The King's Army Returned in Triumph

Night fell. The full moon in the sky was shrouded in dark clouds, and there was no light at all. It was the 15th of October, and it had been three days since the news of the border fortress arrived.

The five Great Archmages had led the Light Alliance to besiege the Irwin frontier. Since then, there had been no further news from the frontier. However, everyone in the capital knew that the Irwin frontier was doomed. At this moment, the frontier might have been breached. The allied forces might attack Skadi's capital next.

"Captain, last year the mages in the city used a light spell to light up the entire city all night!"

Up on the walls, after a long day of deathly silence, a young voice spoke in the dim light. The captain of the guards was dressed in battle armor, his sword in his hand. His eyes were blue-black and calm, but if you looked closely, you would see that he was numb. His nerves were numb to the death that was coming.

By now, all the soldiers on the walls had the same look on their faces. It was as if they had accepted that the Skadi kingdom was doomed. The young general who spoke was a young man who had just joined the City Guards this year. Last year, he was still a happy young man, chasing the Divine Light all night with the girl he loved on this day of prayer. At this moment, he could vaguely hear the girl's laughter in his head.

After a moment of silence, the guard captain said hoarsely, "Today is a day of prayer!"

All the soldiers glanced behind them as if they sensed something. The capital city had blended with the night which had a heavy air of oppression. In Skadi, the Great Royal Prayer Day was held on the fifteenth of October each year. The capital city was always the liveliest. Even at night, it was brightly lit. The king would also ask the mages to cast a spell of light from the highest point of the capital city, so that the entire city would be bathed in the brilliance of magic. Even the poorest families would stop their work on this day and bring their families out to bathe in the brilliance of magic.

It was the fifteenth of October of another year, but the capital was as silent as an empty city. The guards and mages of the palace had followed Princess Celia to the frontier to fight against the allied forces of the Light. The usually bustling and solemn palace was now completely empty. There were no mages to summon the Holy Light. There was only endless darkness. The shadow of imminent disaster hanged over everyone. Will Skadi enter the darkness and never see the light?

There were only a few lights in the entire capital city. The shadows of the lights danced on the stone walls. The soldiers were expressionless again. They looked ahead and stood numbly on the last watch. Princess Celia and her party walked at night and galloped by day, and finally arrived at the capital city at dawn.

The troops journeyed tirelessly through the dust and took advantage of the first rays of sunlight appearing on the horizon. The knight's guard said excitedly, "Princess, we've arrived at the capital!"

"We've arrived at the capital!"

Mo Fan looked up and saw a line of towering walls in the distance. The black walls were like a solid barrier, protecting the ancient capital. On the walls, a magic barrier was instantly activated, and a powerful magical aura descended on them in the blink of an eye.

As soon as the soldiers on the walls of the capital city realized that a legion was approaching, kicking up clouds of smoke and dust, they activated the magical protective barrier of the capital city. Even though the soldiers knew that they would be facing death in the end, they were determined to defend the city until the last moment. At that moment, there was silence above the walls. Deathly silence. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the legion that had appeared in the distant horizon. They gripped their heavy swords. Only at the moment of death did they realize that their minds were blank.

The knights watched as the golden magical barrier rose. The soldiers stood ready on the walls, their faces grim. The leader of the knights raised his right hand and gestured behind him. A young knight at the back immediately took out a golden banner. The banner flew high, fluttering in the wind, and the golden totem shone in the sun.

The eagle-lion on the totem danced in the air with the wind, as if it was alive. The sharp eyes of the eagle-lion looked straight ahead, emitting an extraordinary aura. On the city walls, the soldiers, who had made up their minds to live and die with the capital city and not retreat, thought that they were mistaken when they saw the golden banner raised to the sky.

As soon as the golden eagle-lion banner appeared, it attracted the attention of everyone on the city walls. They were in a desperate situation, at death's door. Now they held their breath and stared at the banner without blinking. It was as if the golden eagle-lion banner would disappear if they breathed.

The legion approached slowly, and the golden banner came into full view of the soldiers on the wall. The young captain on the wall stared at the banner waving in the wind in the distance, the golden eagle-lion against the backdrop of the glorious sun in the sky. He stared hard at the banner, his eyes red-rimmed. Tears fell from his eyes as a strong wind blew, but he did not even blink.

"That's our banner!"

"Princess Celia is back!"

Faint voices sounded one after another. The soldiers on the walls seemed to be spellbound. The golden eagle-lion banner came closer and closer, so close that the soldiers on the walls could see the burning eyes of the eagle-lion on the banner.

At this moment, waves of voices erupted from the city walls. "Our banner!"

"That's our banner!"

"It's the eagle-lion banner. The princess is back."

The golden eagle-lion banner was Skadi's banner. Every time a great army triumphed, soldiers raised the golden eagle-lion banner to signal Skadi's victory.

In addition to Skadi's grand ceremony, every time the army returned in triumph, it was bound to raise this banner in front of the army as a sign of victory. In front of the towering city walls, the homecoming army raised the golden banner in front of the formation. That meant that the defense of the fortress of Irwin had been successful. This army had returned in triumph! The soldiers on the city walls saw the golden eagle-lion banner. After a moment of excitement, they fell into shock. They looked at the banner for a moment.

"But—it was the Light allied forces led by five Great Archmages who besieged Fort Irwin. How could the Princess and the Royal Teacher possibly defeat them?"

"Is this—really our triumphant army?"

Above the walls, everyone fell into dead silence again.