17 Mobilization Order! (Part 1)

"General...!"

Just as Murphy was walking out of the military camp, a General Guard soldier rushed over to him on a horse. He had bloodstains on his shoulders, and one of his arms was hanging weakly at his side. But due to his superb riding skills, undoubtedly, he didn't fall off the horse.

"General…! This is bad! The gnolls have already…" As soon as the General Guard soldier reached Murphy's side, he could no longer withstand his pain and fell from his steed. Fortunately, Hamilton was alert and immediately reacted, rushing forward to catch the falling General Guard soldier with his hands.

Murphy was startled and rushed forward.

This was when he discovered on the soldier's back five bloodied wounds, which had been left by the claws of the gnolls. Most of the soldier's skin had been ripped off, and Murphy could even faintly see his spine in some places!

How did he have the willpower to ride with such a serious injury for so long?

Murphy carefully helped the fallen soldier up from the ground while trying his best to avoid the wounds. He then ordered his servants to get wine and asked in a deep voice: "What happened? Did the gnolls attack? Or have they gathered?"

In an era without morphine, wine was used to alleviate pain.

That, and cigarettes.

"General… cough cough…!" The generals that Murphy had sent to investigate the enemy's situation came back panting, and the fallen soldier coughed a few times, spitting out fresh, dark red blood clots. He struggled and held onto Murphy's hand, and said: "The gnolls have gathered… and there are plenty of other strong monsters… cough, please be careful, Your Excellency. Help… help me take care of my mother… cough… I give my life for Athens! For Sparta!" The soldier shouted the slogan that Murphy had used to mobilize the troops a few days ago. Slowly, he released the hands that were grasping onto Murphy and fell...

"Your Excellency, here is the wine…" said the servant, who ran back over to Murphy with sweat pouring down his face.

Suddenly, he fell silent, and his hand holding the wine bottle turned white as his grip tightened around it.

"He's a warrior!" Murphy said in a deep voice, stressing each word. "Give him a proper burial."

After he finished, he slowly closed the eyes of the soldier who had sacrificed himself and laid him to rest. Then, Murphy snatched the wine from the servant's hands and started gulping it down in large mouthfuls.

Inexplicable anger and hatred had been ignited in his heart.

It was like a raging flame!

His hands were clenched into tight fists, and his knuckles turned white and green.

The anger evoked a burning desire to tear the enemy to pieces!

Murphy silently opened the Strategy Map in his mind and looked at Hamilton, who was also angered by the sacrifices of his comrades. He said to him in a deep voice: "Conscript all the townspeople and arrange for the women and children to head to the port!"

Murphy looked at the Karazan Mountains in the distance. Dark clouds covered the sky and were as oppressive as an abyss.

"Announcing—"

"—Total! War! Mobilization! Order!"

Cling Clang!

Murphy pulled out the sword hanging at his waist and turned toward the plaza. He marched toward the temple of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, with a firm and persistent pace. Unknowingly, he had influenced everyone to pick up their weapons too!

The dull sound of bells came from the town of Athens, and this heavy sound rang throughout the entire town.

The residents involuntarily put down their work at hand, and with dignified faces, they purposefully walked toward the plaza.

The soldiers clenched their weapons tightly and lined up with a determined look on their faces. Under the command of the chief, they gathered at the center of the town.

The priestesses stopped praying.

Under the high priestess's lead, one by one the new priestesses stepped out of the temple in their most solemn clerical clothing.

Murphy was clad in black and was fully armored. He stood like a sculpture high on a podium in the middle of the plaza. Holding onto his sword with both hands, he determinedly gazed into the distance as the General Guards stood silently behind him, fully armed.

Strike! Strike! Strike!

Seven of the Greek infantry soldiers entered the plaza in a neat, dull march. They held their spears high in the air, and the metal reflected the sunlight.

Close to two thousand residents gathered in the plaza.

They said nothing and looked silently at the man standing on the podium. This was their leader, their Governor, their pioneer.

Murphy solemnly looked at the residents gathered below. These were his people, the lifeblood of the town.

He slowly raised his sword. In a deep voice, he said: "The people of Greece! The people of Athens! The warriors of Sparta! Hear me!"

"Our enemies are those seemingly humble but brutal beasts! Our enemies are those cannibalistic monsters! Those creatures called gnolls are gathering troops! They intend to destroy our newly-built homes! They intend to make us their food and their slaves!"

Murphy stopped speaking and quietly watched the people gathered below him. They all were now filled with anger and the desire to fight.

"In the face of these inhumane beasts, can we just give in? Can we just run away?"

The silence before they started shouting was so heavy it made him breathless!

"The people of Athens, children of the Goddess!"

"We will use our spears and show them that we Greeks are not some weak, intimidated lambs! We will use our blood to show them that the Greeks will not be defeated! That we will yield to nobody! They will pay a heavy price for the mistakes they've made, and we will definitely win!!!"

Murphy pointed his sword at the Spartan infantry with a determined and solemn expression on his face. He roared, and the roar came from his heart: "SPARTA!"

"SPARTA!"

"SPARTA!!"

"S P A R T A ! ! !"

The units roared in unison, and the ferocious war chant motivated the residents. All of them were infected with their spirit. The loud roar, which traveled up toward the sky, symbolized the pride of this unyielding nation.

The men gathered and started to distribute weapons, while the women and children were taken to the port, where they could take a boat to the opposite bank of the Nidoria River and be safe for the time being.

Directly after Murphy issued a declaration of total war, the entire town started preparing for the upcoming battle!

Perhaps there would be death, and perhaps families would be torn apart. Many wives would lose their husbands, and children would lose their fathers!

But a nation wouldn't be defeated so easily!

. . . . . . . . . . . .

On the other side of the plaza, Lady Elizabeth looked at Murphy, who was standing in the middle podium, and was speechless for a long time…