Ch. 48
Chapter 48. Kroll II’s Guidance
As the fluctuations of mana gradually subsided like a receding tide, a cool female voice rang out through the smoke and dust.
“The Crawlers have been exterminated. Come out.”
William froze for a moment when he heard it. The voice felt strangely familiar, as though he had heard it somewhere before.
Prince Kande no longer hesitated. He led the Vanguard Battalion out of the narrow pass first, while Marquis Peter followed close behind, organizing the soldiers to withdraw in an orderly manner.
William was arranged to leave last. The moment he stepped out of the pass, a thick scorched stench rushed straight into his nose, mixed with the Crawlers’ distinctive foul odor, making his stomach churn.
He clenched his teeth tightly before he managed to suppress the nausea.
Looking up, he saw utter devastation throughout the canyon.
The charred corpses of Crawlers were piled up like mountains. Blackened remains and unextinguished sparks covered the ground.
The soldiers stepped over heaps of corpses as they moved outward. Their boots crushed the brittle, burnt shells beneath them, producing a series of faint cracking sounds.
In midair, a figure floated quietly.
It was none other than the Legendary Archmage Irene.
A faint halo of fire elements surrounded her body. Her white robe remained spotless despite the smoke and ash, and her calm gaze swept across the people below.
“Greetings, Archmage Irene.”
Prince Kande bowed first, and the other soldiers followed suit. The sounds of clashing armor rose one after another in the empty canyon.
Irene gave a slight nod, but then her gaze suddenly fell upon William at the back of the crowd.
She lifted her fair hand lightly, and a gentle yet irresistible surge of mana wrapped around William. His body rose into the air against his will.
“Your Highness,”
Irene looked down at Prince Kande, her voice still as cool as ever.
“By His Majesty’s order, the Royal Ninth Legion is to return to the Secret Realm Entrance at once to rest and reorganize.”
“As for Prince William, I must take him away first.”
Prince Kande was momentarily stunned and had just opened his mouth to ask when Irene, together with William—who still seemed to want to say something—turned into a streak of light and instantly vanished into the horizon.
William only felt the wind howling past his ears as the scenery before his eyes rushed backward at incredible speed. He instinctively tried to struggle, but that force of mana held him firmly in place.
Only when the wind gradually died down did a familiar training ground appear beneath his feet.
They had already arrived at the Secret Realm Entrance.
Irene released him, and William landed steadily on the ground. He looked up at her, a trace of urgency in his voice.
“Archmage Irene, did Father send you specifically to fetch me because something important has happened?”
A rare faint smile rippled across Irene’s face, softening her cool and elegant features.
“There is no need for Your Highness to be anxious. After His Majesty learned that something unexpected had occurred within the Secret Realm, he ordered the three of us Legendary Archmages to come provide support.”
“As for why he wanted you brought back separately, he did not explain. Still, I do not think it will be anything bad.”
“You need only go to the main tent, and you will know.”
William nodded. Though doubts remained in his heart, he suppressed them for the time being.
He cupped his hands toward Irene in farewell, then turned and walked toward the main tent.
As he went, the soldiers along the way all stopped in their tracks and raised their hands in salute. Their eyes were filled with reverence and admiration.
William acknowledged them one by one with slight nods, never slowing his pace.
Before long, he arrived outside the main tent. When the royal guards outside saw that it was him, they respectfully lifted the curtain for him.
William took a deep breath, straightened the robe stained with traces of blood, steadied himself, and stepped inside.
The tent was brightly lit. A faint scent of ink hung in the air. A middle-aged man in a black royal robe stood before a sand table with his back to him, holding a slender rod as though deducing something from the battlefield layout.
Hearing the footsteps, the man slowly turned around.
It was the King of the Kroll Kingdom—William’s father.
“Father.”
William bowed.
The King’s gaze fell upon William’s bloodstained battle robe. His brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed again.
“It is good that you returned safely.”
He set the feather pen onto a gilded pen rest, his fingertips lightly tapping against the table.
“I already know what happened in the canyon.”
“I did not expect those Crawlers to understand how to split their forces and encircle us. More than half of the three legions were lost. That was my miscalculation.”
He sighed, and his tone grew heavier.
“Let us not speak of such dispiriting matters.”
“William, you have personally experienced the danger of this battle within the Secret Realm. There is no need for you to keep pressing deeper inside. Starting tomorrow, you will return to the main city.”
William froze for a moment and was just about to speak when the King raised a hand to stop him.
“Those slaves of yours should be properly trained.”
“On this continent, the combat strength of one’s private troops is more dependable than anything else.”
“And as for yourself, your cultivation must not slacken. If not for that sword today, and if Irene had not arrived in time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
“Remember this—only your own strength is the true foundation upon which you can survive and establish yourself.”
The King’s voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
William looked at the new strands of white hair at his father’s temples and thought of the soldiers who had died in the canyon. In the end, he nodded.
“This son understands. Thank you, Father, for your guidance.”
“Mm.”
The King nodded and lowered his gaze back to the military intelligence report on the table.
“You may go and rest. Set out early tomorrow morning.”
William bowed once more, then turned and left the main tent.