Chapter 492: The King’s Speech
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Oh, chief, do you really want to go against your superiors for the sake of those hooligans? General, we have no relation to them, so please don’t arrest us!"
After the long stalemate, neither the general nor the chief were wavering. However, a lone villager ran out from a house and ran towards the village entrance, terrifyingly begging as he tugged at the chief.
"Gary, what are you doing?" The chief glared at him coldly.
"I…. I’m saving everyone!" The villager looked guilty as he received the chief’s death glare. However, he did not back away, instead, he ran towards the general.
Flustered, the chief immediately went to cover Gary’s mouth as he moved to push the villager back into the house. However, General Rexton, along with some of his men, stretched out their arms to pull Gary over to their side.
"General, you…. You can’t do this!" The chief blurted.
General Rexton did not pay him any mind. Instead, he focused on the villager and spoke slowly, "Where are the wanted criminals? Are they really in this village?"
The villager seemed slightly terrified under the intense gaze of the general. Finally, he mustered up his courage to answer, "They….. The chief hid them in his house."
A smile spread across General Rexton’s face when he heard the answer.
He turned to look at the chief, "Hiding wanted criminals? The audacity." The general’s voice was chilling. "We have a witness now. What other reasons do you have to hinder us?"
"He….. Gary went crazy! His words have no accountability." Sweat was dripping down the chief’s forehead. However, he still tried his best to hold his ground.
General Rexton snorted as he shook his head.
"He’s crazy? I think you’re the one who’s insane." He took two steps forwards and shoved some people out of his way. Then, he bellowed, "Witnesses claim that the Kerr Village is hiding wanted criminals. Now, I shall honour the order of the King and exterminate the hooligans. Whoever that attempts to stand in our way will receive a similar treatment!"
He then signalled the men behind him with a wave of his hand.
"Search the place!"
The chief was pushed aside. He looked on as the soldiers stormed towards the village; he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
There was no other way to stop this anymore….
He glared at Gary, who was hiding behind the general. His heart was ice cold.
However, just as the soldiers took their first steps into the village….
"Irrationally mistreating innocent citizens. Is this how you repay the country after I elected you as a general of Carretas?"
At the end of the street, a silhouette donning royal clothes and a crown stepped out from the shadows.
The soldiers instinctively stopped in their tracks.
"....Your Majesty?"
"He’s not the king, he’s the con man." General Rexton took great strides and stepped in front of his men. His voice boomed like thunder, snapping the soldiers back to their senses.
The soldiers once again looked at the king, but this time, their eyes were hostile.
However, the king did not look even slightly intimidated by the endless sea of soldiers before him. He looked solemn as he spoke once again. "This is immensely saddening. As soldiers who swore to protect Carretas with their lives, you do not even realise who you are pointing your blade at."
The soldiers shared a similar look of hesitation. They fidgeted nervously on the spot.
The king did not stop speaking.
"I, Louis Hudson, was born in the summer of the Year 227 of the Kingdom Lunar Calendar*. The Imperial Father decreed me as the heir of the crown on the day I was born, and the Imperial Mother wove me a grass crown out of mistletoe. After the Imperial Father passed, the Kingdom was no more as my siblings betrayed me and left. What was left were the loyal generals who helped me to build Carretas from the ruins of the Kingdom. General, soldiers, look at what you’re doing right now. You’ve gone against your vow and refused to differentiate the truth from the lies. You have completely discarded the glory that our forefathers bestowed upon us."
His voice never sounded as clear and as powerful as it did today. It cut through the air like the chime of the town clock in the middle of the night, echoing loudly across the village.
The soldiers stared at the king, baffled. Although they held their weapons in their hands, they did not dare take another step forward.
"You…. Don’t believe him, he’s a liar." General Rexton snapped out of his daze. He took a few reluctant glances at the king before saying, "Our King is in Gealorre, not in…."
He was swiftly interrupted.
"Rexton Dunphy. Son of Matt Dunphy, grandson of Brand Dunphy." The king’s words rang out slowly. "Your family has served the royal family for generations. Your grandfather passed in The Valley of Broken Armies, while your father died of an old injury at the end of November, Year 239 of the Kingdom Calendar. They all had outstanding military service and died fighting for their country’s soul. They earned the utmost honour for your family and were widely respected after their death. But, what about you?"
"I….." General Rexton frowned, as if wanting to defend his case.
The king’s tongue was sharp. "You fail to distinguish the right from wrong, and led your men to lay siege on the king. Not only have you destroyed the efforts of your forefathers, but you even caused the loyal soldiers to bear the crime of treason due to your foolishness. General Rexton, you should be ashamed of your actions."
General Rexton gaped at the king, he was stunned speechless.
At that moment, the village was as quiet as Death himself. Even the chief and villagers at the side stared at the king and they could not help but feel like bowing to him.
The king looked at the troops before him and shook his head disapprovingly.
"What are you still doing here? Retreat!"
The soldiers were caught off guard by the order. Some of them really looked back in confusion, as if they were prepared to listen to the king’s orders and withdraw their forces from the village.
However, General Rexton managed to gradually recover from his daze.
"No…. He’s not the king." His face was pale as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. "He’s just a conman who wants to overthrow Carretas by stealing the crown and the sigil."
As he uttered those words, General Rexton took a token from his belt and held it high in the air.
That was the token that indicates the command of the military.
"I am your general, not a hooligan who came to spread lies after he somehow read some history books." He finally restored his usual demeanour, and his voice gradually became louder. "Apprehend him!"
Immediately, the situation took a turn to the worst, and the soldiers became all geared up again.
Ah, they are really stubborn….
The king sighed in his heart.
"Wait! General Rexton, do you still remember this?" Suddenly, he took out a letter from his pocket and waved it before the General’s eyes.
General Rexton frowned, "....What?"
Puzzled, he took a few steps forward in an attempt to take a clearer look at the letter in the king’s hand.
At the exact moment, a veiled magical oscillation spread out from the house on his right. General Rexton’s expression immediately changed, and he turned quickly, trying to run back to his men.
"Hmph, too late for that." A female voice scoffed by his ear.
No one present realised what was going on when a shadow suddenly appeared out of thin air. Under the bright sunlight, it flew straight towards General Rexton!
General Rexton was moved quickly, but unfortunately, he was too close to the shadow.
In a blink of an eye, the shadow expanded suddenly like a gigantic cape and swallowed him whole. It bound him tightly and the General struggled in panic. However, it did not take long before he felt the energy seep out of him - soon he could not even lift a finger.
Then, the shadow flew back to the king, with General Rexton wrapped within it. It threw him on the ground as if he was a captive.
The soldiers only snapped back into attention after everything happened, and they tried to rush over to save their general.
"Don’t move, or else I’ll take his life." Lara flew out from the house and landed behind the king. She grinned at the soldiers.
The soldiers immediately stopped in their tracks.
At the same time, nine other mages emerged from all corners in the village, and stood with the king. Among them, some held fireballs in their palms, some stepped on levitating rocks under their feet, some had crystals of ice floating above their heads…. The ten of them stood in a line in a variety of poses with the king of Carretas by their side. General Rexton lay at their feet, with no strength to fight back whatsoever.
"You actually lured the General over. Good job." Tony tilted his head and whispered to the king.
The king smiled but did not speak.
After that, the ten mages collectively turned their heads to face the soldiers at the entrance of the village. They smiled cruelly.
"What are you looking at? You want to have a taste of my Forbidden Spell: Roaring Blaze?"
At that second, even the villagers at the side held their breath and stared wide-eyed, as if they were witnessing an incredible moment.