202 Defending the Kingdom
Arthur sat on a large meeting table with Melinda and a few generals of the army. They wanted to share all the information they had with him.
Melinda also wanted to introduce him to everyone else, as he would be the person in charge of all generals. Arthur was okay with the responsibility, and with the power he had, then leading them would not be a problem.
As for them? Well, they weren’t a fan of having someone who was once a wanted person in charge, but they did not have a saying on it.
“These beasts came from the Shukar Empire, which is now completely wiped out, and attacked our cities on the border. As for the reason behind it, no one knows.”
“We tried to get some information from the few survivors from the Shukar Empire, but they also don’t know where these beasts came from.”
Each general at that table shared some things they knew, which was basically nothing. No one knew where, when, and why these beasts appeared.
Arthur still remembered the time when he was acting as a teacher in the Shukar Empire when these beasts came out of nowhere. He tried to kill some of them, but those beats seemed endless.
It was the name situation happen all over again. The Phuvia kingdom army was fighting against those beasts for quite some time, but their numbers never diminished.
“What do you think, Arthur?” Melinda said.
“I was in the Shukar Empire when the first wave of beasts arrived. No one knows from where they are coming from, and it seemed they appeared out of thin air,”
“Honestly, I don’ believe these beasts are endless, but in a high number. We should keep defending the kingdom, but if their numbers don’ diminish, then a special squad should look for the origins of those beasts.”
They were surprised to know Arthur was there when the first wave of beasts arrived. Still, he who was there did not know its origins.
“All right. Arthur, you can go with general Louis to the northwest part of the kingdom to defend against the horde. From all the locations, that one is the worse.”
These beasts were attacking the Phuvia kingdom from all sides, but the northwest part was the one with the most attacks, and that is why Arthur was heading there.
Melinda was not trying to harm him, but needed his strength to protect the most damaged part of the kingdom.
“Okay.”
~~~~
Arthur left the meeting and shared most of the things with Jane, Myria, and Eleonora. They would stay in the palace for some time, at least until the region around Frostpeak was completely safe.
Wisa was in that region, but she had many powerful people with her, so even if problems arrived, she would be all right. Jane only had Myra and Eleonora to count on at that moment, so going there was not a wise decision.
“When I finish cleaning up the northwest part, then I will scout you all there,” Arthur said as he gave Jane a kiss.
Louis was waiting for him right outside of the palace, inside a fancy carriage.
He was the youngest general, having a handsome face and blond hair. Louis was definitely someone that the girls would want as their husband.
“How bad is the situation there?” Arthur said.
“Real bad. The number of beasts there are way larger than the rest of the attacked area.”
What was the reason for that? Perhaps the answers to these strange beast waves could be found in that location. Arthur hoped so, as both he and Louis traveled to the northwest part of the Phuvia kingdom.
“What city are we going to?”
“A few villages already fell, and one city as well. We are currently stationed in the Markhar city. It is a fairly big town, so we have a decent wall and watch towers to use against the beast horde. Perhaps that is the reason we are still up and fighting.”
Arthur chatted with Louis along the way to get some information, but it did not take long for both to run out of subjects to talk about, making the carriage silent again.
The Markhar city was not as close as Arthur hoped to be, and he had to endure a trip in a bouncing carriage for two days before finally reaching their destination.
“Welcome to Markhar city. What do you think?” Louis said.
It was a city like any other, but the cracks on the wall, and a few destroyed buildings, made the atmosphere looked darker.
A lot of soldiers patrolled the walls and kept watching their surroundings using the watchtowers. The war atmosphere was clear, and the despair was visible to everyone’s faces.
“General Louis!”
Not only the army, but the other citizens who were still inside the city were happy to see the familiar face of a general again. It was something that brought them a sense of hope, safety.
“Citizens are still living here? Why didn’t they flee?” Arthur said.
“Most don’t have a place to go, and will die for their city. Also, lots of them are helping the soldiers, acting as blacksmiths, doctors, and even selling or giving potions for free. Everyone is trying to their best to survive.”
What Louis said had a reasoning, but Arthur still thought it was not an excellent decision to stay in that place without strength.
“If I was weak, then I would run to the capital instantly. Why lose my life in a battle I can’t change the outcome?” Arthur thought.
Louis quickly showed him the city, but their destination was outside of the city, near the walls, where lots of tents could be seen. It was the place where everyone from the army was staying. Louis included.
The biggest tent was his, and he called out all the captains that were around that area for a meeting.
“This is general Arthur. He is actually the one in charge of all the generals and is our best bet to end the war.”
“Hahaha, this is good. One more general means we have a better chance of restoring this part of the kingdom.”
Arthur thought they would not swallow him as their superior, but that was not the case. Everyone was just happy to have one more powerful individual to help them in battle.
They kept talking about many things related to the war, but something else disturbed their conversation.
It was the sound of a horn. Louis instantly knew what it was.
“A beast horde is coming. We should prepare!”
All the soldiers stopped whatever they were doing and prepared for the upcoming battle. That was a normal occurrence for them, so the speed at which they prepared everyone was incredible.
“How many?” Louis said.
The person who used the horn was a member of the scouting team, who kept close watch somewhat far from the city to get the information about attacks before they happened.
He looked at Louis with a depressing face, and said, “general Louis, their number is at least the double from last fight. I don’t think we can survive this.”