"Not good! Not good!" A knight shouted as he ran down the hallway. He was sweating profusely as he rushed to the official's hall.
"Hold it, the Council is having a meeting with His Majesty… Watch your conduct!" The knights assigned to guard the doors looked at the panicking soldier and frowned and warned.
"You have to let me in! There's something important that the Excellencies need to know!" The knight who was panting as he caught his breath insisted.
"Let him in!" Just as the knights on guard are about to stop the knight once again, a voice inside the room could be heard.
The guards opened the door immediately and let the knight come in.
In the room, several men wore serious expressions as they looked at the knight who was still in a panic. Just looking at his face they knew that what he was bringing was extremely bad news.
So all of them looked at him and waited for his words.
Among them was the Pope, who had just arrived in the capital, and is now meeting with the officials at the moment.
"I-invaders… T-the holy island!!! There were invaders spotted in the Holy Island!!!" The knight exclaimed in dread. Although he knew that he might be beheaded for barging into the room, he insisted on bringing this news as it was extremely alarming.
Clang!!!
The Pope who had just picked up his tea, let go of the cup as he heard the news.
Following that was a heavy silence in the room.
"Repeat what you said again?" The Emperor of Vanderford also did not seem to take the issue well and so he looked at the knight blankly and asked once again.
"Our knights went to the coastal area near the holy island to investigate why there was no update on the armies going from the island to the capital. In their investigation, they manage to catch sight of unfamiliar forces guarding the land…"
"Your Eminence… Your Majesty… the knights back in the coastal area are afraid that the people in the main temple were either…
Captured or wiped out!"
Bang!
The Pope could no longer take it and finally collapsed.
His face looked so pale as his body trembled. In his mind, all he could think about at the moment was how to explain the situation to Lord Raven later on.
The Emperor's face also darkened terribly as the news slowly sank in.
"Gather all the troops, we will head to the coast right away!" With his face full of anger, he immediately looked at the officers around and ordered.
"Your Majesty, please hold on! We still do not know what the situation is, what if this is just a trap…" The rest of the noblemen took courage to stop the Vanderford Emperor from hastily taking action.
"Indeed, dear Majesty, please hear us out and do not take action too early!" The others chimed in.
But will the Emperor just sit around after having heard another significant number of troops fall?
He already had his entire ambush army wiped out.
His successor was also killed while being used as an official reason to start the war.
Now his biggest ally, the main temple is also suffering another big blow. Why can he not take action immediately?
Bang!
The Vanderford Emperor used his mana and attacked the first noblemen that opposed his order. Looking at the poor nobleman whose body was badly crushed on the wall, the others shuddered in fear.
"Who are you to defy the orders of the Emperor?!" Vanderford Emperor shouted angrily as he glanced at the rest of the men.
"Did your thinking and strategy ever take us to the advantageous side of this war?! None of your plans even managed to bring forth results and you are stopping me from doing what needs to be done?!"
"Tell me, are you my subordinates, or you are the enemy spies? Why do your words and actions defy mine!"
The Emperor's thunderous voice rang in the hall causing the rest of the men to shudder and kneel with great apprehension.
"Your Majesty… we misspoke! Please forgive us!"
"Please forgive us, your majesty!"
"Have mercy on us!"
The noblemen all pleaded for his mercy as soon as they realized that he was really angry. Afraid that they would be the next punching bag so that he could vent his anger, the officials did not even dare to look into his eyes as they conversed with him.
"All you do is save your access! Now work and do as I said or it will be your heads whom I will first take!" The Vanderford emperor roared.
"Scram!" He bellowed once more.
The officials then rushed to exit the room and do their duties.
As for the knight who was still kneeling when he reported the news, the Emperor coldly looked up to him and said, "You… Call the Paladin at once. She has to lead the army to fight!"
"Y-yes… right away, Your Majesty!" The knight then saluted and rushed to find the Paladin.
Rachana was actually being served by the maids in bathing when she heard the news.
With no more time to finish everything, she quickly asked them to wrap up and dress her quickly in battlefield clothing.
In the end, she and all the rest of the troops available were gathered in the palace square with complicated expressions on their faces.
The Pope managed to return to consciousness as well, he very much wanted to fight but he knew better than anyone not to hastily get involved in the fight when nothing is really cast in stone yet.
He believes that Rachana would be enough to handle the case.
Both he and the Emperor thought that if there would be invaders on the holy island, they would not be as many as the troops that Rachana would take.
Granted, the original people in the Holy Island were not few, but comparing it to the current troops that they had, the two believed that it should be enough.
As for the Captains possibly being defeated along with the Cardinal, the Pope believed that someone used tricks to outsmart them which is why they landed in the condition.
There was no more speech nor any ceremony that happened.
Once the instructions were announced by the Emperor, Rachana took the troops and rushed to the Holy Island as fast as they could.
In the fortress, the news from the roaming blades that were stationed at the Vanderford immediately came.
Blaze then immediately informed the headquarters to warn the troops on the Holy Island.
Receiving the news, Abaddon immediately rallied the troops and heightened the alert in the place. The fight is now coming soon and they prayed that they will once again receive victory from the heavens!
