owlsbooks Chapter 507 The Last Sunset
Chapter 507 The Last Sunset
Chapter 507 The Last Sunset
E-Rantel... No, the fortress city faces the territories of the three countries, with a large amount of traffic, materials, people, money, all kinds of people and things coming and going here, and this kind of city is bound to flourish.
Thinking this way, it is understandable that it is coveted by other countries. Rather, it is strange that it is still under the rule of the kingdom.
After the Empire declared war, the Kingdom began to urgently mobilize and recruited many civilians to join the army. Together with the support of the royal family's existing soldiers and nobles, a total of 250,000 people were gathered!
Even so, the kingdom was still not sure of winning.
It was because they had heard that the Empire would send out six legions this time! You know, the Empire only has eight legions in total! In the wars so far, no more than four legions have participated in the war, but this time it is one and a half times as many as before!
The Imperial Legion has a strength of 10,000 men.
The six legions only have 60,000 people. On the surface, the Kingdom can easily crush the Empire with its 250,000 people, but in terms of individual strength, the Kingdom is far inferior to the Empire.
It seems that the Empire has invested a lot of money this time, and is determined to take over the fortress city.
You might be thinking, since the Empire is making such a big move, how could the Theocracy remain indifferent? Why not let the two fight each other, and the Kingdom reap the benefits?
The nobles of the kingdom thought so, and so they took the initiative to send a letter after the Empire declared war. However, the response from the Theocracy was unexpected.
Get rid of the red tape and bureaucratic jargon and draw conclusions after refinement.
——The Theocracy has no intention of becoming an enemy of Ainz Ooal Gown.
This answer is very intriguing.
The Kingdom knew that the other side had easily wiped out a unit of the Six Color Scriptures single-handedly in order to save Gazef, but would it be a loss of face for a great nation to retreat just because of one person?
Of course, the reason for thinking this way is more because the Kingdom did not take advantage of the opportunity.
Many nobles retreated because of this, thinking that since the Theocracy had suffered a defeat, how could the Kingdom possibly defeat the other side, not to mention that the other side had the support of the Empire behind them.
But more nobles said: We have 250,000 troops, the advantage is mine! A mere magic chanter can be killed even if he is piled up with people. Besides, the kingdom has suffered a lot from the empire for a long time, and we need to continue to win to boost morale. Otherwise, if this continues, the morale of the people in the kingdom will be weakened, and there may be civil strife.
"So what is the King's choice?"
"Of course I beat him."
Hearing his brother's question, Lord Leibun held his forehead helplessly.
The most painful thing is to have to fight even though you know you will lose. He knows it, Lin knows it, Gazef knows it, the princess knows it, and even the king knows it.
The reason is simple.
Rulers must never give up their territory easily, that's all.
Lord Leibun was a little unwilling: "Lin, is it really true that we have no choice but to hand over E-Rantel?"
"There is no choice."
"That would be too easy!"
"What are you talking about? We have sacrificed the life of the eldest prince. How can we say that it is easy?"
"Then we are always at a disadvantage!"
The normal exchange of interests means losing one thing to gain another, but in Lin's words, he is losing on both sides.
"Brother, you pay too much attention to these things. You should look at the long term."
“…You don’t need to tell me!”
He rolled his eyes at his brother.
After a pause, he continued, "By the way, the eldest prince has been assigned to the rear. The king really loves his children."
"Really? That's a pity."
Lin said it was a pity, but he still had a smile on his face, as if he didn't care.
But Lord Leibun knew.
After starting to win over the eldest prince's men two months ago, the princess, who appeared gentle on the outside but was actually dark inside, sentenced her brother to death early on.
The eldest prince must die, whether he wants to or not.
“It’s really messed up.”
"It was arranged by Her Royal Highness the Princess."
Marquis Leibun rubbed his brows in exhaustion. He admitted that Her Royal Highness was extremely intelligent and that the kingdom would surely flourish after she became the queen, but he was a little scared when he thought of her bloody and dark tactics.
"Is it really okay?"
"No problem, brother."
Lin used magic to eliminate his fatigue.
As the war approached, Lord Rebuen, who had taken command, became busier and busier, and fatigue and exhaustion followed. If it weren't for Lin's magic to support him from behind, he would have collapsed on the bed. What his brother did was completely worthy of the kingdom.
"Take some more rest, brother."
