novelzi Chapter 166 : Chapter 166
Chapter 166 : Chapter 166
The royal capital, the center of the Plank Kingdom.A heavy tension flowed through the royal capital after the King led the army and departed. It was because the ‘war,’ which until now had only been a rumor, had officially begun.
Most citizens did not believe their great King would be defeated. He was a King who had created such a formidable army, so some were already confident of an early victory.
However, a significant number of people were inevitably worried. The reasons for their worries were both natural and varied. From concerns about what would happen to the kingdom if the King was defeated— to the families of the knights and soldiers who had marched out with the King worrying about their safety.
But it was not just the citizens of the royal capital who held such worries. The officials and servants working within the royal castle were the same.
“……”
Head Maid Elly.
She stood in the royal castle hallway, gazing endlessly out the window.
‘Is His Majesty… going to be okay.’
Leonardo had made a clear promise. That he would absolutely not get hurt or die. When she heard that vow, Elly’s heart pounded without her realizing it. The sight of the man she admired showing such strong conviction… what woman in the world could not be thrilled?
‘So, at first, I was fine. But as time went on…’
Squeeze—.
Elly gripped the area around her chest tightly. It hurt a little. But if she did not do this, she felt she could not release the suffocating feeling of worry for Leonardo.
‘If only I could hear some news—.’
Just as Elly was thinking that.
“He, Head Maid-nim!”
A maid shouted from the other end of the hallway as she rushed over.
Shouting in the hallway? It was an act a maid should never display.
‘…Do I have to gather everyone for another training session?’
She was already feeling suffocated and annoyed, and now even her subordinate was behaving like this. As the Head Maid, Elly could not help but be angry.
However, at the maid’s next words, Elly completely forgot about scolding her.
“Th, they’ve returned! The army that marched out has returned!”
“What?!”
Even Elly’s voice grew loud.
“They’ve returned?! What about His Majesty? Did he come with them? He isn't hurt anywhere, is he? Is he all right?!”
“Th, that is…!”
As the Head Maid grabbed her shoulders, shaking her and asking, the maid was flustered before answering calmly.
“I only heard that the army has entered the royal capital. I don’t know the details either…. He, Head Maid-nim?”
As soon as she heard the maid say she did not know the King’s situation.
Elly immediately started running down the hallway, even lifting the skirt that hindered her running high with both hands. For Elly, this was no time to worry about things like the shame of her bare skin showing or her dignity.
‘Please… please let His Majesty be safe…!’
In front of the royal castle gate.
Elly, sweating and barefoot, looked at the main road. She had even lost her shoes while running in a hurry.
‘If His Majesty has returned, he will surely come this way.’
“Haah… haah….”
Elly gasped for breath, her face smeared with sweat and hair. Her clothes were also very disheveled, with glimpses of bare skin showing.
A few soldiers stood guard awkwardly near such an Elly. It was truly awkward to see the disheveled appearance of the Head Maid, who was secretly known as the ‘King’s woman.’
This was even more so as the Head Maid, whose beauty was at its peak, was blushing red.
It was then.
—Waaaaaaah…!
—Long live His Majesty Leonardo…!
—Long live the Kingdom’s army…!
—Plank Kingdom! Forever…!
From the other side of the main road, where people were gathered, cheers could be heard.
Everyone’s voice was joyful. At those voices, Elly felt a warmth spread inside her chest.
‘Did His Majesty really return? And the reason people are shouting like that must be because they won, right?!’
Tat-tat-tatat—!
Elly, without realizing it, ran again toward the source of the sound. Her bare feet were hurt and cut, but Elly did not care about such things.
Soon, the returning army came into Elly’s sight.
However.
‘His Majesty… isn’t here?’
As Elly stood blankly, alone on the main road, blocking the path of the returning kingdom’s army.
The knight at the very front recognized Elly and hurriedly dismounted his horse. The knight approached Elly.
“What brings the Head Maid all the way here? And why is your attire—.”
“His Majesty?! Where is His Majesty?!”
“Ah, His Majesty is….”
The knight’s words trailed off as he calmly answered again.
“His Majesty has gone to the southern fortress of the Monster Mountains.”
“…The southern fortress? W, why there? Then what is this army that has returned now?”
“Those who have returned now are the wounded and the fallen. His Majesty achieved an overwhelming victory on the Ness Plains and then went to support the southern fortress.”
“……”
“His Majesty was more active than anyone else on the battlefield. And he wasn’t injured in the slightest, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
At the knight’s words, ‘you don’t have to worry.’
Elly lost a bit of her composure.
“…What do you mean I don’t need to worry! His Majesty… His Majesty is again—!”
Just as Elly was speaking.
“Head Maid, please calm down.”
A calm voice was heard from behind. It was Olivia’s voice.
Click-clack—.
Olivia approached Elly with the sound of her heels. Then, she covered Elly’s exposed body with a thin, soft cloth she had brought and placed a pair of comfortable shoes in front of her.
“Head Maid-nim. These people are the wounded. There may be some who need immediate treatment, so you shouldn't block their path like this.”
“…Unni.”
“And look at that knight’s eyes. Don’t you feel the trust? The trust in His Majesty?”
At Olivia’s words, Elly regained some of her senses and looked at the knight’s eyes.
Although the knight was dirty with the dust and blood of the battlefield, his eyes were alive. It was just as Olivia had said.
And in the knight’s eyes, there was a strong confidence that could be felt without words.
Trust in the King—that kind of confidence.
‘…It’s not just this knight.’
The wounded soldiers behind him were looking at her. They were the same. Although they were injured and their bodies were not whole, everyone’s gaze was strong.
