Chapter 231
Chapter 231. Abdication
The walls of Giant Ridge Fortress glowed blue-gray in the morning light. Craftsmen were tamping new bricks outward along the original walls, while mages laid down Magic Arrays.
Twenty-three legions worked day and night to reinforce Giant Ridge Fortress beneath their feet. Amid smoke and dust, the outline of the fortress grew larger little by little, expanding to nearly three times its prewar size.
On the watchtower, a sentry gripped a bronze spyglass. Through its lens, he saw only the wind sweeping gravel across the wasteland. The expected sound of the orcs’ horns never came.
Three days earlier, the scouts had reported that the orcs’ main force had turned south toward the Foreign Race Kingdom. They had left only a thousand-man squad around the fortress, as though guarding something, and also as though deliberately letting matters unfold.
When the news reached the Kroll Royal Palace, William was standing in the study of his father, Kroll II. Three regions had been circled in red ink on the map hanging on the wall.
Giant Ridge Fortress, the border of the Reinhardt Kingdom, and the training field near the Royal Capital.
“The orcs intend to attack the Foreign Race Kingdom. This is our opportunity.”
Kroll II tapped the position of Reinhardt with his scepter.
“It is time to attack the Reinhardt Kingdom. We need a great deal of manpower. Our population is abnormally low right now.”
William nodded.
“Four Golden Legions are ready to march. They can arrive at the border in three days.”
“The remnants of the Heart of Steel and the Hand of Courage have withdrawn to the Royal Capital to replenish recruits and weapons. In three months, they will be able to form their armies again.”
He paused, then looked at the noble fiefs marked on the map.
“As for the rewards...”
“They will be given according to military merit.”
Kroll II interrupted him, his tone allowing no argument.
“For those who died in battle, their titles will become hereditary. For the wounded and crippled, taxes will be waived for three years. For those who survived, land will be granted according to the number of enemies they killed. They will start as Third-Class Barons, and those who qualify will be promoted directly to Duke.”
He tapped his knuckles against the desk.
“Those old foxes are shrewd to the bone. Without something substantial, who would be willing to provide private soldiers and grain?”
The order was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring ripples throughout the Kroll Kingdom.
The clash of the Golden Legions’ armor echoed across the main roads. The soldiers carried battle flags painted with a lion crest and marched toward the Reinhardt border.
The smithies of the Royal Capital remained brightly lit through the night. Furnace fire reddened half the night sky as new armor was forged for the Heart of Steel Legion. Outside Giant Ridge Fortress, the knights of the Monster Legion were replenishing the ranks of the Magic Beast Knights they had lost.
The nobles reacted even faster.
The counts whose fiefs lay near the border personally brought their private soldiers to the army camps. The granaries in their estates opened their doors, and carriages streamed without end as they transported grain and fodder to the front lines.
The knights who had beheaded orcs in the previous battles were already asking others to inquire about the exact date of their investiture. Even their household servants stood taller than before.
Kroll II’s investiture ceremony was set for half a month later, and the high platform had already begun to be built in the square.
The clerks buried themselves in the military merit registers. Their quills scratched softly across parchment. Behind every name lay a piece of land waiting to be assigned, a medal soon to be cast, and a heart filled with either expectation or unease.
William stood on the palace terrace, gazing at the busy scene beyond the city. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword.
He knew that this round of rewards was both encouragement and restraint.
Once the nobles tasted the sweetness of reward, they would bind themselves more tightly to the Royal Family’s war chariot. But once the war turned unfavorable, that same sweetness would become the sharpest resentment.
“Father,” he said, turning toward the study, “has there been any movement from the garrison on Reinhardt’s side?”
Kroll II set down the wine cup in his hand, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
“They are increasing their troops, but very slowly. It seems as though they are watching and waiting.”
He gave a cold laugh.
“But it does not matter. They cannot stop the Golden Legions.”
Wind swept across the terrace, carrying the shouts from the distant training field.
William gazed toward the horizon. The clouds there were slowly shifting, like an approaching storm.
He knew that the wheels of the kingdom had already begun to turn. Whether they were reclaiming lost territory or facing hidden dangers, there was no longer any path of retreat.
This was an opportunity. Whether they could turn the situation around would depend entirely on this chance.
Late at night, only a single lamp remained lit in the study of the Kroll Royal Palace. Its wick flickered, casting the shadows of father and son onto the wall, where they shifted between brightness and darkness.
When the Attendant led William inside, Kroll II was staring at the night sky beyond the window. Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, his eyes carrying a trace of exhaustion that was difficult to notice.
“All of you, withdraw.”
He waved his hand. The Attendant and the Shadow Guards hidden in the darkness retreated without a sound. The door of the study was gently closed, cutting off all noise from the outside world.
Kroll II beckoned to William, his voice much deeper than it had been during the day.
“Come here.”
William walked up to him and was just about to speak when he saw his father take out a roll of gilded parchment from within his robes and hand it over.
“I intend to pass the throne to you.”
Kroll II’s voice was very calm, as though he were speaking of something perfectly ordinary.
“There is no need for me to interfere in everything you do anymore. As for Marcus... I was too arbitrary.”
“Father.”
William abruptly raised his head, his eyes filled with shock.
“What are you...”
“Do not interrupt me.”
Kroll II raised a hand to stop him. His fingertips brushed across the Royal Family crest on the parchment.
“You can already support this kingdom. I can see that. These days, from Windcleaving Gorge to Giant Ridge Fortress, you have done better than I did back then.”
He pressed the parchment into William’s hand. It was a succession edict that had already been drafted. The handwriting was strong and vigorous, and it bore the Royal Family’s wax seal.
“In three days, you will ascend the throne.”
Kroll II looked at him, his gaze filled with relief as well as release.
“Your mother and I will follow the Old Ancestor to the Royal Family Secret Realm for a while. The affairs of the kingdom will all be handed to you.”
William gripped the edict. The parchment felt cold to the touch, yet it burned against his palm.
He suddenly thought of something and asked hurriedly, “Father, is it because the Old Ancestor...”
Kroll II did not answer. He merely turned around in silence and looked out the window once more.
Moonlight passed through the window lattice, coating the white hair at his temples in silver.
Only after a long while did he slowly say, “None of that matters anymore. What should have been taught to you has already been taught over these years. What should be given to you is also written on this parchment.”
He paused, and his voice softened.
“Go and rest. Three days from now, there will be much to do.”
After saying this, he carried the lamp and walked step by step toward the inner chamber. His back stretched long beneath the lamplight, carrying a looseness that came only after laying down a heavy burden.
William stood where he was, clutching the succession edict tightly. His fingertips had turned pale from the force.
He looked in the direction where his father had disappeared. His throat felt as though something were lodged inside it. A thousand words rose within him, but in the end, they turned only into a low murmur.
“Father.”
Only William remained in the study. The solitary lamp flickered, illuminating the complexity in his expression.
Ascending the throne three days later meant that from that day onward, the rise and fall, glory and disgrace of the entire Kroll Kingdom would rest upon his shoulders.
Outside the window, the wind swept up fallen leaves, making them rustle softly. William took a deep breath, carefully folded the edict, and placed it close to his body.