It had been a little over a month since the fall of the Dukedom of Gillhearts. The Hero and his party were currently trying to raise the morale of the people while also aiming to gather more financial support from nobles.
He didn't need to do much. Most of the work was done by his fiancés in the background while he attained public gatherings and used his charm the nobles and his charisma to gather volunteers from the local people and adventures.
Everyone followed the action of the Hero. Everyone but a young prince of the poor kingdom called Highland.
Edwin's focus was on one thing alone. Revenge.
He stood atop the city wall and looked at the plain below. An army of over 10000 rebel knights, magicians, and some mercenaries stood.
Standing against this force were 200 royal knights. The knights wore armor never seen before. Silver in color with red capes behind their backs. What made this armor even more unique was the shining crystals that could be seen on their chest. Each royal knight had one shining crystal on their chest with one exception.
She stood ahead of the royal knights. With long light blue hair, red eyes, and a beautiful face. She stood in her armor with two crystals on her chest.
She was the new commander of the royal knights.
Margarita Prigent. Daughter and heir of the house of Prigent. The house of Prigent was the knighthood family that has produced royal knight commanders for generations.
Despite not having a noble rank the Prigent family was well respected among the royal nobles and even the neutral faction could not bring itself for generations, to question the Prigent family until Count Gunnleifus Varma took over as head of the faction.
"Margarita, I will give you one more chance. Surrender and I will spare your life. You can leave a comfortable life as my mistress"
The man who shouted those words with the aid of wind magic was the commander of the rebel army. Count Gunnleifus Varma, used his authority to have his second son Boril Varma take command.
Boril found the beauty of Margarita too much to bear. He wanted Margarita as his woman. He was constantly licking his lips as he fantasied about what he would do to the beautiful knight.
[I wonder how she will look like on a leash.] He thought to himself
Margarita stood there quietly with a smile on her face and showed no emotion to his words and behavior.
She calmly waited for the word of her master and childhood friend. When Edwin was still only 8 years old Margarita was assigned to teach him the basics of using a sword.
Edwin had no talent whatsoever for swordsmanship, but that didn't stop him from trying. He would often follow her training routine until she finished swinging her sword.
One day she asked him why he pushed himself so far when he had no talent.
His reply was something she had once heard from her grandfather.
"If I have no talent, then I will make up for it with hard work" he replied with a wry smile.
Margarita could help but see this young boy in a new light from that day. While she never said anything to him because of the difference in their social standing. She nether less made more effort to behave more lady-like around him.
Not that the dense Edwin would realize, and Eve and Hitomi were never going to point it out to him.
Edwin took a deep breath before speaking. He had done all he could to prepare for this day.
****
After speaking with Queen Madeline of the fairies Edwin left the reception room. Leaving instruction with Eve to take care of Queen Madeline.
Queen Madeline was to be treated as a royal guest and her true identity as a fairy queen was to be hidden.
Edwin beckoned Hitomi to follow him as he headed to see Prime Minister Herman Clark.
Both Eve and Hitomi followed his commands without uttering a single word about what transpired between him and Viscount Honcho. They saw it immediately when he came out of the room.
They saw the aura of a king.
The door to the war council opened and Edwin walked in. Standing around a round table were. Prime Minister Herman Clark, Viscount Honcho, Margarita Prigent, and other Knights.
They looked at Edwin in surprise. They didn't know what to say to him. It was Prime Minister Herman Clark that eventually broke the silence.
"The King is no longer among us," he said. Just he had said before. Edwin couldn't accept those words before but this time it was different.
He was different.
"Then I will be King" he replied firmly. He had weak mana but no one doubted what they felt.
The aura of a king.
Prime Minister Herman Clark was the first to take the knee and soon the others followed.
"Long live the king, long live highland" they chanted
Soon the meeting began anew.
"What is happening?" Edwin asked
"A new force has appeared in the north. No doubt Count Gunnleifus Varma's doing. They want to crush as soon as possible. As it stands right now we can last close to a month but after that, it will be tricky"
"What about the knights sent to Everwood and Jarodor?"
"I am afraid they have been lost."
"Huh...What do you mean?"
"We got word yesterday that the Dukedom of Gillhearts has fallen"
"What!"
"It seems an abyss king showed up with a vast army and a new type of demonic beast that travels underground."
"Underground?"
"Yes. It seems to be a worm type demonic beast that travels underground with an army of demonic beasts within it"
"Sounds scary," Hitomi said
"Indeed. Because it travels underground you can't detect it until it's too late" Margarita Prigent pointed out
"Did the hero survive the fall of the Dukedom of Gillhearts?"
"Yes. He and his wives, along with most of the nobility present at the Dukedom of Gillhearts escaped. The Hero is currently heading toward the Holy kingdom. No doubt to regroup and reorganize. Unfortunately when the Dukedom of Gillhbattleground
Jarodor and Everwood became the next battleground. Our knights were still in the east and were caught up in a demonic attack and perished."
Edwin saw the pained expression on the prime ministers' face and asked a question, "Do you believe they were used as meat shields?"
The whole room went quiet for a second before the prime minister continued.
"Officially they claim that the knights died during a surprise attack by the demonic forces but I do believe they were used as 'meat' shields to buy the two kingdoms time to reorganize."
"Those bastards. I will make them pay" a knight uttered
His thoughts were mutual among everyone in the room.
"Everything has a time and place. Right now my concern is to take back my kingdom" Edwin declared
Everyone in the room nodded at his words. The goal of everyone right now is to defeat the rebels.
"Do you know how the people under their control are being treated?"
Prime Minister Herman Clark sighed before speaking, "They are taxing the people to death. No doubt they wish to replenish the war funds they had spent. I fear it won't be long before those decide to flee the kingdom but..."
"There is nowhere for them to go. With the fall of the Dukedom of Gillhearts, many kingdoms and territories will be wary of allowing in refugees." Clark nodded at Edwins' words,
"Most of the continents' food was produced in the east by kingdoms like Saifuddien but now that those territories have been lost, the amount of food to go around is decreasing. I doubt anyone will want to spare what little they have on refugees."
"It won't come to that. In one month, I will have taken back Highland"
"Huh!?" every screamed