Looking at Lord Leibun who was sleeping soundly, Lin covered him with a blanket and left the room.
----
Gazef passed through the gate and arrived at the outer station. He took a deep breath and exhaled the mental fatigue hidden in his body.
I'm really tired.
Participating in the meeting just now made him realize that he was a commoner after all. But after serving the king for a long time, he understood the thoughts of the nobles.
——Pride is more important than people.
What a joke!
Shouldn't it be the duty of those in high positions to protect them? Why should the common people who should be holding hoes and shovels be given spears and bows and arrows? !
He was not saying that the fortress city should be handed over.
The king was right. Handing over this city to others would hurt the people living in the city and would also exacerbate the division of the kingdom.
only--
Thinking back to Ainz Ooal Gown wearing a strange mask, a figure so powerful that it frightened people and made them unable to muster any resistance, Gazef slammed his fist down on the city wall.
"hateful!"
He couldn't form any thoughts or think of what to do, so he cursed out loud in disgust.
Being indecisive on the battlefield would get you killed. Even if people praised you as the strongest warrior in the neighboring countries, you could still lose your life if you were indecisive, not to mention that your opponent was Ainz Ooal Gown.
"Oh, you seem to be troubled."
Hearing a familiar voice, he looked up to see Lin, and behind him, Brain and Clem.
"You guys..."
"It just happened that we met." Lin waved his hand at him: "Don't say it. Seeing a friend with a sad face, I would feel uneasy if I didn't come to comfort him."
"I shouldn't be that fragile."
“It seems so fragile to me.”
Brain's words should be more direct and sharp, even though Gazef was his benefactor.
Climb said nothing, but he looked at Gazef with concern. Perhaps in his heart he didn’t want the person he admired to show such a helpless and weak expression.
“By the way, Gazef, are you busy?”
"It's very busy."
"That's no problem. Come walk with me."
"Wait, I think I said I was busy."
Lin ignored him and walked away talking to himself. Gazef looked at Brain and Climb. They shook their heads and followed him with a sigh.
Soon, the four arrived at the tower of the city wall.
This is the highest point in the outermost circle of the fortress city. The scenery here is excellent, and even the distant scenery can be seen at a glance. It is also Lin’s favorite place.
“The scenery here is magnificent.”
Climb was the first to praise, but then he changed his tone and said, “That’s the Katz Plains that will become the battlefield.”
"Yes, that is the thick foggy area where the undead often appear. It will also be the battlefield in a few days."
Gazef took a deep breath.
He breathed in plenty of fresh air, trying to drive away the anxiety in his heart.
"How's it going? Are you feeling better?"
“Ah, thank you, Lin.” Gazef’s expression brightened up, and he quickly said, “You asked me to come here, is there anything you want to say?”
Lin: "No, I didn't. I just brought you here because you looked depressed. I was thinking if we could chat here."
Gazef: “Hmm… Four men standing there chatting? Normally, shouldn’t they go to a shop in the city and have a drink and chat?”
Brian: “I agree.”
Climb: "I-I object. But if it's in my own room, I can barely do it."
Why do people have different opinions on drinking?
“Gazef, I didn’t ask you to come here to make jokes.”
"Oh, are you talking about my apology to Lord Rebuen after the parliament? I have to admit that I judged a person by his appearance. I'm really sorry."
"That's a shortcoming, but my brother doesn't look like a good person... No, no, no, this is also your fault."
Lin wanted to explain, but no matter what he said, he would offend his brother or one of his friends. He thought for a long time and didn't know how to answer, which made the three of them laugh on the spot.
Climb was slightly surprised and said, “I thought Lord Lin was a person who always had a plan for everything and never got upset. I didn’t expect that he would get anxious sometimes.”
"I've spent the shortest time with him, but this must be what Gazef meant by judging a book by its cover." Brain wiped the tears from his eyes.
Gazef nodded: "Indeed. But I am very optimistic about Lin. He is undoubtedly the hope of the kingdom now." ...regardless of his identity, strength, or anything else.
The atmosphere suddenly became depressing.
Brain raised his eyebrows. "Hey, hey, hey, why are you so serious? You look like you're going to die. Don't worry, Gazef. Lin won't die before I do."
"Don't talk like you can protect me. I'm much stronger than you."
"Then I'll change you to Clem."
"Ah I?"
Climb pointed at his nose.