They all knew and believed. That this war, led by the great King, was already won, and that the King would never be hurt. The King had clearly shown such trust to the soldiers on the battlefield.
Elly bowed her head and spoke to the knight.
“…I’m sorry, I made a mistake.”
“Not at all, Head Maid-nim. Then, may we enter the royal castle? Everyone is tired from the long march.”
“Yes.”
Elly moved to the side of the road with Olivia. The knight then led the wounded into the royal castle again.
Olivia and Elly watched the long procession together. The wounded did not lose their smiles despite their physical discomfort. Most of the soldiers even gave a light nod to Elly and Olivia.
Watching that, Olivia spoke quietly in a voice only Elly could hear.
“Elly, please mobilize the maids to treat the wounded. His Majesty will be most grateful for that. If you need anything, tell me. I’ll help you.”
“…Yes.”
“And the fallen—.”
Olivia paused, then spoke again.
“I’ll take care of the support for the fallen. I have a rough idea of what His Majesty will do for them.”
While Olivia was speaking.
Piyooooo…….
A single griffon appeared far away in the sky. A griffon that was clearly larger and had a more formidable presence than the others.
It was the King, Leonardo’s griffon.
The griffon of the King who was said to have gone to the southern fortress.
The southern fortress of the Monster Mountains.
Originally, this place was filled with the thick scent of trees and greenery. In particular, the refreshing scent of the trees mixed with the fog was famous in this region.
However, after the war began, the scent of this place changed. To a stench mixed with the iron smell of blood, the smell of rotting corpses, and the smell of sweat and tears.
“……”
Jereuth looked out at the battlefield from atop the fortress wall. His face had become half its size compared to before the war began.
‘The enemy’s numbers have decreased significantly. Their morale has also dropped a lot. But…’
Jereuth slightly turned his gaze and scanned the long fortress. Soldiers were resting, leaning against the fortress walls. Everyone clearly looked exhausted.
‘The soldiers’ morale has also dropped a lot. Both physically and mentally.’
It was inevitable. How could morale remain high in the face of an enemy that relentlessly pushed forward no matter how much they were blocked?
Jereuth glanced at the crystal ball placed on the small table next to him and thought briefly.
‘If we didn't have this communication crystal ball, it would have been a much harder fight. Thanks to this crystal ball, I was able to know the situation of the fortress in real time. Without it, we would have surely allowed monsters to invade various parts of the fortress.’
If even a small number of monsters had succeeded in getting on top of the fortress. Then, twice as many soldiers might have died compared to now. It was indeed a magical tool containing the King’s wisdom. Truly amazing.
‘Even so… our forces have diminished greatly. We’ve also lost five griffon knights.’
The Griffon Knight Order was the kingdom’s greatest military asset. They were the elite, with only forty-two members. They were a precious asset that might not be trainable in the future.
Losing five of those griffon knights was truly fatal. Not just in terms of ‘military power,’ but also in terms of morale.
‘If things continue like this, it could become disadvantageous in many ways. Should I push it a bit and open the gates to fight in a counter-attack formation?’
Jereuth had had such a plan even before the war. A plan to open the gates and directly attack the monster army once the war situation stabilized to some extent.
‘We still have some food supplies, so I should feed the soldiers well tonight. And attack at dawn. If we attack with Barut, Grondar, and the Giants at the forefront, we should be able to break through their defense line in one go.’
He needed to think more about the detailed strategy, but for now, that was the basic plan. A formation where the Giants, whose bodies were both armor and weapons, charged at the front, supported by the knights and soldiers from behind.
‘It won’t be easy since the Giants are also quite injured and exhausted… but I should first consult with Barut. See how many Giants are available to march out.’
Just as Jereuth was thinking.
Piyooooooo—!
From far behind the fortress, the cry of a griffon was heard. Jereuth slightly frowned at it and turned towards the sound.
‘Who is riding a griffon without my permission?’
As the siege prolonged, not only the people but also the griffons were exhausted. So, Jereuth had strictly forbidden riding griffons unless it was during combat.
But someone had disobeyed that order.
—or so Jereuth thought.
But as he looked closely at the griffon flying from a distance, his thoughts changed.
‘Isn’t that… His Majesty’s griffon? And the ones coming behind it are Hagen and the other knights’ griffons?’
While Jereuth was so surprised.
—Uh…?
—I-is that His Majesty’s griffon?
—Ooh…?!
The soldiers who were resting on the fortress wall, clutching their spears. The knights who were forcing themselves to stand to show a strong front to the soldiers. The wounded who were receiving treatment below the fortress. The mages who were half-fainted from using magic, squeezing out not just their mana but also their life force. And the Giants and laborers who were repairing the fortress.
All of them, like Jereuth, looked at the griffon flying from behind the fortress.
Soon, the griffons flying from behind the fortress reached it. Their identities were, as everyone had expected, the King and the other Griffon Knight Order.
“…Your Majesty! What brings you here?!”
Jereuth hurriedly ran towards where Leonardo had landed. His voice was mixed with both gladness and bewilderment. The King coming for support was not part of the plan.
Leonardo took off his helmet and smiled lightly. He then nodded his head as a greeting.
“Yes, Commander. It’s been a while.”
“……!”
That small gesture and voice felt immense to Jereuth.
‘His Majesty… has become a man. He no longer has the feel of a boy.’
He did not know what Leonardo had experienced on the Ness Plains to change his atmosphere. But in any case, Jereuth was just glad. The King had experienced war and become a man, so how could he not be happy?
Leonardo smiled and spoke to Jereuth who was looking at him.
“The battle in the central region ended more easily than expected, so I came to help.”
“……”
“To end this war.”