Chapter 318 - 168: Palamede 3

"Rise."

A deep, commanding voice sounded from in front of Momonai. This Legendary Race Leader, rumored to be ferocious and cruel, was actually quite mild-mannered on a normal day and rarely lost his temper.

Momonai obediently rose to his feet, his head bowed. He didn’t dare look at Palamede; it would be disrespectful to an Upper-Rank.

"I remember you. Momonai, correct? You were among the Supreme Commanders of the last Vanguard Army. And both Vanguard Armies have failed. You will explain why." Palamede’s voice was calm and steady, yet it carried an oppressive weight—the kind of aura only a long-term ruler could possess.

"Reporting to Grand Marshal Palamede, this failure was caused by incorrect intelligence. It was not the fault of the Vanguard Army." Despite Palamede’s powerful presence, Momonai steadied himself and replied without a hint of panic.

"Did something change on the Undead’s side?" Palamede paused before asking.

"Yes. The Undead that attacked us at night were of a type never seen before. They weren’t the Skeletons we’ve been fighting all this time," Momonai said with the utmost seriousness.

He was a relatively conservative person, steady and reliable in his work. It was for this very reason that Palamede had allowed him to join the Vanguard Army again.

Hearing Momonai’s words, the surrounding commanders suddenly began to murmur amongst themselves. They clearly hadn’t expected the Vanguard Army’s failure to be because the Undead were different.

"Silence!"

Palamede, seated in the main chair, picked up his double-headed axe and slammed its haft on the ground. The chattering Clan Leaders and commanders immediately fell silent, their eyes turning to Momonai in the center of the hall.

Leaning on his double-headed axe, Palamede lifted his chin and said to Momonai, "Tell me the details of what happened."

Momonai recounted the events of the Undead’s surprise attack, just as they had happened. He didn’t embellish or add anything, reporting only what he had seen.

"Momonai, don’t spout such nonsense! We’ve never heard of any Undead Wild Beasts, let alone the powerful, bizarre-looking Undead you’re describing!" a Headhunter Race Clan Leader shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing at Momonai.

’Have we not fought the Undead before?’

’Aren’t the Undead just those humanoid Skeletons? Now there are Skeletons that look like boars and breathe fire, Skeleton wolves dragging black tails, and winged Skeletons that fly at high Speed? What is all this nonsense?’

’Even if he wants to get out of trouble, this isn’t the way to make things up. He could at least try to be a little more believable!’

"Silence! Are you accusing us Lizardmen of deceiving you?" The Lizardman faction was instantly displeased. This wasn’t just an accusation against Momonai; it was an insult to all Lizardmen.

’What’s his problem? Is he calling us liars?’

’So what if the Grand Marshal is from your Headhunter Race? You can’t just pin all the blame on the Lizardmen. We won’t stand for it.’

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Palamede slammed his double-headed axe down again, his voice booming, "Silence!"

The Lizardmen and the Headhunters shot each other a glare before sitting back down.

"I believe Momonai’s words." The moment Palamede spoke, he captured everyone’s attention. He continued, "He’s no fool. He wouldn’t just make things up about something like this. There are plenty of other Warriors who survived. A few simple questions would expose his lies. Therefore, his words are credible."

The Headhunter Race member who had just spoken glanced at Palamede, a flash of annoyance on his face, but he said no more. The Lizardmen, on the other hand, wore triumphant expressions. ’See? No wonder he’s the Grand Marshal. He’s certainly more reliable than those lesser Clan Leaders. Now that’s what you call using your brain.’

As for the goblins, they just kept to themselves. They wouldn’t take part in such a discussion—or rather, there was no point in them taking part. No one cared what they thought. The true upper echelons of the Alliance Army were all Lizardmen and members of the Headhunter Race. The number of goblins in the high command was pitifully small.