[Vol. 1] Chapter 16: The So-Called Beastmen
In summary, due to various coincidences, Violet, who originally planned to go to the Courage City in the capital, took a sharp turn when she encountered the fifth princess, Lilya Melchior. Following Princess Lilya's command, their route changed, and they headed west with her forces.
Lilya's Guard was assembled after she accepted her mission from the West Council. It was an elite unit responsible for the princess's safety. This force of 2,000 soldiers included guards and knights trained by Lilya herself, along with 3,000 soldiers drawn from the Royal Guard stationed in the capital.
The military structure of the Human United Kingdom was organized into squads of ten, companies of a hundred, battalions of a thousand, and legions of ten thousand. Although these three forces under Lilya's temporary command seemed straightforward and uninvolved in any political struggle, they were dispatched by the Council, which was manipulated by the three princes. Therefore, Princess Lilya remained cautious.
Indeed, less than a week after their departure from the capital, Miss Flora, who was specially instructed to be vigilant, noticed something amiss. She informed them that there were unidentified individuals in the three forces, possibly showing signs of insubordination. This is why Lilya was able to act in advance and suppress any rebellion.
It had been over a week since Violet accepted the princess's commission to serve as her guardian, and they were close to the fortress of Wanhe in the Western Frontier after a week of marching. They were expected to arrive in another day or two.
According to Lilya, General Leyton, who was the commander of Wanhe Fortress and also the Chief Marshal of the Western Region, was one of the kingdom's few loyal talents. He had commanded the Western Army of 300,000, guarding the border with the Beastman Kingdom for over twenty years.
He was known for his uprightness and integrity and was deeply loved by the local population. Furthermore, he was a peak sky-level expert with one step away from reaching the legendary-level, which was the human limit.
Because of General Leyton's presence, the kingdom had enjoyed peace and security for many years, and he was unlikely to involve himself in the petty political struggles of the princes. He could be trusted.
The reason the princess was in such a hurry to travel was that, although they had won the recent battle against the insurgents, her forces had suffered heavy losses, especially among the guards who had protected the carriages.
Out of 2,000 knights, including those lightly injured, only about 1,200 remained capable of fighting. In addition, they had to escort over a thousand prisoners. Although Lilya didn't express it verbally, Violet could sense her deep concern, as it would be challenging for this force to endure another major battle.
The leader of the insurgent forces, the man who was seriously injured when the carriage exploded, had taken his own life upon defeat. The remaining insurgents were just common soldiers with limited knowledge. Lilya couldn't produce evidence and couldn't return these people to the capital, as that would be like setting a tiger loose among sheep. So the best solution was to escort them to Wanhe Fortress.
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In the princess's carriage, Miss Lilya stood in front of a simulated sand table that represented the entire western border of the kingdom and the neighboring half of the beastman kingdom. She was lost in thought, continuously simulating various scenarios.
Setting aside political struggles, Lilya's primary goal at the moment was to secure victory in this war. She aimed to expand her military achievements as much as possible, proving herself in order to gain prestige and the support of the people.
The princess's carriage, referred to as such, was indeed luxurious. However, it wasn't drawn by horses but by some peculiar creatures. These creatures had scales, a horn on their head, sturdy limbs, and a length of nearly five to six meters.
Lilya referred to them as "Qilin Horned Beasts," and it was said that they contained a trace of mythical beings in their bodies, with the bloodline of dragons.
They possessed immense strength, exceptional endurance, and absurdly high defense. They were considered 2nd-tier magical beasts, and many upper-class nobles in the kingdom liked to use them as carriage pullers.
Of course, these creatures were quite expensive.
The bottom of the carriage seemed to have magical shock absorbers and coupled with the smooth gait of the Qilin Horned Beasts, Violet felt no hint of bumpiness inside. Even the pieces on the sand table remained stable without moving, highlighting the benefits of wealth.
Violet sat on the other side of the carriage, placed down the "World Geography and Cultural Atlas" given by the princess, and asked lazily, "Speaking of which, Lilya, what kind of country is the beastman kingdom? The book says that most beastman races can serve as capable warriors on the battlefield once they come of age, and they can even rival well-trained human elite soldiers. Is that true?"
Lilya set down the chess piece she was holding and, with a slightly serious expression, began to explain after organizing her thoughts, "Well, yes and no."
"To avoid causing unnecessary panic and reducing the intimidation factor of the beastman kingdom towards our country, the descriptions of beastmen have been downplayed as much as possible in our internal books. In reality, they are only going to be more troublesome."
"Huh? And that's considered downplaying…?"
Violet looked astonished, thinking, "Can a single beastman really defeat ten human soldiers?"
"You're right, although it's hard to accept, beastmen might indeed be superior to us humans on the biological level, as a result of their evolution. What you read in that book is just the basics. In reality, different beastman races possess unimaginable, extraordinary talents."
"For instance, the eaglefolk can effortlessly soar through the air, much like the winged people of the far south, and even harness the power of the wind. The bearfolk possess incredible strength, standing over four meters tall and can easily shatter shields several centimeters thick up close. Tigerfolk and lionfolk are born warriors, and when they reach adulthood, they are at least equivalent to human mithril-tier warriors."
"In addition, there are the strangely fast wolf tribe, agile and stealthy apefolk, leopardfolk with unique summoning abilities, and, most importantly…"
Lilya paused and spoke solemnly, "Their royal bloodline, the half-dragons, are true super warriors with the blood of dragons. Dragons, these mythical creatures that exist only in legends, have strengths that are beyond our human imagination. Even if they inherit less than half of the bloodline, it's enough to grant them incredibly terrifying power."
"In fact, while the half-dragons are rare in number, it is said that they possess the strength of at least a land-tier warrior from birth. What we humans dream of as legends, to them, is simply a matter of course. There are even rumors that the current ruler of the beastman tribes, the chief of the half-dragons, has surpassed the level of legends, reaching an indescribable realm."
Flora, who had been silently listening all along, added, "I'm not sure how strong the Beastman Emperor is, but during my travels in my younger days, I encountered a newly adult half-dragon a few times. At that time, I had just reached the level of legends, and I didn't have the confidence to defeat it."
"Wow…"
Violet was left stunned by this revelation and began to understand why Lilya was always so fearful. However, if beastmen were truly this powerful, why hadn't they wiped out the Human United Kingdom despite years of conflict?
"It's civilization."
As if she could discern what was on Violet's mind, the princess explained, "Beastman civilization is quite primitive. They live in tribal communities, and even farming isn't common. They are still in the stage of hunting and gathering wild fruits, and they don't use very complex tools."
"Because of the scarcity of food, their population has never really grown. Roughly estimated, the entire Beastman Kingdom has only about 20-30 million people, not even one-tenth the population of the Human United Kingdom. That's why we've been able to defend ourselves with our numbers and massive city walls."
"I see…"
Violet murmured quietly, but her thoughts were focused on something else.
In this world, she wondered if the dragons here were the same as the Sacred Crystal Dragon from that game. And as for the Beastman Emperor, being beyond legend sounded impressive. She wondered just how powerful they were – level 60, level 70, or even higher?
Since there were these unknown powerful beings around, she decided it was best to be cautious. Despite her high level, she was just a priest, and if Xiao Guang wasn't by her side, she needed to tread carefully. Safety first, after all, is the key to a long journey.