Are You Really Kranel?

The fateful day had arrived. 

The forces from Heijo had begun moving towards the city of Edenia, with General Kranel leading the entire army. 

Six thousand soldiers were deployed to take control of the Garden of Kastia. 

In accordance with the Prime Minister's orders, these soldiers were to turn the Kastia Garden into a sea of blood.

Gyo, riding amidst the troops on horseback, could only smile broadly. 

In just a short while, they could obtain the Earth Essence, one of the most crucial materials for advancing research in Divinia. 

This material was believed to make the Holy Kingdom of Divinia the strongest kingdom in Kastia, surpassing even the Abyss!

Blood? Sacrifice? Morality? Gyo didn't care; he had only one goal. 

He had long planned this attack, and everything was going smoothly, except for two things—the disappearance of Prince Langris and the figure of the Fire Knight. However, these setbacks were not enough to deter him.

Attacking Edenia would be very easy. There were no strong individuals there. 

The motive for the attack was clear based on the kingdom's orders. Nothing could stop him now.

At least, that's what Gyo thought before the soldiers at the front suddenly stopped moving. 

They were only halfway to the walls of Edenia City. It wasn't the time to stop yet. 

The halting of the army in front confused both Gyo and General Kranel.

"What's going on?!" Kranel shouted, frustrated with the front line, which used to be Queen Melissa's forces.

However, instead of receiving an answer, General Kranel was stunned when a thousand soldiers in front of him suddenly turned around and drew their weapons against the forces behind them.

"! Huh?! What is this?! Have you all gone mad?!" the General shouted. 

His expression turned menacing with anger. He then raised his hand, instructing his troops to prepare to attack the rebels in front of them. 

But before the order could be executed, a loud voice of a woman suddenly echoed throughout the Heijo forces.

"STOP!"

A single command that managed to silence the entire army momentarily. 

While they were still in shock, the voice resonated again, instructing the thousand soldiers who rebelled there to stay away from Heijo troops.

General Kranel, regaining awareness first, thundered his voice, commanding his troops to rise and quickly pursue the soldiers who were starting to move away.

At this moment, from the other side, three figures were seen walking to the front. Three individuals who made anyone who saw them immediately halt their steps.

The same went for General Kranel, Gyo, and other military leaders on the Prime Minister's side. 

This was because the three individuals who stepped forward revealed themselves to be none other than the Queen of the Kingdom of Westya herself, Queen Melissa.

Accompanying her was a man who was the ruler of the Edenia region, Count Rene Turelina. 

The last figure was the one who instilled fear and sent shivers down the spines of the entire army, one of the three strongest individuals in Kastia. 

The pride of Westya, the Nature Fairy, Lindell Zephiras.

"Y-Your Majesty! Mi-Miss Lindell as well... why are you here?"

Seeing the two figures, General Kranel couldn't suppress the surprise within him. 

The presence of Queen Melissa could invalidate the reasons for his troops to attack Edenia.

Then Lindell's presence itself would be a significant stumbling block. He wasn't confident in facing the Champion.

"Why do you ask? Do you think I'm unaware of what you did to the troops I sent to Heijo? And now, daring to use my forces to attack Edenia? Have you gone mad?"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty. But we are not attacking without reason."

"Hah, you mean the accusation that Langris was kidnapped by Count Rene?"

Kranel nodded.

"Then, do you have strong evidence to support that accusation? Or is it just your assumption? No, or is it just that old bastard's trickery?"

"Your Majesty...!"

"What?"

"...this..."

General Kranel couldn't do anything at this moment. He was at a loss for words. He could only gaze at Queen Melissa in silence.

Smiling, Queen Melissa instructed the troops of General Kranel to return to Heijo, stating that the accusation against Count Turelina was a baseless one. There was no Prince Langris in Edenia.

She, Queen Melissa, had personally verified it, making any argument General Kranel presented easily breakable.

In this situation, Kranel thought he only had one option: to resort to force. 

Gyo, who had been observing all along, reached the same conclusion. Since the Prime Minister's reasons were no longer viable, they could only proceed forcefully.

Gyo didn't want to leave empty-handed. The Earth Essence was right in front of him. 

The biggest obstacle now was not Queen Melissa, but the presence of Lindell beside her. 

He hadn't expected the elusive Champion to suddenly appear just when he had found the Earth Essence.

