Alan's caravan arrived at Partisan a while ago, due to being a friend of the prince. He was allowed to pass the checkpoint ahead of anyone else. Partisan could be considered the stronghold of Prince Dylan, much like the capital for Princess Rhyne.
The Fun camp began around 10 am - the first wave lasted six hours so by 4 pm the second wave arrived.
It took Hiro and his party two hours to finish and an additional ten to salvage the second wave. By 8 am they were again running towards partisan.
Alan and his men who rode nonstop reached the city at 7 in the morning just in time for the gates to open. Quickly making his way inside, Hach and a few men acted as his escorts. Inwardly none of them could believe they didn't die.
They even saw the mythical Lord of the desert. Big fucking spiders, lizards, even an Antlion Queen! The stress they got from the last 24 hours drained them all so much they wanted to fall down and sleep. But Alan couldn't be bothered to stop. Ever since he spoke with the Wolfen Butcher all of them Hach most of all noticed the change in the merchant.
The group made its way to a tall castle with an elegant gate. Multiple spires adorn the building whose magnificence lay not in its walls but in how it reached for the heavens. The castle had fourteen towers to guard its bulk, and the fortress itself placed more emphasis on floors than it did on expanding its courtyard.
It was said that to maximize the area they could use in a feat of magic engineering, the builders erected the building higher with more floors than normally possible. The result was a grand marvel that towered over similar buildings. Such a history drew in the Prince aiming for the throne.
Like spears jutting into the sky, Castle Keihas or the Fortress of Spears served as the main stronghold of the prince of the current Valorious empire. Alan then reached the gates and requested for an audience.
He did not forget to present the proof he was given indicating that he belonged to the prince's faction. "I am Alan Srayver and I request an audience with his highness Prince Dylan Lancea Dominii, please tell them the matter is urgent and that it is related to the monster invasion."
The guards who saw the token and heard the reason for the request knew the importance of the meeting but unfortunately they had to follow the rules they were given.
"I am sorry Mr. Srayver, the prince is currently not here. The main Gae-bolg party has investigated the cause of the monster invasion. Most cities are in lockdown, Partisan is still open to accepting incoming refugees. I can send for you when he arrives."
Alan knew how agitated Hiro would get for such a stupid reason, so the merchant wanted to make the best of the situation. "Please call for the captain of the guard. I have a message for him."
Seeing how adamant Alan was, the guards complied. It never is a good idea to slight the ones in power. While Dylan could be considered a good employer, no one expected him to choose a guard over a noble if push comes to shove.
The timeless wisdom of "I am not paid enough to deal with this shit." Continues to guide a lot of people since time memorial. If the problem is above your pay grade, give the problem to someone who is paid more than you, chances are they will either call the next level or have the solution to it.
Eventually, the Captain of the guard arrived and brought Alan and Hach to a private room.
"So? I see you are a merchant from the old Valorious empire Mr. Srayver. To what pleasure do I owe you calling for me so early in the morning? My men tell me it is related to the monster invasion do tell."
Alan then tried to explain as best he could. "What I am going to say sounds insane but it is true, you can have someone with a lie detection skill verify it. The Monster Invasion will end soon, please send word to the Prince that he needs to hurry back here and release three people in his custody."
"Wait? What do you mean it will end soon? The monster invasion has been categorized by seers as class SSS. Gae-bolg, Starfall, and all high-rank battle harems are on standby to reinforce the lucky place that gets assaulted."
"Yes, I know and I am telling you there is no need for alarm because the invasion will be dead before it even reaches a city."
"Do you know how insane you sound right now Mr. Srayver? Only the capital is considered SSS class invasion proof. And that is only because the Empresses are there. How in the world would such a powerful monster invasion suddenly die in the wilderness?"
"But there is someone already fighting it. And they would ensure nothing survives before coming here." Alan rebutted.
The captain of the guard started to get annoyed and asked condescendingly. "And who might be these people you speak of if you don't mind me asking?"
"I cannot say, but please believe me."
"Then we have nothing to talk about." The captain of the guard then stood up as he prepared to leave the room.
"Mr. Srayver, Gae-bolg sub harems which number over 400 [Adept]s rank 50 and up are all waiting on standby. Such a force is strong enough to take over kingdoms yet the warnings from the capital believed over 70% of them will die in the succeeding battle."
As he then slammed his hand on the table. "The capital and all the succeeding cities are all scared shitless of being the unlucky one, Partisan Included. Please refrain from making such jokes in extremely poor taste.
"If I followed you and the Prince and his Battle harem return only for the invasion to annihilate towns elsewhere and kill hundreds of people, that blood would be on my head. Please go back and stop talking nonsense. The town is tense enough as it is."
While System users had some semblance of power, normal people would die if a monster even farts in their general direction. The reason monster invasions are treated as catastrophes was because, just like mother nature sometimes one just needed to accept them.
Similar to how tsunamis or volcanic eruptions cannot be stopped that is how the common man saw monster invasions. Something that reminded them of their frailty and weakness.
When only Alan and Hach got left in the room the bodyguard expressed his disappointment at the futility of their endeavor. "Well, I did tell you that what you wanted is close to impossible. The odd of them recalling maybe the only battle harem that can win against such a force is nill."
Alan tried to think as he grabbed both hands off his head in defeat. "I know, but how else can I tell anyone the survival of the city depends on the welfare of three women the prince took in a month ago."
He then stood up and expressed his frustration, "You saw Musashi-sama mutilated even his sister. The man has neither sympathy nor mercy. I have yet to hear back from what happened to Anvil, but from their clothes, I could tell it went exactly as he said."
"Hmm, if the problem is his women, then why don't we find them instead of asking the prince, and having him and the butcher just deal with each other afterwards."
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