.

By now, the royal family had developed three Gold Legions and one Sky Knight Order.

That young man with Demigod Aptitude had advanced to the Domain level not long ago. It really was the sort of talent Heaven fed with its own hands—there was no denying it. William himself was still only at the Gold Rank.

Kroll II’s voice carried unquestionable solemnity as he patted William on the shoulder.

“It will not be long before you can co back.”

Expectation shone in his eyes.

“When you return, I will pass the throne to you. I will take your mother and enter the Royal Family Secret Realm to enjoy our lives. You have endured enough tempering over these years. From now on, it will be your turn to spread your wings.”

“Father King...” William’s throat moved. He had wanted to say, “You can still rule for a few more years,” but Kroll II cut him off.

“That is enough.”

Kroll II smiled and ruffled his hair with the sa familiar affection he had used when William was a child.

“When I took the throne, I was two years younger than you are now. After all these years in the fortress, your temperant has been polished enough. I can entrust the throne to you without worry.”

Kroll II then took out a dark-patterned token from his robes and gently set it on the desk.

“This is the token of the Shadow Guard. Starting today, they are under your command as well.”

The token felt icy cold to the touch. Interwoven serpent patterns were carved into it, marking it as the symbol of the royal family’s most secretive force.

“You can also make direct use of the Shadow Guard’s intelligence channels. Whether you are in the fortress or the Royal Capital in the future, you will always need a pair of eyes to watch the darkness for you.”

When William looked up, he t Kroll II’s gentle gaze. He said nothing more in refusal and solemnly put the token away in his robes.

Father and son continued speaking in the Study for a long ti, from the details of border defense to the undercurrents surging through the Royal Capital, from the habits of the Hydras to the true strength and weakness of the various kingdoms, until the candles had burned down their final inch of wick and the sky outside began to pale with dawn. Only then did Kroll II rise and take his leave.

At first light, the gates of Iron Skull Fortress slowly opened.

Kroll II led the royal family mbers and accompanying nobles into their carriages, and the long procession wound through the morning light like a great serpent.

For this personal visit to the fortress, he had overruled the objections of his court officials, who had advised that “the fortress is too dangerous, and Your Majesty should not go in person.” Under normal custom, sending a few princes to attend the ceremony would already have been the limit.

William stood atop the battlents, watching as the convoy gradually drove away.

The armor of the iron-armored guards shone with a cold gleam beneath the morning light. Through the gaps in the carriage curtains, familiar faces occasionally flashed into view—among them was Zoe, leaning against the window and waving at him.

Only after the procession turned behind the mountain bend and vanished completely from sight did he slowly withdraw his gaze, his fingertips absently rubbing the Shadow Guard token.

The days that followed passed as they always had.

Yet half a month later, deep in the middle of the night, a secret report from the Shadow Guard arrived without warning.

The slip of paper hidden inside the secret compartnt contained only a few short lines.

“The Domain-Level Powerhouses of the Dragon Kingdom, Kadiya Kingdom, and Dwarf Kingdom have gathered at Blackrock Canyon, nine in total. They will launch a surprise attack on Magic Serpent Fortress in three days.”

Holding the note, William walked to the map and pressed his finger heavily onto the location marked “Blackrock Canyon.”

It lay less than a hundred li from Magic Serpent Fortress, the unavoidable route into the serpent nest.

Nine Domains... It looked impressive, but compared to the unknown power the Hydras had bred over these past years in those lightless mines, it was still like a stone cast into the abyss.

“Pass down my order,” he said softly to the Shadow Guard in the room. “Keep a close watch on every movent in Blackrock Canyon. The mont anything changes, report back imdiately.”