Chapter 93. The Silver Oakleaf Kingdom’s Unusual Movents
For William, however, the most important developnt over the past few years was that the two forces he had built with his own hands had finally taken shape.
From the slaves selected out of the Slave Manor, he had ford the Heart of Steel Knight Order.
From the talents he had unearthed in the Commoner Manor, he had ford the Hand of Courage Knight Order.
After years of harsh training and heavy investnt of resources, every mber of the two Knight Orders had reached the level of a Silver Knight or a Silver Mage, and more than a dozen among them had even broken through to Gold-Rank Combat Power.
They wore specially made armor forged by Dwarves, their cuirasses engraved with defensive and strength-enhancing magic arrays. Under the sunlight, the armor shone with a cold tallic gleam. Their ranks were perfectly ordered, and their bearing did not lose out in the slightest to the old established Royal Knight Orders.
A'gu had beco the commander of the Heart of Steel Knight Order, while Aila had beco the commander of the Hand of Courage Knight Order.
Both of them had already reached Peak Gold Rank. Their conduct was steady and seasoned, and they had long since shed the rawness they had shown when William had first t them.
On this day, William stood on the Training Grounds, watching the two Knight Orders conduct a live combat exercise against one another.
The Heart of Steel’s assault ca like a violent storm, while the Hand of Courage’s defense stood firm as bedrock. The clashes between Gold-Rank Combatants made the air tremble again and again.
Darwin lay on an open patch of ground not far away, idly flicking his tail in boredom. From ti to ti, he spat out a puff of dragon breath to set the nearby weeds ablaze.
“These little fellows do look a lot more decent than they did a few years ago, but compared to dragon hatchlings, they are still lacking a bit of strength.”
William smiled but said nothing.
He knew that these two Knight Orders still might not compare to the kingdom’s most elite forces.
But they were power that belonged entirely to him. They were people who had clawed their way up out of the mud step by step, and after years of uninterrupted indoctrination, their loyalty to him far surpassed that of those noble armies that had served the Royal Family for generations.
At that mont, a figure ca racing over from the direction of the royal palace, Dou Qi drawing a bright streak through the sunlight.
Zoe landed steadily beside William. There was still a trace of dust on her armor, making it clear that she had hurried here without pause.
She had already broken through to beco a Sky Knight. Her aura was steady and refined, and she bowed to William in salute.
“Your Highness, His Majesty requests that you enter the palace at once. He says he has an important matter to discuss with you.”
“Father King is looking for ?”
William raised a brow, and a thought flashed through his mind.
“Could it be that he is finally ready to move against the Kadiya Kingdom?”
He turned and called out to Jess, who was not far away. “Keep an eye on the rest of the exercise. Report the results to when it ends.”
Jess was currently holding a roster and recording sothing. At William’s words, he imdiately bowed. “Yes, Your Highness.”
Silver-Rank Mana rose around William. With a flicker, he landed atop Darwin’s broad back.
“Let’s go. Back to the palace.”
Darwin gave a lazy yawn, but his massive body shot into the air in an instant, the gust he stirred up making the flags on the Training Grounds snap loudly in the wind.
What drew notice was that not far behind him, a young man wrapped in black robes followed soundlessly, his steps so light that he seed like a gust of wind himself.
Zoe looked up at the retreating figure of the black-robed youth, then quickly glanced toward the edge of the Training Grounds.
There, her father stood beneath the shadow of a tree, giving her a slight nod.
She did not hesitate again. The Dou Qi of a Sky Knight flared once more, turning into a streak of light as she followed behind Darwin toward the royal palace.
From the dragon’s back, William looked down and saw that the black-robed youth maintained a asured distance the entire ti, his robe fluttering in the wind. William smiled and paid him no further mind.
Before long, the outline of the royal palace was already close at hand.
Darwin slowed down, circled once above the palace plaza, and landed steadily.
William flipped down from the dragon’s back and saw that Kroll II’s personal attendant was already waiting on the plaza. The man ca forward to receive him, his expression grave.
“Your Highness, His Majesty is waiting for you in the Royal Study. He says it concerns... unusual movents on the Western Frontier.”
William’s heart tightened. So it was not the matter of the Kadiya Kingdom after all.
He murmured a few words to Darwin and told him to wait in the plaza, then followed the attendant toward the Royal Study. Zoe and the black-robed youth, anwhile, wordlessly took up positions outside the hall.
The door to the Royal Study was half open. From within ca Kroll II’s low voice, as though he were arguing with soone.
When William pushed the door open and stepped inside, he saw the three Dukes standing before the desk, all of them looking rather grim, while Kroll II held a secret report in his hand, his knuckles pale from the force of his grip.
“You are here.” Kroll II raised his eyes to look at him, and there was a trace of fatigue in his voice that was hard to detect. “Read this.”
The handwriting on the secret report was rough and hurried, obviously sent under urgent circumstances.
Under the na of “joint military exercises,” the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom had massed one hundred and thirty thousand troops along the border of the Western Frontier, and the delegation led by the First Prince had yet to return from the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom.
William’s fingertip traced the place nas on the report, and his eyes slowly darkened.
“Father King, has the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom given any explanation?”
Kroll II shook his head. “At present, the Silver Oakleaf Kingdom has offered no explanation at all.”
After hearing that, William looked toward the three Dukes. Over these past years, the three of them had exhausted every possible ans to get him out of the Royal Capital.
So was that what the argunt just now had been about? Did the three Dukes want his Ninth Legion sent to support the Western Frontier?
Sure enough, Duke Carden stepped forward and bowed.
“Your Majesty, at present, one hundred and thirty thousand enemy troops are pressing against the Western Frontier. The Fifth, Seventh, and Eighth Legions, together with four Legions ford by the nobility, are already confronting the enemy on the front line, but their strength is still insufficient.”
“The only forces near the Royal Capital that can be mobilized at once are the Royal First Legion and the Ninth Legion.”
“The First Legion must remain to defend the Royal Capital and absolutely cannot be moved. Therefore, we can only trouble His Highness the Fourth Prince to lead the Ninth Legion in rushing to support the Western Frontier.”
He paused, then added, “Furthermore, I have already ordered three newly reorganized noble Legions to assemble outside the city. Though their combat power is sowhat lacking, they can still serve as auxiliary forces.”
“If they can be placed under the Fourth Prince’s command, they will surely provide considerable assistance to the Ninth Legion.”
Kroll II waved a hand, his tone carrying a decision that allowed no argunt.
“There is no need to say more. William’s Ninth Legion will remain in the Royal Capital. It is not to be moved.”
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