Pablo rushed to the Forbidden Area.
Before he got close, he smelled an alluring fragrance of wine wafting through the air.
As he drew nearer, Pablo was shocked to see that numerous temples had been built at the foot of the mountain.
These temples appeared ancient and elegant, and cheerful singing echoed from within.
Bonfires were lit outside the temples.
A number of robed individuals were singing and dancing joyfully with ordinary people, looking extremely happy.
Pablo was completely confused, unable to understand what was going on. But he had more urgent matters to attend to, so he didn't linger and rushed straight to the mountaintop.
"Master Owen, please help!"
"Pablo?" Owen was startled. "Is someone chasing you? Where are your students?"
"No, no one's chasing me. No, wait—there will be soon! An enemy army of a million troops is on its way to massacre us all!" Pablo frantically explained the invasion of the enemy nation.
To get Owen's attention, he even exaggerated the cruelty and savagery of the enemy forces.
He described how the captives, once caught, would be flayed and roasted if they were men, and boiled into soup if they were women!
In short, no matter what, everyone would be eaten in the end.
Owen had never heard of anything so gruesome.
His face turned pale, and for a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.
It was Cinderella who, despite trembling, muttered, "That makes sense. Male muscles are tougher and better suited for roasting, while female fat makes for better soup."
"Ahhh, stop it!" Owen got goosebumps all over. "This is no time to discuss the culinary expertise of those villains!"
"Boo hoo, Mentor, I'm so scared!" Cinderella began to cry, tears streaming down her face. "Let's move away."
"Alright!" Owen agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Let's pack up and leave right now."
He dashed into the pub to initiate his moving plan.
Cinderella, meanwhile, pulled out a huge cloth sack and started stuffing it with dried fruits and jerky, preparing rations for their escape.
Pablo was utterly dumbfounded.
This was nothing like the reaction he had imagined.
Shouldn't Mr. Owen be roaring in anger, then soaring into the sky and blasting his way through the million-strong army of arcane beasts with a forbidden spell, turning them all into dust?
"Mr. Owen!"
"Please don't start packing yet! The entire kingdom's fate depends on you."
"His Majesty the King hopes that you can take action and annihilate the enemy army."
"What?" Owen suspected he had misheard. Pointing to himself, he asked incredulously, "You want me to fight a million savage enemies? Me? Really?"
It was like asking a goldfish to slay a dragon.
Pablo must have eaten something bad, causing food poisoning and making him delusional.
After all, he was just an ordinary pub owner with no magic at all!!!
"Yes, I'm begging you." Pablo knelt on one knee, holding Caesar's badge ring in his hands, and pleaded, "This is the badge His Majesty entrusted to you. With this, you can command all the legions of the Azul Kingdom."
"Although some legions have already moved out to resist those savages, everyone knows the chances of success are slim."
"Mr. Owen, for the sake of those innocent people, please help us."
Owen could feel Pablo's sincerity.
He hurriedly helped the elderly man up.
"I'm sorry, I truly want to help," Owen said helplessly. "But I'm just an ordinary person. Forget fighting a million troops; I can't even handle an ordinary mercenary."
"While there's still time, you should think of another solution."
Pablo stared blankly at Owen.
He knew Owen was using this excuse to refuse.
The old man's eyes were filled with despair.
Could it be that the Azul Kingdom was truly doomed? Heartbroken, he bowed to Owen and departed with a dejected expression.
...
The Death Legion had been defeated.
After receiving Caesar's order, they traveled to the frontlines aboard a goblin airship.
But the enemy turned out to be far more vicious than anyone had anticipated.
The barbarian legions had set up traps in advance, delivering a heavy blow to the Death Legion. The captain's fate was unknown, and most knights from the other two legions were captured. The few remaining ones scattered and retreated toward the plains.
The enemy's morale, however, grew even higher.
They charged forward relentlessly.
They swiftly broke through the Hollow Mountains. All that stood between them and the plains was a single hill. Once they took it, they would have a direct path to the plains, which would bring the Azul Kingdom to its knees.
"Charge!"
"Humans are weak! Every human we meet will become our future slaves!"
"Kill all who resist! Hahaha, this so-called Azul Kingdom is a joke, too weak!"
"What fertile lands, what a beautiful sky. Soon, all of this will belong to us."
The ferocious million-strong army resembled a tide of darkness, surging toward the Forbidden Area.
The earth shook so violently that Owen and Cinderella could feel it even on the mountaintop. They had just finished packing, each holding a pet, when they ran halfway down the mountain.
Looking down, Owen saw the densely packed army.
"Oh god! They're here already?" Owen's face turned deathly pale. "We're doomed. Pablo said these people are especially brutal. Now everyone in the nearby towns, including us, will become their emergency rations."
"Boo hoo, Mentor, in the next life, I want to be your student again." Cinderella cried until her eyes were swollen. "Don't worry. I'll make sure they eat me first."
"Don't say such nonsense! If we're going to die, we die together." Owen sighed deeply.
At this point, there was no way to escape.
Fighting was out of the question.
All that was left was to wait for death—or, ahem, to observe the situation.
Soon, a large crowd appeared ahead.
It was Grand Archpriest Emil leading the followers of the Goddess of Wine, along with some nearby townsfolk who had come along.
"Lord Envoy, please rest assured." Emil said earnestly, "Our mission is to uphold the dignity of the great Goddess of Wine."
"As Her Envoy, we will protect you with our lives! Until the last drop of our blood is shed."
"The stars in the sky and the earth below bear witness to us. We, the Temple of the Wine Goddess, swear to defend Lord Envoy to the death."
All the followers of the Goddess of Wine raised their glasses.
They shouted in unison, "Protect Lord Envoy!"
"Thank you." Owen was at a loss for words.
These followers of the Goddess of Wine were really good people.
In such dire circumstances, instead of fleeing, they thought of coming to protect him.
However, Owen knew that even if all of them combined their strength, they wouldn't stand a chance against a million troops.
Even the strongest knight or mage in this world would be ground down by sheer numbers.
"Lord Envoy, do you believe in us?" Emil asked seriously, staring into Owen's eyes.
"I do." Owen replied honestly.
At this point, believing or not made no difference.
It was better to give them a sliver of hope rather than wait for death in despair.
Hearing Owen's response, Emil and the other followers seemed to gain infinite courage.
Gentle light began to radiate from their bodies, and the fragrance of wine in the air grew even stronger.
"Everyone, the great Goddess of Wine will protect us."
"We believe in Her."
"Just as He believes in us."
Grand Archpriest Emil rose into the air. Under her leadership, the glowing followers marched back down the mountain in a grand procession.
Each one of them appeared brimming with confidence.
The group returned to the largest temple and quietly awaited the arrival of the enemy.
Meanwhile, the despondent Pablo returned to the palace.
"How did it go?" Caesar saw the look on his face, and his heart sank. But he still held onto the last shred of hope and asked, "Did Master Owen agree to take action?"
Pablo shook his head and returned the ring to the king.
He sighed.
"Master Owen said he's just an ordinary person. He advised us to think of another way."
Caesar looked puzzled at first, then sighed as well. "Yes, Master Owen is a reclusive expert who wishes to live as an ordinary person."
"He introduced himself as an ordinary man from the beginning. Of course, he wouldn't break his own principles and act recklessly."
"The Death Legion has been defeated… Pablo, go."
Caesar seemed to age ten years in an instant. "Inform the students of the three academies to prepare for the defense of the capital."
"We, the Azul Kingdom, will never surrender."
"We will fight until the last person falls!"