Chapter 413: Chapter 408: Accusation

In the rear courtyard of Cyan Snake Fortress, King Eric was trying to clear his head by the Scenic Pool. Several prepared goats were placed beside him, emitting an enticing aroma.

Eric reached out, picked one up, and tossed it with force. The roasted goat flew in a perfect arc, landing precisely on the rockery. The Black-eyed Cyan Snake lazily opened its massive maw and swallowed it in one gulp.

At fifty-six years old, he possessed Celestial Tier strength, so tossing a few goats was no problem at all. But a worried expression remained etched on his face, refusing to fade.

Although he wouldn’t admit it outwardly, he knew deep down that he had lost the initiative in this campaign and had become dangerously passive.

He turned it over and over in his mind. Two key factors had led to this shift: first, the Kasa Kingdom’s defection, and second, the sudden appearance of the Akutas Kingdom’s Sun Stealer Legion.

The latter in particular had stalled the advance of the Fidun and Asando Kingdoms. It also allowed the Kasa Kingdom to shift its forces east without worrying about a potential threat to its own territory from the two western nations.

Now, if the Kasa Kingdom completely tore up their agreement and helped Akutas attack Pruck, he would be in extreme danger.

Faced with this possibility, Eric was at a loss—there were too many fronts and not enough troops to deploy. His only remaining hope lay with Duane and Kais on the Starfall Islands.

"Your Majesty!"

Randy, his personal guard standing watch outside the courtyard, announced, "Ramsay requests an audience. He says he has a letter from the Starfall Islands."

Eric’s expression shifted. He took the towel a servant offered, wiped the grease from his hands, and said quickly, "Let him in at once."

This was clearly the reply from Duane and Kais regarding whether to attack Twin Bay. But Eric was deeply apprehensive, as he had no idea what choice the two of them would make.

"Your Majesty, good day!"

Eric cut him off mid-bow, asking with unconcealed urgency, "What does the letter from the Starfall Islands say?"

As an Intelligence Officer, Ramsay was authorized to read letters that weren’t classified top secret.

Especially with the recent flood of battlefield intelligence, he needed to sort through it before giving the King a complete report.

"There is good news. The Starfall Islands have been conquered. Both Duke Eldrin and Viscount Freddy have been captured."

A chill ran down Eric’s spine. He didn’t know whether to be pleased or wary. "How could it have been so fast? Didn’t Tyron and his men send reinforcements?"

As he asked, he took the letter and began to read it carefully.

Ramsay continued to answer, "They did, they even sent the Ascension-level Warrior, Veselar, along with several hundred Skydiver troops. But Duane killed them all, including Veselar!"

Eric’s hand trembled involuntarily. He couldn’t believe it. ’That Duane... he actually dared to kill their Ascension-level warrior? Shouldn’t he have captured them all?’

Outwardly, however, he praised, "Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"

By killing an Ascension-level Warrior, Duane had proven he had no intention of betraying the Pruck Kingdom. For Eric, this was a good thing.

Ramsay wholeheartedly agreed with the praise. "Since the war began, Count Duane’s achievements have been, without a doubt, the most dazzling!"

However, he didn’t continue, waiting instead for the King to read the rest for himself.

A faint smile had been playing on Eric’s lips, but it vanished when he read that Duane would not be deploying his troops for the time being, citing the need for his forces to rest and the need to suppress rebellions on the Starfall Islands.

Right now, he desperately needed Duane to press the attack and relieve the pressure on Kelvin and Severus, but Duane was holding his forces back?

’Rest and recuperation? Rebellions? Those are obviously just excuses!’

Eric read on, his expression growing darker.

"This Duane... he actually wants me to make him a Duke? And Kais and Uriel... they’re giving all that vast territory to Duane?"

Ramsay said, "It’s obvious. Those two want to bind themselves tightly to Duane. Or, to put it another way, they’re all betting their futures on him."

Eric stared directly at the Intelligence Officer. "What are they trying to do? Establish their own kingdom?"

Ramsay lowered his head. In truth, a similar thought had crossed his mind, but he said aloud:

"I doubt it. It’s just that the situation is chaotic right now, and Duane’s star is rising. Count Kais and Baron Uriel surely want to latch onto such a powerful figure, especially since the three families are connected by marriage, making their relationship a solid one."

Eric took several deep breaths and continued reading. Suddenly, his fist clenched, his face turned livid, and he growled through clenched teeth, "Kais is actually telling me to stop the war and negotiate peace with Akutas and Sean!"

Since the start of the war, even with the changing situation, this was the first time an outsider had suggested he sue for peace.

