The Courtesan

Chapter 96

Third Person POV

“SQUAD ONE, RETREAT TO THE BACK! SQUAD TWO, ARE THE BOMBS READY? FIRE ON MY COMMAND!”

The battlefield was as fierce as ever. Since King Mival took control of the battlefield again, there was progress even beyond Turia. Using the bombs, they effectively took care of the battle elephants. King Mival was as strong a general as he was a king.

They currently controlled the dynamics of the war from their side and finally caught the attention of one of the War Generals. He was a striking individual with a huge frame who rode a bull to war. He wielded a spear and decimated any enemies within six feet of his body.

He was also a good commander. His troops had a steady march and because of the proximity of the battle to their fort, they were able to shuffle between the battlefield and their fort.

Still, King Mival held the advantage. His techniques were unrivaled, able to keep the War General at bay and advance further into his territory. Unlike Kron, Mival wreaked havoc everywhere he went. He allowed his men to pillage, r**e, and destroy everywhere they touched. What’s worse, the war general couldn’t recover the land he had taken.

It proved to be a headache for the War General and the kingdom. The King of Uramuth called a meeting to this effect. The war generals all assembled in the palace. Unlike what everyone else thought, the king of Uramuth was a young man who rarely showed his face to the public.

“Greetings to his majesty.”

“Thank you for answering my summons. You know the reason I’ve called you here”

“I’m sorry your majesty. It’s my fault. I have failed to keep him at bay…”

“General Boyle, it’s not entirely your fault. I didn’t take him seriously as a threat before. I didn’t expect that he would do something like this.”

“With all due respect your majesty, if you’ve listened to me, we would not have this problem.”

King Sun sighed. General Hick prided himself on his knowledge and made sure he displayed it wherever he went. He didn’t like being ignored, hence the I told you so situation he had with the king. The other generals who were sick of his constant showing off rolled their eyes.

“General Hick, I know I failed but honestly, you’ve been too overbearing these days and King Mival wasn’t a threat till now…”

“Your majesty, he declared a war. How is that not a threat?”

“Oh, Zerus help me…” King Sun mumbled, rubbing his forehead.

“King Sun, with how much I hate to admit it, General Hick is right.”

“Not you too, General Irina. I’m trying to think.”

“Take your time, your majesty,” General Will said.

King Sun found most of his generals quite troublesome. There were some who didn’t give him trouble like the two who stayed silent. They were the only ones who truly listened to him without question. Not to say they were mindless puppets but he truly appreciated them.

“For now, all we can do is dispatch one more general to ward him off before we can come up with a plan. He must not advance further.”

“That’s an excellent suggestion your majesty. I feel I’m qualified enough to go…”

“General Irina, you are to join General Boyle in Fort Turia. You would hold them off till we can figure something out.”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“Your majesty, you’re making another mistake…”

“General Hicks, it’s all well and good to question my authority if it contradicts your knowledge, is it?”

“... No, your majesty, I would never…”

“Then please, General Hicks, for the love of Zerus, shut up.”

“... Yes, your majesty.”

The rest of the meeting went on without a hitch and soon ended. All the generals dismissed, only one stayed behind; the general that guarded the capital and the second female general.

“You look distressed, your majesty.”

“Of course I am, Ariel! That Hicks, always making everything about him… he’s really annoying.”

“No, I can tell he’s not the source of your worries this time. Please, you can confide in me, your highness.”

“... I’m scared, Ariel.”

“Of what, your highness? Do you not believe in us?”

“I believe in you. It was exactly because I did that I took your plans of taking over our side of the continent and amassing the mines of Iorite. But now, that damn ursurper wants to ruin everything!”

“We won’t let him, your majesty. Believe in us once more. All you have to do is lead the people like you’ve always done. We’ve prospered under your rule. We love you as our king. Sure, the people might be scared now but if we save them under your command, you’ll enter the halls of history as one of the greatest kings to ever exist.”

“... That sounds glorious but that’s not what I want.”

“Then what do you want?”

“I want to expand our nation beyond the seas.”

Ariel paused, looking at her liege. Many kingdoms existed beyond the seas, all with unknown strengths and weaknesses. It was more than taking over the kingdoms in their continent whose history was known to everyone that lived on them.

“Your majesty’s ambition is wide but I’m sure if it’s you, your majesty, you’ll be able to fulfill them.”

“You don’t have to sugar coat it. You don’t believe me, do you?”

“... One day, a boy looked at me and said he was going to become king. He was so tiny and weak that I laughed. But on the day of his coronation, he was laughing at me. Do you know who that is, your majesty?”

“Oh stop, that’s embarrassing.”

“My point is, anything you set your mind to, you can achieve it. I’ll definitely support you, your highness. You have my word.”

“Thank you Ariel. We’ll continue to observe from here. If anything happens and I have to leave for the battlefront, I want you to take over things here and protect our fleet. It’s the only option for our people.”

“Of course your majesty.”

There was a long awkward silence between them. King Sun was already getting uncomfortable so he coughed.

“I have to go check up on the queen. They say she would deliver anytime soon. I’ll see you around, General Ariel.”

“Do greet her majesty for me.”

King Sun nodded and walked away. The smile on Ariel’s face faded when he was out of sight. She sighed and left the palace. When she was out, a certain general waited for her at the door.