Kingdom’s Reaction

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

In the capital city of Crystal Glare, the streets and alleys were filled with a tense yet joyous atmosphere. The Saint's Day was just a few days away, and every household was busy preparing for the festivities. Merchants were bustling through the streets, selling their goods. For most people, the rebellion far to the south seemed distant and remote, except for those with loved ones serving in the military. These families prayed for their relatives' safety and looked forward to the new year with hope.

Inside the royal palace's council hall, however, the atmosphere was starkly different from the outside celebrations. It was filled with seriousness and unease. The events in Westport had caused a stir among the government's senior officials. King Rodney had summoned his ministers, including Earl Rupert and Earl Merlin, to discuss the situation.

At present, their discussion was focused solely on the assassination of the naval high command in Westport. They had yet to learn about the subsequent events.

According to the available investigation reports, the "assassin"—though it was more accurate to call it a self-detonation incident—was an old servant from General Pike's household, known for his loyalty and diligence. It was hard to believe such a person could commit such a frantic act.

Of course, this was not the most important issue. The real concern was how a living person could suddenly explode and kill a large number of people around him. This was unprecedented. Even the alchemists sent to investigate by the Westport administrative office had found no suspicious substances.

The loss of naval strength was a secondary concern. The navy of the Aldor Kingdom was established a long time ago to eradicate pirates. After the pirates disappeared, its role had been reduced to smuggling enforcement. The higher-ups had long wanted to find a reason to cut the navy and redirect the funds to strengthen the army.

Despite the discussions, King Rodney and his ministers were still in the dark. Rodney turned to Earl Merlin, who had been silent throughout the meeting: "Merlin, you've been quiet. Do you have any thoughts?"

Earl Merlin looked momentarily surprised but quickly nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I must confess that the events in Westport remind me of something from last year."

"Last year?" The ministers looked at Merlin.

The Earl surveyed the room: "Do you all remember the fire at the grain warehouse in the capital last year?"

"Of course, we remember."

The fire at the warehouse delayed the deployment of the pacification army by nearly a year and caused significant trouble in organizing provisions, which remained fresh in everyone's memory.

Merlin continued: "At that time, a seemingly diligent warehouse manager was found to have set the warehouse on fire, and the Westport assassination is similar. A loyal old servant turned out to be…"

The Earl paused, "A tool for committing the crime. I can't help but link these two events."

Rupert stroked his beard and pondered, "Are you suggesting that the same hand is behind both incidents?"

Merlin nodded: "Yes, and… this hand possesses mysterious powers we are unaware of."

The room buzzed with murmurs. After a year, the core members of the government were aware of the investigation into last year's grain warehouse fire. The warehouse manager, Bart, was normally meticulous and responsible, but investigations revealed strange behavior at home leading up to the fire.

Suddenly, a side door to the council hall opened, and a guard entered quietly, handing King Rodney a piece of paper.

The King's heart sank, sensing something was wrong. Reluctantly, he slowly unfolded the letter.

Amid the noise of the discussion, only Rupert, closest to the King, noticed the change. He saw Rodney gripping the letter tightly, his shoulders trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty? What's wrong?"

"Rupert, you read it yourself. The navy… the navy is…"

The Chancellor glanced at the letter, and the first few lines of text sent shockwaves through his mind—"Pirates have invaded, the navy has been annihilated."

"This… this…" The Chancellor's hand trembled as he held the letter.

The letter from the Westport mayor was quickly circulated among the ministers.

"This is a conspiracy! Along with the assassination of the naval high command, this is undoubtedly a coordinated scheme!"

"Aldor is under attack! We must retaliate, we must!"

Earl Merlin said, "The West Coast of the Kingdom—at least the royal territory—has not seen pirates for a long time. According to this letter, the invading pirates number at least a thousand. Such a large pirate fleet couldn't have been assembled quietly; they must have come from afar."

Rupert agreed, and the Chancellor, stroking his gray beard, said, "The mastermind behind this doesn't necessarily have to be a foreign power. Given the current situation, the most likely suspect is Giles. His army is in decline in the Fueral region and might be trying to stir up trouble elsewhere. Additionally, his territory is connected to the Horns Bay, making it easy to contact and hire pirates from there."

The letter, written by the Westport mayor, explained that upon discovering the pirate invasion and finding the navy unreliable, he had to lead the administrative personnel to a town east of Westport to avoid capturing and humiliating the king's representatives. The pirates remained in Westport and were raiding surrounding areas.

After much discussion, it was deemed crucial to organize an army to retake Westport and eliminate the pirates, or at the very least, drive them back to sea. However, the kingdom's main forces were currently engaged with Giles's rebels in the Fueral region, so the only option was to recruit troops temporarily.

The King asked, "Rupert, who do you think would be suitable to lead the army?"

After a brief consideration, the Chancellor suggested, "I believe Harrison Abbott, the eldest son of the Abbott family, would be a good candidate."

"Abbott? The one who married a courtesan? His son?"

Rodney's face showed reluctance.

"Your Majesty, these are extraordinary times, and Harrison's mother also comes from a noble family with a pure lineage."

"Very well," the King agreed reluctantly.

(End of the Chapter)

---

For More Chapters & Exclusive Releases!

Join my Pa.treon at (pa treon . com / CinderTL)

Read Ahead: Up to Chapter 594 as of 09Nov24

Bonus Mass Releases:

Explore More: 2 Other Stories with 1000+ Chapters, totaling over 1.16M+ Words 💥

Support Tiers: Early Access $5 | General Support $1

Your support makes all the difference 😊

Let's Stay Connected

For update notifications, reviews, or to chat, join me on Pa.treon.

Please share this story with friends and review on WebNovel and Scribblehub if you're enjoying it. Thanks!