Translator: Cinder Translations
...
A person who looked like a beggar was brought before Princess Catherine.
Catherine was greatly shocked.
She could vaguely recognize from his face that this was Becca Mandel, the second son of the noble Mandel family from the capital.
A year ago, he had followed his family's arrangement and went to the Watcher's Fortress to train and earn his knight title.
In Catherine's memory, Becca was a well-built young man who, like many other young nobles from the capital, took great pride in his appearance.
However, the person before her now was a far cry from the Becca she remembered.
He staggered forward, looking completely exhausted, clearly after a long journey. His eyes were muddled, showing the hardship of his travels. His clothes were tattered, his exposed skin covered in bright red wounds, and his hair was disheveled, blowing in the wind, dirty and messy.
"Is that you, Becca Mandel?"
Catherine asked, in disbelief.
"Ugh, Princess, I never thought I would live to see someone from Crystal Glare, to see you again! This must be the grace of the Lord of Light!"
Becca suddenly broke down in tears, nearly falling over, but luckily, his companion, Ophina, was there to steady him.
The black-haired general comforted him: "Becca, now you're among your own people. You can relax. Explain everything to the Princess."
Becca Mandel, after collecting himself, spoke quickly, describing a terrifying reality.
The Bradley family had betrayed the kingdom, and the Watcher's Fortress had already fallen.
"The fortress was fiercely attacked from the front by the orc army, which wasn't a surprise. We had confidence in repelling them, just like we had done countless times before."
"But… our backs were hit with a shameful sneak attack. The Bradley family's army, under the guise of delivering supplies, entered the fortress area..."
"Even worse, it wasn't just the Bradley family's traitor soldiers, but a large number of orc troops as well!"
"We don't understand how such a large orc army appeared behind us!"
"Despite the legion's desperate efforts to fight, the main fortress finally couldn't hold, and to preserve the last remnants of the Watcher's Legion, Deputy Commander Duke gave the order to break through!"
"Since the western area was Bradley family land, we chose to break out southward toward the Algin Plateau, which, at least nominally, was still the kingdom's territory."
"My team was ordered to cover the rear, but after intense fighting, we got separated from the main force and lost our way in the wilderness."
"We crossed primitive jungles, and barren deserts, with casualties mounting. In the end, I was the only one left. When I was on the brink of collapse, the Lord of Light gave me one last breath, and I saw this small town, with the kingdom's flag flying above it."
After saying all this, Becca Mandel cried out loudly.
"I'm the only one left! I'm the only one left!"
He kept repeating the words.
Damn traitors!
Anger burned in everyone's chest.
Catherine's generals all clenched their swords tightly.
Ophina, holding back her fury, asked her lord, "Princess, what should we do now?"
Catherine furrowed her golden eyebrows tightly.
From Becca's words, it was clear that the situation in the kingdom's northeastern region had fallen into complete chaos.
The most important fortress had been lost, and the largest local lord had allied with the enemy from outside the gates.
Even worse, her own army was now trapped deep inside enemy territory, like a leaf caught in a raging river.
No wonder that Bradley kid dared to act so disrespectfully.
"A trap has already been set for us."
Catherine immediately gathered her commanders to discuss the next steps.
"We must retreat immediately, to the territories loyal to the kingdom!"
"What about the Watcher's Fortress? Are we just abandoning it?"
"The fortress has already fallen!"
Given the dire situation, the generals quickly agreed that retreat was the only option.
"If the Bradley family had planned this in advance, we may face numerous obstacles on our way back."
Catherine voiced her concerns.
Leicester's gaze was cold. "Then let's kill the traitors! As long as they pay an unbearable price, even if it costs their lives, it will be worth it."
"No, no!" Klein disagreed. "Leicester, you're a commander of the kingdom's army, not a knight charging into battle!"
Dempsey also nodded, saying: "Our responsibility should be to preserve as much of the kingdom's forces as possible, now that the situation is beyond saving."
Klein spread a map across the table.
"Look, this is the area we are in."
"From my judgment, the Bradley family's forces are mostly focused on dealing with the Watcher's Fortress, with a portion nearby or lying in wait along our southern retreat route. So I suggest..."
His finger traced westward.
"Let's head west!"
"To the Blackstone Pass?"
"Yes, to the Blackstone Pass. We'll rally loyal forces to the kingdom there."
Leicester asked, "Orcs are notorious for plundering. If they do invade the kingdom's interior on a large scale, they may immediately attack the rich southern regions to plunder wealth."
Klein continued his explanation, "If we build up a considerable force in the Blackstone Pass, we can severely threaten the orc army's flank, preventing them from advancing full-force southward. And there's another important reason."
He looked at Catherine: "The Blackstone Pass are just west of the Northwest Bay, and as far as I know, the Northwest Bay now produces over half of the kingdom's steel and weaponry, which is real wealth in a war. But this area has long been isolated, never facing large-scale warfare. We need to establish a defensive barrier for the Northwest Bay in the Blackstone Pass."
Most southern nobles view orcs as a wild, barbaric group from the grasslands—large and strong, but poorly disciplined. As long as human soldiers form a solid line, a direct charge will scatter them.
However, the knights of the royal capital's knight order, most of whom had trained at the Watcher's Fortress, had a more accurate understanding of the orc army's strength, especially given the rise of a new orc leadership in the grasslands. They knew to be cautious.
If the Watcher's Fortress were still in the kingdom's hands, the situation would be better, but now that the great fortress had fallen,
Klein said: "If we manage to adapt the Northwest Bay to war efforts, I believe that with their support, we could push the orcs back from the Blackstone Pass."
Ophina nodded. "Then we must inform Earl Grayman to prepare."
"What is your decision, Your Highness?"
The generals looked to Catherine, waiting for her command.
The blonde princess quickly made her decision.
"We go to the Northwest Bay!"
"But before that, we must first gain some leverage over the Bradley family."
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (FF) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c832. [+1]
Early Access at $5.
Translated (5) Series, (2.2K+) Chapters, (2.9M+) Words.