Free Web NovelChapter 257: 257. Disturbance In The Palace
Meanwhile, at Ulford, inside the throne room, several ministers, generals and palace officials awaited patiently, looking extremely anxious.
Some time after the evening bell tolled, footsteps could be heard coming from the inner corridors. Those waiting immediately straightened their backs, having known who it was.
As Averon swiftly entered the room and began ascending to his throne as usual, the subjects behind him knelt in unison.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
The King regarded their greetings with a slight nod before adjusting his vermillion cape. Sitting down, he rested one arm and stretched another in an upward motion.
"Rise."
At this order, the people below stood up. Just as one of the generals was about to speak, a burly, armored man stepped into the throne room, going directly for a seat near the king.
"Sir Commander!" The military officials saluted while the others bowed in respect.
After Bors got to his seat, he muttered a few words to his brother who frowned. Nevertheless, the king simply brushed away the matter and decided to start the urgent hearing.
"General Walris, how’s the situation in the south?"
"Replying to your majesty. The invading monsters number at least tens of thousands. They seemed to be coordinated in their approach, being swift in their actions. They are only targeting military strongholds, marching towards the capital at a rapid speed."
"Coordinated?" This word sent a chill down the spine of every official present in the palace. Even the king frowned deeply.
"What’s their origin?"
"They seemed to have entered through Karsuda..."
An even more oppressive silence filled the throne room. Obviously, everyone knew about the anomaly in Karsuda. It wouldn’t be farfetched to say that the province was already lost.
Although some nobles still operated there, the hidden forces associated with the treacherous countess should have a firm grasp.
If the monsters indeed came from there, only the Dungeon of Sins could possibly spawn them.
"Isn’t that a new dungeon? There can’t be that many monsters inside, right?"
"Forget about the dungeon, not even the entire Karsuda province can gather so many monsters so suddenly."
The other officials present began to voice their opinions.
"Your Majesty," As General Walris spoke again, the others tacitly quieted down.
"There is rumor at the frontlines that a King-class Monster may have appeared..."
Hearing the term King-class, Commander Bors’s expression changed for the first time. As for the others in the throne room, they began to speculate, eventually nodding along.
This was because the current situation could partially be explained if there was indeed such a creature among the monster ranks.
Since Ancient Times, monsters tended to gather and launch attacks on thriving civilizations every now and then. In each of those instances, there was one thing in common; a dominant ruler.
A 5th Circle King-class monster could indeed force all these beasts to band together under it. However, this still couldn’t explain why the monsters would only attack the strongholds.
Logically speaking, such monsters held deep resentment and an inherent desire for violence. They would rather go for defenseless villages and towns, rather than bitterly fight against armed soldiers.
Even if the Monster King leading them was incredibly intelligent, it wouldn’t suppress its own desires.
"Are humans directing the monsters?" As Averon spoke, everyone present felt even more terrified.
"Absurd!"
"It must be the work of demons!"
"Who’s to say humans aren’t involved? After all, these monsters have knowledge about the location of the strongholds and even know military tactics!" One of the ministers spoke.
"What? Are you saying that there are moles in our army?" The generals immediately confronted him.
But before the situation could escalate, a dense mana pressure caused all those speaking to involuntarily kneel.
"This isn’t the time for your banter." Bors narrowed his eyes and looked at General Walris.
"Have they located this Monster King? What does it look like?"
Though the pressure on him lifted, Walris remained kneeling as replied with a slightly hesitant voice.
"There isn’t much known about it, except for the fact that it’s a humanoid giant. As for its movements, the monster seems to be acting independently, targeting key defenses. Every time the monster army is held back, it will certainly attack."
Everyone present was shocked hearing that. Firstly, they felt that this monster was too cunning. Secondly, they weren’t expecting such a Monster King at all.
Knowing the thoughts of the surrounding people, General Walris added, "There is also that wyvern to consider but the frontline reports didn’t mention it at all."
"We even sent special orders to immediately notify if the wyvern is sighted. But there seems to be not even a scent of it in the monster army."
The ministers and generals, both parties agreed that this was too strange. After all, that silver wyvern was known to reside in the new dungeon.
If the monsters indeed broke out from there, the wyvern should be the one leading them. Where did this humanoid monster come from?
Suddenly, Bors stood up from his throne as another terrifying thought came to his mind.
The others also had similar thoughts as they looked at one another.
"Could it be that the wyvern is leading another army in a different province?" said the chief strategist, who’d remained silent until now.
Murmurs quickly began to ring in the throne room, reverberating off the arched walls. Among those murmurs, a loud voice came from the back. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
"If that is the case, then it means even these King-class monsters are only acting upon orders!"
As soon as that sentence was heard, tensions rose in the room. This was because of what that sentence implied.
One rampant King-class monster was already proving to be a hassle. Two of those could shake the kingdom’s very foundations!
As for an entity that could order them around? It could only be a creature at the 6th Circle. freёwebnovel.com
An Emperor-class monster!
"This can’t be..."
"The last time a Monster Emperor appeared, it ruined three kingdoms, leading nearly a million monsters four hundred years ago."
"Even a great hero perished in that calamity..."
While the subjects below recounted the past history, the king finally stood up, putting his hands behind his back.
"Although we cannot rule out the possibility, it is unlikely for another Monster Emperor to be born in less than a thousand years." After saying that, Averon looked through the windows on the right, toward the central cathedral.
Retracting his gaze, he gave a slight nod to Bors who continued, "We suspect that this is the work of a demon lord who has some means to control high-ranking monsters. Just like how Prince Splennar was being controlled, that demon could be using the same means."
The tense expressions of those inside slightly loosened after hearing the two brothers. Still, the matter at hand was extremely urgent.
"Your Majesty, please allow us to head to the frontlines. We cannot let the monsters get closer!"
"Your Majesty, I’ll immediately deploy the scouts to check the areas bordering Gaephia and Ardin provinces."
Resolute voices began to ring inside the castle. Very soon, Averon handed out orders to mobilize the royal army and even the secret forces, giving full authority to his brother.
At the same time, the royal court began sending emergency magic signals to all cities and towns within a 50 mile radius of Ulford.
However, as the officials became busy, a sharp mana signature suddenly spread all over the palace, followed by a golden golden pillar of light hundreds of feet long. It rose from the east side of the main wing, looking extremely eye-catching at night.
"Someone used a high-grade distress talisman."
"That direction... It’s coming from Her Majesty’s private lounge!"
Queen Sophia was in danger.
