Ch. 50
Chapter 50. Slackening Slaves, the Kadiya Kingdom Tears Up the Alliance
Inside the main tent, Kroll II listened to reports from his subordinates about William and Jessy’s actions, his fingers lightly tapping on the desk.
Soon his gaze returned to the battle report sent back from the Secret Realm, and his brows furrowed slightly.
The dense rows of casualty numbers on the report felt like countless needles piercing his chest, weighing heavily on his heart.
At dawn the next day, William boarded a carriage bound for the main city. Knights of the Palace Knights lined both sides as the horses’ hooves struck the stone road with steady rhythm.
He did not go to say farewell to Prince Kande or Marquis Peter. Having just endured a major battle, the two surely needed time to rest, and there was no reason to disturb them.
What he did not know was that on a slightly elevated slope outside the camp, Prince Kande and Marquis Peter were standing side by side, watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance.
The morning mist dampened their battle robes, yet neither of them seemed to notice.
“That boy is becoming more impressive by the day,” Marquis Peter remarked, his voice carrying a trace of satisfaction.
Prince Kande nodded, his gaze following the carriage until it vanished at the end of the road.
“His Majesty’s judgment is, in the end, accurate.”
Upon hearing this, Marquis Peter suddenly turned his head and stared at Prince Kande in disbelief. Realizing he might have said too much, Prince Kande waved his hand and left the spot.
Inside the carriage, William sat with his eyes closed in thought.
He recalled the number of soldiers he had specifically counted while visiting the Vanguard Battalion yesterday.
Of the more than two thousand soldiers originally assigned to the battalion, only nine hundred and twenty-two remained.
The number weighed heavily on his heart. Yet another thought soon eased his expression slightly.
Among the survivors, quite a few had already advanced to Bronze Rank knights, while only a handful remained at the Black Iron Realm.
“It seems this bloody battle, though brutal, has tempered them. With this kind of casualty ratio, it could even be considered worthwhile.”
William murmured softly.
His fingers tapped lightly against his knee as he began planning what he would do after returning to the main city.
How exactly should he train those slaves with Sky Aptitude?
The carriage rolled over small stones on the road, producing gentle bumps.
William lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out at the wasteland passing by outside.
Morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, staining the land in golden crimson—uncannily similar to the bloodstained battlefield from yesterday.
As he watched the sunlight tearing through the clouds, determination flashed in his eyes.
Unpolished jade cannot become a gem; a man cannot become capable without hardship. He understood that principle better than anyone.
He had already made up his mind.
Once he returned to the manor in the main city, he would train those slaves with all his strength and ensure they reached Bronze Rank as quickly as possible.
Once they met the standard, he would send them all into the Secret Realm battlefield.
Only the blood and fire of that place could truly temper real combat strength.
“Even if a few are lost, it does not matter.”
He muttered to himself, his fingers pressing faint marks into his knee.
“If people die, more can always be found.”
“But those who survive the battlefield will surely be iron bones capable of bearing great burdens.”
The carriage continued at an unhurried pace, finally arriving at the main city in the afternoon.
William raised his head and saw the plaque above the city gate bearing the three characters “Ningshuang City.” He paused slightly—apparently the city had been renamed.
The royal carriage passed through without obstruction as the guards stationed at the gate saluted one after another.
Instead of returning directly to the castle, William ordered the carriage to head toward the manor. He wanted to check the progress of Tos and the others in training the slaves.
Soon the carriage stopped before the manor.
The Palace Knights guarding the gate immediately bowed when they saw the Fourth Prince William.
William stepped inside. The moment he entered, he heard the rhythmic shouts of training coming from the Training Grounds.
Following the sound, he saw Tos leading a group of slaves through physical conditioning, their punches and kicks cutting through the air with force.
On the other side, several Palace Knights were patiently guiding slaves with magical aptitude to sense the elements. A faint glow of mana flickered in the air.
When Tos saw William arrive, he immediately halted the training and ran over to bow.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
William nodded and went straight to the point.
“Tos, how is the training progressing?”
“Reporting to Your Highness, only nine have advanced to Black Iron Realm knights so far. The rest are still strengthening their foundations and tempering their bodies,” Tos replied honestly.
William frowned and shook his head slightly.
“That is not right.”
After a brief pause, his tone grew heavier.
“These slaves all possess Sky Aptitude. In theory, more than nine should have broken through.”
After thinking for a moment, his gaze swept across the slaves who appeared somewhat lax in the training ground. He suddenly turned toward Tos, his eyes as sharp as blades.
