Chapter 66 : Chapter 66
Chapter 66. A Warning, and the Barbarian Tribe’s Second Betrayal
William carefully examined the slaves’ injuries once more. Only after confirming that no seriously wounded person had been overlooked did he turn and leave the room.
Instead of returning to his own room, he immediately went to find the castle’s steward.
The steward was a white-haired old man dressed in a proper tailcoat. When he saw William approaching, he hurriedly bowed.
“Your Highness.”
“Send a dozen quick-handed maids to take care of my Palace Knights and those slaves.”
When the steward heard the word “slaves,” a trace of hesitation clearly flashed across his face.
In the minds of nobles, slaves had always belonged to the lowest class. How could they possibly deserve the dedicated care of castle maids?
William took in his expression completely and smiled faintly.
“Even if they are slaves, they are my slaves—slaves belonging to William Kroll, the Fourth Prince of the Kingdom. Do you understand?”
The steward’s heart trembled. He immediately lowered his head, bending his waist even deeper.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will make the arrangements immediately.”
“I do not care whether your obedience is sincere or merely for show. That does not matter to me.”
William’s gaze was as cold as ice as it fixed directly on the steward’s face.
“But if you dare to obey on the surface while defying me in secret, then even if Count Doser, the master of this fief, pleads for you, you will not survive.”
He paused, emphasizing his tone.
“Take care of my knights and my slaves with all your heart. Do you understand?”
Cold sweat seeped from the steward’s forehead. His clothes were instantly soaked through at the back as he repeatedly nodded.
“I understand. Completely understand, Your Highness.”
William waved his hand.
“You may go.”
The steward felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and hurried away almost at a run.
William remained where he stood, watching the steward’s panicked retreating figure. His expression did not soften in the slightest.
In this kingdom where status determined everything, his slaves might be humble. But since they belonged to him, he would not allow anyone to treat them with contempt.
More importantly, these people had crawled out of a pile of corpses. In the future, they would become the backbone of the Knight Order he intended to establish.
William turned and returned to his room. After closing the door behind him, he completely shut out the noise of the outside world.
He took out a pale blue Meditation Potion from his robes, removed the stopper, and drank it in one gulp. The cool liquid slid down his throat and instantly transformed into a gentle energy that flowed through his entire body.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes, and soon entered a state of cultivation.
At the same time, inside Meteorfall Fortress on the Southern Frontier of the Kadiya Kingdom, the atmosphere was as heavy as the dark clouds outside the fortress.
Inside the council hall, six Legendary Combatants of the Kadiya Kingdom sat in a circle. Princess Selena stood before a map, her face pale.
“Selena.”
The old man seated at the head spoke. He was Selena’s third uncle, a white-haired legendary knight.
“The losses on the Ice and Snow Plains were too great. Leaving aside the ordinary soldiers and knights, five Legendary Combatants alone were lost.”
He pointed to the position of Meteorfall Fortress on the map.
“With the forces we have now, we cannot possibly withstand the allied army of the Kroll Kingdom and the Dragon Kingdom.”
“In my opinion, we must immediately request reinforcements from the Royal Capital. I believe His Majesty and the Ancestor have already made their decision.”
The other Legendary Combatants nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with worry.
Meteorfall Fortress was known as a natural stronghold, but in the face of an overwhelming gap in power, even the most solid fortress could collapse.
Selena bit her lower lip tightly, her fingernails nearly digging into her palm.
Her third uncle was right.
But she was unwilling to accept it.
Everything had originally been planned perfectly. They would seize the Ice and Snow Plains, then take advantage of the momentum to capture the Northern Frontier of the Kroll Kingdom and even control that legendary intermediate Secret Realm.
If that happened, the national strength of Kadiya would rise dramatically. Her own status would also soar. She would no longer be a mere tool for political marriage but the Crown Princess.
But now, because of the Barbarians’ betrayal, not only had all their efforts been wasted, they had also suffered severe losses. Even their retreat had been humiliating.
“I understand.”
She took a deep breath. A faint tremor hid in her voice.