He admitted that he was the weakest of the four, but it was indeed not pleasant to be told that.
Gazef said in a slightly serious tone, “If your opponent is the Four Knights of the Empire, Brain, your victory is unquestionable. But…if it is that person, Lord Ainz Ooal Gown, who goes to the battlefield, I think even you will die.”
Gazef's last gaze fell on Lin, and his meaning was self-evident.
"Hmm...it doesn't feel real."
Lin scratched his head.
It's like someone telling you that the other person is invincible, but every time you go to look for him/her, you miss him/her and can't see him/her. You even feel like the other person is avoiding you. Naturally, you don't feel it's real.
"How does the magic chanter compare to the dark hero Momo?"
"Only strong, not weak."
Gazef answered without any hesitation.
Is it true that the dark hero who can fight against demons is not as good as the magic caster in his eyes?
Could it be that the psychological trauma was so great that it affected his judgment?
Lin frowned slightly.
This situation is not impossible. For example, he was often beaten by his instructor when he was a child. This fear did not disappear until he became a Mithril-level adventurer and could easily defeat the opponent.
The fingertips were glowing and rested on the center of his brow.
"What are you doing?"
"Magic to drive away fear. Now tell me again, who is stronger?"
"Lord Ainz Ooal Gown."
Ha ha.
Lin laughed, and it was unclear whether he was laughing because he was angry or because of Ainz Ooal Gown’s powerful strength.
Honestly speaking, he had no assurance of winning the battle with Momo, unless he behaved like a degenerate.
And in this battle power comparison, the magic caster whom he had never met before was actually stronger than Momo. How could he not be excited?
"Wait, the Momo you're talking about, is that the one who's an adamantium-class adventurer?"
"Yes...what happened?"
"actually--"
It turned out that since arriving in the Fortress City, Brain had always wanted to meet the Dark Hero. He had heard that she had defeated a powerful vampire in the suburbs, and he had seen her in the capital during the demon riot, so he thought that she should have some connection with Jaldabaoth, and maybe also with the vampire that the Dark Hero defeated.
Of course, I just want to learn more.
The target that Brain wanted to surpass had switched from Gazef to Shalltear.
"So, did you find him?"
"He's not here." Brian shrugged regretfully, "It seems he has received some commission and left the city. I don't know when he will be back."
"That's a shame. I actually wanted to talk to him, too. After all, I was lying in bed after the demon riot, and he left without seeing me off or saying hello. At least I could thank him for saving the capital."
It's a pity for Lin too.
If the Axis cultists had not been forced to evacuate, they would have been able to find out Momo's whereabouts and perhaps invite him to conduct another decapitation operation.
"I didn't have time to thank you either."
"And I."
Gazef and Climb followed closely behind.
Only then did they realize that the four of them had all received favors from each other.
Brian smiled and said, "Then after the war is over, how about we go and talk to him together? If we're lucky, we might meet him in person."
“Great! Now we have something to look forward to after the war. He’s an Elite Steel Warrior, and listening to him talk will definitely be helpful!” Climb was excited.
"That's right. There will be a lot of useful topics. I really want to hear him talk about his heroic deeds, such as what kind of powerful enemies he has faced."
“Does Gazef also like this kind of topic?”
"Yeah. As a warrior, I am also attracted to this kind of topic."
Gazef did not try to quibble, but admitted it frankly. The deeds of the strong were something that even strong people were curious about.
"Okay! In order to come back alive, I must——"
"Wait a mininute!"
"Uh...Lin, what's wrong?"
Being suddenly interrupted, the three of them looked at the priest beside them in tacit understanding.
Lin raised his index finger and said seriously, "No! You must not say nonsense at this time. If you set flags like "I will go back to my hometown to get married after this is over" and "I will confess my love when I return", it is very likely that you will not be able to come back! ... These are what the goddess told me."
"The favor of the goddess? Well, I'll listen to you this time."
If any other priest said this, Gazef would definitely think he was a liar, but Lin was different. With the favor of the goddess, he had extraordinary wisdom, and that was why he regarded the other party as the hope of the kingdom.
"Just say you came back safely this time."
"Okay! The four of us must return safely and not waste our lives!"
After Gazef finished speaking, the other three nodded.
——Lin, I don't care about the others, but you must come back alive. Because you are the last hope of the kingdom.
He prayed with all his heart.
(End of this chapter)