’If I just agree to peace talks so easily, then what was the point of starting this war in the first place?’

Not only had he failed to take back Lintao Territory, he’d had a complete falling-out with Sean.

He’d retaken the Pigeon Tail Array and pushed the western front out a little, expanding the map by a sliver, but what was the use? That small patch of land wasn’t even enough to divide among the nobles who had fought in the war.

Ramsay fell silent.

As the person with the most access to intelligence, he understood the current situation perfectly. To be honest, he privately agreed with Count Kais’s proposal, but he also knew His Majesty would not agree to a ceasefire so easily.

The Kasa Kingdom was clearly sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight, waiting for all sides to wear each other down before stepping in to mediate.

Pruck, Fidun, and Asando could try to push forward as much as possible before Kasa made its move.

But who could guarantee the Kasa Kingdom would merely mediate and not attack?

There was an element of gambling involved.

"Your Majesty, how should I draft the reply?" Ramsay inquired.

Eric was silent. He hadn’t expected Duane and the other two to divide the Starfall Islands this way, nor that they would be unwilling to send out their troops.

’Trade the title of Duke for Duane’s troops, and demand they reallocate the territory?’

The moment the thought occurred, Eric dismissed it.

’A ducal title is just a name; it doesn’t mean much. Among the nobility, strength is what truly speaks.’

’As for using that to demand they re-divide the Starfall Islands, that would be a pointless exercise.’

Eric rubbed the bridge of his nose, unsure how to reply.

Just then, Randy announced from the entrance again, "Your Majesty, Bishop Clement has arrived."

"Let him in."

Eric said, waving a hand at Ramsay. "You may go for now. I’ll send for you when I’ve made up my mind."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The Intelligence Officer bowed and withdrew.

On his way out, he crossed paths with the entering Clement, and the two nodded to each other in acknowledgment.

"What brings you here?" Eric was a little surprised.

Lately, Clement had been busy organizing supplies for the Holy Radiance Court and managing its expansion, so he rarely came by.

Clement’s expression was hesitant. "Your Majesty, this morning, Severus fought His Majesty Tyron."

Eric was startled. Seeing the Bishop’s expression, his own face paled. "How badly is Severus injured? What’s the status of the front line?"

If Severus was seriously injured and there was no one to tie down Tyron, the northwestern front would be in grave danger.

"He’ll need some time to recover, but the good news is that His Majesty Tyron is in no better shape. Both sides have currently ceased hostilities."

Eric breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly asked, "Get Mitchell over there to help with the healing immediately! The first one to recover will seize the advantage!"

"He has already gone."

Clement spoke, hesitated for a moment, then pulled a letter from his pocket and presented it. "Your Majesty, this is a letter from Andrews of the Fidun Kingdom and Nerva of the Asando Kingdom. Mitchell was furious when he read it. He asked me to pass it on to you."

Hm?

Eric took it in surprise, a bad feeling welling up inside him.

Sure enough, as he quickly scanned the letter’s contents, his face turned livid.

His Fighting Qi flared, shredding the letter in his hand to pieces. Eric was so furious he began to laugh.

"Heh. It’s a wonder I haven’t blamed them for their slow advance. And these two... they actually dare to pin the blame for the unfavorable front line on me?"

Clement bowed his head slightly. Even though he was a Bishop and on good terms with Eric, it was better for a mere bishop like him not to meddle in matters concerning the Church Court’s upper echelons. After all, his status and position came from the Church Court.

"Go write them a letter. Tell them that this Four Nations Alliance was the Holy Radiance Court’s proposal, one you guaranteed would succeed. Now, the two western nations can’t even break through against half of Akutas’s forces. Are Andrews and Nerva waiting for Severus to die before they decide to put in some real effort?"

Clement looked up, startled. "Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be unwise to write that?"

"What, you think it’s my fault too?" Eric shot back. Perhaps sensing its master’s fury, the Black-eyed Cyan Snake coiled on the rockery raised the upper half of its body.

Clement jumped in fright and quickly shook his head. "No, no, you’ve misunderstood! I just feel that it would be detrimental to the alliance’s unity."

"Heh. And them shifting the blame to me *is* good for unity?"

Eric sneered, "Don’t forget, expanding the Church Court’s influence on the Shadow Mist Continent is a task assigned by your Pope. A defeat in this war would be just as unfavorable for you!"

Clement froze. The King’s words sounded like a threat, but they were also the truth.

He bowed low. "I understand, Your Majesty. I will convey your meaning to them!"

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