Gyo stepped forward and stood beside General Kranel. He whispered and suggested that now they could only bet on launching a full attack, killing Queen Melissa and everyone in Edenia. 

This way, they may create a new reason, saving Prince Langris but finding the Queen's corpse hidden by the Turelina Family in Edenia.

Hearing this, General Kranel grinned. He then regarded the three individuals and the thousand soldiers in front of them as sacrifices. 

Thus, the General rejected Queen Melissa's request to withdraw. He even accused Count Turelina again, who was likely threatening Queen Melissa.

Confidently, General Kranel claimed that Queen Melissa was only doing what Count Turelina ordered because the Count of Edenia had kidnapped Queen Melissa's son, Prince Langris. 

With a sly smile, he declared that he wouldn't back down for any reason. Kranel even promised to save Queen Melissa and Prince Langris from Count Turelina's scheming.

Listening to the absurd reasoning, veins appeared on Queen Melissa's face.

"Are you this foolish?!"

"Calm down, Your Majesty. I promise to save you and Westya from these rebels."

"! You, the trai—"

Queen Melissa wanted to retort, but Lindell covered Melissa's face with her hand, stopping the Queen's irritated words. 

Lindell glanced at Gyo in front of her, sensing something peculiar flowing within the man. She then turned to Kranel, giving a faint smile with cold eyes.

"I don't recall you being this cunning, Kranel."

"Miss Lindell... what I mentioned earlier is a fact."

"A fact without evidence is just mere babble, Little Kranel."

"..."

Lindell squinted at the old man's expression.

"Who are you... and where is the real Kranel?"

"...what are you talking about, Miss Lindell?"

Lindell observed the mana flowing around Kranel. As far as she remembered, Kranel should only have mana of the wind element, bright green in color. 

But now, she saw a dark green mixed with black, like a murky substance.

Not as pristine as she remembered from a Kranel.

Lindell nodded towards Melissa, signaling to end the negotiations and retreat. She was convinced that whatever Melissa said would not be heard by the enemy. 

They seemed determined to obtain the Earth Essence, even if the Queen of Westya herself became a casualty.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Kranel asked, emitting a threatening aura that influenced the surrounding atmosphere. 

He unsheathed his sword, preparing to decapitate the enemies in front of him.

Lindell then snapped her fingers. Instantly, from the ground in front of her, dense trees began to grow, rising higher. The lined-up trees formed a wall that stretched for a hundred meters.

"Not now, Kranel. I'll be waiting for you in the Edenia garden."

Lindell bid farewell, and her figure, along with the Queen and the entire rebellious thousand-strong army, vanished behind the thick wall of trees.

Kranel only stared at the trees. He tried to cut them without using mana. 

The result: his strike injured the tree trunk, but the wound instantly regenerated, restoring the tree to its entirety.

"Annoying," Kranel muttered, then turned to Gyo. "This will be difficult. Still want to continue?"

"Can you defeat Lindell?"

"Not with Kranel. But if I reveal myself, you and that Old Man will have trouble," Kranel said, glancing at the thousands of soldiers behind him.

Gyo just smiled, "If that's what needs to happen, then let it be. We just have to clean up everything. Once we get the Earth Essence, Westya will lose its significance. We leave this place if we have to. Let the Old Man handle the rest."

Upon hearing the statement, Kranel immediately smiled widely. His grin seemed to stretch from one ear to the other.

"Ahh~ this will be fun."

***

On the other side, Queen Melissa and her entourage hurried back to Edenia. 

The negotiation had failed. They couldn't stop the impending war. 

However, for now, they had at least balanced the number of both armies. 

With the transfer of a thousand troops from Heijo to Edenia, each side now had five thousand soldiers.

With Lindell on Edenia's side, Queen Melissa should be confident that she would win this war. 

However, when she looked at Lindell's expression, the woman who usually smiled and appeared relaxed now had a serious demeanor. 

When Melissa asked Lindell about the cause of that expression, she replied,

"Kranel is... very dangerous."

"What you said earlier, is it true? That he's not the real Kranel."

Lindell shook her head, "I'm not sure. From the outside, he looks like Kranel. But, I don't know what's inside."

"I don't understand. You're talking like he's possessed."

"Oh~ maybe that's it."

"Huh?"

Lindell finally revealed her sweet smile.

"This will be a quite brutal war, Melissa. Once we arrive in Edenia, you should go directly to where Luis and Lilinette are."