“I will report the true situation here to His Majesty. I will not conceal anything anymore.”
The Legendary Combatants merely nodded silently, their expressions still gloomy.
If Selena had not previously concealed the true strength of the Kroll Kingdom and Dragon Kingdom’s allied forces in order to compete for military merit and solidify her position…
And if she had not suppressed the intelligence that the Barbarian tribes were secretly colluding with the Orc Kingdom…
They would never have ended up in such a situation.
Even Selena herself probably had not expected that the Barbarians would truly dare to recall the Giant Legion, disregarding the safety of their own tribes.
Yet it was precisely because of that selfishness that Kadiya had missed the best opportunity to adjust its strategy. A battle that should have been an evenly matched tug-of-war had been dragged into a near-collapse.
The Legendary Combatants exchanged glances, each seeing helplessness in the others’ eyes.
They had already sent the real battle reports back to the Royal Capital.
But several days had passed, and there had been no response from the Royal Capital. There were no reinforcements and no instructions—as if the fortress isolated in the Southern Frontier had been completely forgotten.
“The Royal Capital… likely has its own considerations.”
Selena’s third uncle spoke in a deep voice, breaking the silence. His tone carried an indescribable fatigue.
“Perhaps they are waiting for us… to make a more ‘appropriate’ choice.”
“An appropriate choice?” a legendary mage frowned. “Are they expecting us to surrender the fortress?”
“Not quite.”
Her uncle shook his head. His gaze fell on Selena, filled with complicated emotions.
“Selena, you should understand that the Royal Capital needs someone to take responsibility for this disastrous defeat. After all, now that your brothers know you have suffered such a crushing loss, they must already be making their moves.”
Selena’s body stiffened. Her face instantly turned pale.
Of course she understood what that meant.
She had led this campaign. Now that it had ended in defeat, if the Royal Capital wanted to appease public anger, she would be the perfect sacrifice.
Selena fell silent for a moment. Her fingers unconsciously scratched at the wooden edge of the map before she suddenly looked up at her uncle. A faint tremor lingered in her voice.
“Third Uncle… in Kadiya, do women truly have no chance of ever sitting on the throne?”
Her uncle looked at the stubbornness in her eyes and slowly shook his head.
“Foolish child. If His Majesty truly had no intention of letting you approach the throne, why would he have entrusted you with the campaign on the Ice and Snow Plains—a battle tied to the fate of the kingdom?”
He sighed.
“It is simply that the rules of the royal family and the balance of power in the court are not as simple as you think.”
Selena lowered her head and said nothing more. The last traces of unwillingness and struggle in her heart seemed to be doused with cold water, gradually sinking away.
At that moment, a messenger soldier hurried into the main tent, holding a letter sealed with wax.
“Your Highness, urgent dispatch from the Royal Capital.”
Selena abruptly raised her head. She took the letter, tore the seal open, and quickly scanned the contents.
The more she read, the paler her face became. Her fingers gripped the paper so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
By the end, it was as if all the strength had been drained from her body. She stood frozen in place, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“What happened?” her uncle asked immediately, noticing her strange reaction.
Selena’s voice was dry, like sand scraping against stone.
“The Barbarian tribes… have actually joined forces with the Orc Kingdom. They are attacking the northern border of Kadiya.”
The Legendary Combatants in the tent all changed expressions dramatically.
Because of the Ice and Snow Plains campaign, most of the northern forces had been transferred to the Southern Frontier.
If the Northern Frontier fell due to the lack of troops, Kadiya would be attacked from both front and rear and fall into a desperate situation.
“No wonder the Royal Capital has not replied…” her uncle murmured, his face grim as iron. “They must have already received the warning from the north and are too busy dealing with it.”
Selena slowly stepped back and leaned against the cold stone wall.
The disastrous defeat on the Ice and Snow Plains had not yet been resolved. Now war had erupted on the northern border. Meteorfall Fortress had become a forgotten lonely city.
She had always believed she was only one step away from the throne.
She never imagined that fate would play such a cruel joke on her.