Chapter 142: The Unfavorable Situation

At the 5th Army's camp, we met the overall commander - General Douglas of the 5th Army Corps. Alfreed was supposed to take over this position soon, so he remained a vice-corps commander for now. Of course, with Eleanora's recent promotion to 6th tier, her military standing would rise accordingly.

Unlike other encounters with kingdom officials, General Douglas showed little enthusiasm towards our angel visitors, not even greeting us personally. But we understood - the situation severely challenged Astralrealm, beset by threats on all sides. Even the capital Norvale might not escape the coming conflict. The general's responsibilities weighed heavily.

In summary, the angel armies in the far north could no longer be relied upon. To prepare for the worst, King Galahad ordered nearly every deployable force to the Parristol frontier to confront this new crisis. 

However, reinforcements would take at least a day to arrive...

They just needed to stall the enemy here until then. For now, the new Parristol city seemed stationary in the sky with no movements. Perhaps it couldn't move at all, or intended to eliminate the grounded kingdom forces first before any maneuvers? Or maybe some mishap occurred?

Standing at the command tent's entrance, I gazed up wistfully. Having left the mountains for the kingdom's plains, the sky city appeared even higher and farther now. Surrounded by misty white clouds, it looked increasingly ethereal and dreamlike - like a fabled celestial realm.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Magnificent! We're probably among the first humans to witness such a sight..." Eleanora remarked beside me, gazing skyward too.

"We've been calling it 'New Parristol,' but never imagined this former kingdom city could transform into such a grave threat."

"To be fair, it hardly relates to the original Parristol anymore..." I sighed, shaking my head before retreating into the tent.

If not for Astralrealm's invasive oppression of Parristol, things may never have escalated to this point. But Eleanora was a kingdom citizen holding a key military medical position, so I couldn't speak that aloud.

Due to her sensitive affiliation, Judith wasn't allowed into the command tent despite our angel status, staying outside. The rest of us entered to find Alfreed being reprimanded.

"His Majesty only approved the 3rd and 1st Army Corps, with a pitiful ratio of gryphon knights! The original Parristol garrison force is now just a ragtag bunch. Even combined, we're no match for that city!"

Outside, nearly every soldier celebrated the newly-arrived reinforcements - including Vice-Commander Alfreed. But inside, General Douglas the commander thought otherwise, dousing Alfreed's hopes with a cold rebuke. 

"Your experience is too shallow - don't forget we face the united Empire, monster, and Parristol rebel forces! So naive!"

Astralrealm's military paled compared to the southern Ilandra Dominion Empire's might. Alfreed fell silent, repeatedly nodding acceptance under his superior's harsh dressing-down.

For just a 5th-tier mage, Douglas showed no mercy criticizing even stronger subordinates - full "kick-down" arrogance.

"Isn't that exaggerating?" Brennan objected as we entered, trying to defend Alfreed. "If the enemy can call for aid, why can't we? Cresthaven's Pope is an ally - just bring them aboard too. Don't forget monsters are involved - even as neutrals, the Church can't ignore this."

Originally ignoring Brennan, Douglas scoffed and glared at the redhead. 

"You're that mercenary Brennan from the monster invasion war, right? Do you know how long it takes to get from the holy capital to here? Not to mention needing to send an envoy to request the Pope's involvement first - time is critically short now. Who knows when that city might fly over the royal capital?"

"Er..." Brennan fell silent, admitting the logic. Parristol's "divine punishment" was no joke - although Cysper claimed its range wouldn't extend far from the city, lifting the entire city over the target was an unforeseen tactic. Not to mention Cysper's return to the holy capital made direct contact difficult.

But persisting this way led nowhere. Simply put, Astralrealm alone couldn't handle the new Parristol as it stood, let alone with the Empire's aid.

"Doesn't the Empire have other enemies though? How bold to march forces right to our borders - aren't they afraid of other nations exploiting the opportunity?" Alfreed proposed an alternative.

The classic strategy of diverting the enemy's attention! The vast Ilandra Empire surely made many enemies that could harass them from behind during this distraction, potentially easing the situation. 

Though simpler than Spiritual Convergence, human geo-magic enabled a fixed-point "telephone" communication magic. While too late for troop deployments, coordinating with other nations might work wonders.

"You mean having Crestvale Republic attack from behind to force the Empire's retreat?" Douglas quickly grasped Alfreed's meaning but shook his head.

"The Empire has indeed made many enemies over the years. Crestvale in the southeast frequently clashes with them in small border conflicts, harboring deep resentment after repeated losses. They'd likely answer the call swiftly. But I doubt it would make any real difference! Don't forget the Empire's vast territory - this invasion force may be large but didn't abandon border defense. Harassment from a single nation couldn't impact the bigger picture!"

No one objected further - it was nearly a dead end! Astralrealm now faced isolation with no aid in sight. Unless King Galahad immediately backed down, I doubted New Parristol would simply agree. How would Adrian respond, I wondered?

"My apologies for the delay - do you bring any good news from the angel armies?" Douglas finally addressed us angels, his expression shifting to a polite smile.

"No, we're just passing through to assess the situation..." I replied, his face instantly falling again, though he remained courteous. 

"As you can see, the kingdom faces dire straits. Please accurately inform Lady Elara - any assistance, however small, would help!"

Thinking I was from Edenmere and aware the angel armies were stuck on the northern front, he could only politely request aid through me before instructing Alfreed to see us to quarters.

"Don't keep our angel guests waiting - show them to accommodations!"

"Well, well, did you find out why the Sage Council chose neutrality?" Judith rushed over, tailed by "bodyguards," as soon as we exited.

"About that..." 

Truthfully, with monsters so clearly involved, the Council's neutrality defied common sense. Yet Douglas never touched on that angle despite his lengthy briefing, leaving me conflicted on how to respond.

"It's probably the territorial disputes," Alfreed spoke up, not turning around. "According to kingdom spies in Crescent City, the Empire pressured the Council tremendously, offering to recognize the Council's vast lands in northeastern Imperial territory. The Council likely couldn't refuse such terms."

"Territory, huh..." Judith fell silent, unable to argue further. 

The Council's establishment of Crescent City on Imperial lands was undisputed - though back when relations were cordial centuries ago, neither side minded the nascent Council's modest beginnings and lack of national ambitions. 

But times changed, and so did leadership. This formerly ambiguous issue became the Council's biggest liability now that covert Empire-monster ties soured relations. It often resurfaced as a bargaining chip. Some said the Council's non-intervention when Parristol was annexed also stemmed from such considerations.