Chapter 460 - 208: The Beastmen’s Crisis
Chapter 460: Chapter 208: The Beastmen’s Crisis
"Ah? This is..."
Daniel’s mind reeled when he heard the string of rewards from Louis III.
Louis III noticed Daniel’s strange reaction.
"Daniel, what is it?" Louis III asked.
"Your Majesty, this..."
"Isn’t this a bit too much? I recall what happened with Earl Grantham..." Earl Daniel asked.
Hearing this, Louis III understood what Daniel was worried about.
Robson’s current situation was eerily similar to Grantham’s back then.
By promoting him so aggressively, wouldn’t they just be creating the next powerful military faction?
However...
Louis III smiled and looked at the letter in his hand. This was where Robson’s various outstanding qualities came into play.
Take this letter, for instance. Aside from recounting his own merits, Robson had also made a point to mention that he had benefited from the various actions of Prince Noah and Marquis Oscillate on the central front.
It had to be said, although the kid was born the second son of a Baron, he had a natural talent for politics. He understood that he couldn’t afford to provoke the current powerhouses on the political stage.
Daniel was an all-rounder, but that also meant he had his limits in every field.
In this matter, he saw only the surface, failing to grasp the underlying dynamics.
Robson was not Grantham. And the reason Grantham had been targeted was never simply because he desired a high position.
Honestly, with Grantham’s achievements, what would have been the harm in making him a Marquis? His biggest problem was the military faction; he wanted to establish his own clique within the army.
Robson wouldn’t do that. In fact, if Prince Noah proved to be a strong ruler and the situation in Frank remained stable, Robson could become Noah’s own Oscillate.
In the past thirty years, Louis III had come to know all too well the benefits of having a "political lubricant" like Marquis Oscillate.
Of course, all of this depended on a stable situation. Louis III believed Prince Noah had the ability; the only thing he lacked was experience.
"You don’t need to worry about these things," Louis III said.
"As you command."
.....
News of the fall of the Centaur King City didn’t just spread among the humans. Before his death, General Quintus had also sent a messenger to deliver this information to the front lines.
When the guards at the Beastmen’s central magic communication tower received the news, their reaction was identical to that of the humans. Their states of mind, however, were entirely different.
The priest on duty received the message, immediately took the letter, and tucked it into his robes, terrified that someone else might see it. Then, deep in the night, he rushed to the central command tent where Beast Emperor Kemal resided.
"Halt! His Majesty is retiring for the night. What is so important?"
The guards at the entrance stopped the priest. Normally, given Kemal’s Extraordinary level, he could go a month without sleep before feeling truly exhausted.
Unfortunately, there had been too much bad news in the past two days, and Kemal’s spirit and energy had taken a significant blow.
"What’s going on? Let him in."
Kemal’s rough voice echoed from within the tent.
Hearing this, the guard finally let the priest pass.
The priest hurried into the central command tent. Across from him, in the dim, yellow light, sat Emperor Kemal on his bed.
"Coming so late at night. Is it something important?"
Seeing the look on the priest’s face, Kemal felt a flicker of foreboding. There had been no good news lately—only urgent reports from all sides.
"Your Majesty..."
"Your Majesty, it’s a disaster! The Centaur King City... has fallen!" the priest exclaimed, his face a mask of anguish.
At these words, Kemal shot to his feet in shock.
"What? What did you say?"
"Guards, bring me his letter."
"As you command."
A guard stepped forward and took the letter from the priest’s hand, presenting it to Kemal.
Kemal took it, opened the envelope, and grew more and more astonished as he read.
’The Centaur King City has fallen... conquered by a pack of Gnolls...’
Kemal had expected bad news, but he never imagined it could be this bad!
A pack of Gnolls had conquered the Centaur King City... The political and military implications were immense!
For a moment, a wave of desolation washed over Kemal.
"Quick! Go and summon Elder Chris!" Kemal ordered.
"As you command."
Watching the guard leave, Kemal sank heavily onto his bed and sighed.
’So much has changed in just a few short decades.’
Chris was one of Kemal’s close aides, and his quarters were not far from the central command tent.
Before long, footsteps could be heard outside, and then a stooped, elderly man in a purple robe entered the tent.
"Your Majesty, is something the matter?"
Chris’s eyes were dim with age as he asked, puzzled.
Kemal stood up and, without a word, personally handed the letter to Chris.
"What!"
As Chris looked at the letter in his hand, a look of shock appeared even in his clouded, old eyes.
"This is..."
’The Centaur King City... conquered by a pack of Gnolls... The humans... they’re now starting to use—’
"Chris," Kemal sighed, "do you think the Beast God has truly abandoned the Purple-blooded Beastmen?"
"Your Majesty! How can you say such a thing?!" Chris exclaimed in alarm.
"We’ve already sent envoys to the Vincent Empire in the north. Centuries ago, those Elves helped us.
As long as we can hold them off at Bronze Pass, I believe they won’t just stand by and watch," Chris said.
The Vincent Empire was the Moon Elf Empire in the north, one of the three great powers of the Elf Race and currently their most powerful nation.
Centuries ago, it was they who persuaded the Knight King to retreat and return to Frank, which in turn gave the Beastman Empire an opportunity to rise.
The Elves were the hegemons of the Northern Continent, and the humans were the hegemons of the Southern Continent. Though they sounded worlds apart, only the Beastman Empire lay between them.
It was a strategic buffer zone the Elves couldn’t possibly ignore.
However, when Kemal recalled the enmity between the Beastman Empire and the Vincent Empire during the former’s peak, his confidence wavered.
"Sigh... I hope so."
"Your Majesty, how should we break this news to General Edwin?" Chris asked.
Edwin...
Kemal pinched the bridge of his nose.
’Honestly, I’ve really screwed over my old brother this time,’ Kemal thought. ’The reinforcements I promised couldn’t even touch the enemy, and now his home, the Royal City I was supposed to protect, has been completely wiped out.’
"Tell him the truth..." he finally said. "Send the order. Have Edwin lead the Centaur Elite and immediately fall back to defend. Inform the Madar Palace Defense Army to coordinate with Edwin’s plans."
After a long moment of thought, Kemal finally decided he couldn’t keep screwing over his old friend.
The Centaur Royal Family had suffered a devastating blow. It would take them at least a century to recover to their former strength.
Besides, Kemal didn’t believe for a second that Edwin had no other channels of information.
He figured Edwin probably already knew that his nest had been raided.
Rather than wait for Edwin to come to him, their trust shattered, it was better to be proactive and tell him himself. At least that way, he might come out of it looking a little better.
"As you command."