“Tos, starting tomorrow, hold a martial competition once every month.”
“In each competition, the last twenty will be executed.”
Tos froze when he heard this. Instinctively he wanted to persuade William otherwise, but when he met William’s icy gaze, the words died in his throat. In the end, he bowed.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Some of the slaves at the edge of the field had faintly overheard the conversation. Many of their faces immediately turned pale, and their eyes filled with fear when they looked at William.
William, however, paid no attention.
He knew clearly that for slaves who had long been numb to life, only the threat of death could force out the ferocity buried in their bones.
Turning his gaze toward the center of the Training Grounds, he saw that the stone floor there had already been polished smooth by countless footsteps.
Sky Aptitude was rare, but without the ruthless determination to burn one’s bridges, it would ultimately be wasted.
What he wanted was not a flock of obedient sheep, but wolves capable of gnawing through hard bones on the battlefield.
“Continue the training.”
After saying this, William turned and left the Training Grounds.
Behind him, Tos’s commanding voice rang out again. This time, however, the slaves moved with a sense of urgency, no longer daring to slack off.
William walked around the manor for a while longer, checking the supplies in the storeroom as well as the slaves’ food and living conditions. After confirming that nothing had been overlooked, he took out the Cultivation Resources he had brought back in his Spatial Ring.
Various potions, armor, and scrolls were placed into the storeroom one by one and handed over to designated personnel for safekeeping.
Only after finishing all of this did he return to the castle.
Passing through familiar corridors, he arrived at his room. The air still carried a faint scent of cedar.
He took out a Meditation Potion glowing with a pale blue light from his storage pouch, pulled out the stopper, and drank it in one gulp.
The cool liquid slid down his throat and instantly transformed into a gentle energy flowing through his entire body. It dispelled his fatigue and cleared the fog from his mind.
William sat cross-legged on the cushioned bed, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.
His consciousness sank into the sea of awareness. The wandering magical elements around him seemed to be guided as they slowly gathered toward him, seeping through his pores and circulating along his meridians.
Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened.
Inside the room, only the faint sound of breathing remained.
Meanwhile, far to the west of Despair Fortress—
Duke Lane and Duke Carden had already set up an encirclement, preparing to wipe out the invading Barbarian tribes in one decisive strike.
But they had not expected the Barbarians to secretly reach an agreement with the Kadiya Kingdom.
Several Kadiya legions suddenly launched a surprise attack from the northern flank without any warning.
Like a sharp blade, they pierced straight into the weakest point of the Kroll Kingdom’s defensive line.
At that moment, Duke Lane and Duke Carden had been focused on gathering the remnants of the Barbarian forces. Caught completely off guard, the legion formations descended into chaos.
If not for the three accompanying Legendary Archmages who detected the disturbance in time and cast large-scale magic to construct a temporary barrier that delayed the advance of the Kadiya legions—
The thirteen legions and five Knight Orders might already have been surrounded and wiped out.
The two dukes reacted swiftly.
Without hesitation, they abandoned the encirclement plan and used the Knight Orders’ high mobility to tear open a breakthrough.
Fighting desperately, they gathered the scattered main forces of the legions and retreated while battling.
In the end, they withdrew and fortified themselves at Dante Fortress, north of Despair Fortress.
Although Dante Fortress was not as formidable as Despair Fortress, it was still a strategic stronghold that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Standing atop the fortress walls, Duke Lane looked at the distant Kadiya banners faintly visible on the plains. His expression was as heavy as iron.
“The Kadiya people actually dared to tear up the alliance and collude with the Barbarians… They are trying to ignite a full-scale war.”
Duke Carden wiped the blood from his longsword, his voice cold.
“This is not the time to investigate the cause. The supplies in Dante Fortress will only last half a month. We must send someone to break through and request reinforcements from His Majesty as soon as possible.”
Inside the fortress, soldiers were urgently reinforcing the defensive structures.
The groans of the wounded intertwined with the clanging of metal, while the air carried the smell of smoke and blood.
No one had expected that a campaign meant to eliminate Barbarians would evolve into a direct conflict with a neighboring kingdom.
The news was sent at the fastest possible speed to the camp near the Secret Realm Entrance.
When Kroll II received the urgent report, the feather pen in his hand snapped in two.
Staring at the position of Dante Fortress on the map, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
It was obvious that the Kadiya Kingdom’s move was aimed directly at the Secret Realm of the Kroll Kingdom.