Chapter 75:Long thin road

The army of the Asina Kingdom had set up camp northwest of the city of Narda, waiting for incoming intelligence about the enemy. Ethan, calmly lost in thought, was eating the meat cooked around the burning wood. He continued to eat quietly until someone sat down next to him. When Ethan looked to his left, he saw Prince Arkion. Still groggy from just waking up, he didn't feel like talking, so he kept looking ahead and continued eating.

"Damn these foolish monsters! I lost a few of my soldiers because of them. I don't understand why your country didn't mobilize to exterminate all the monsters" Prince Arkion said.

Ethan sighed and tossed the stick he had finished eating onto the ground. "Because this is the territory of the monster-human hybrids, and we have a pact with them. If we violate this agreement, all the monster-human tribes would become our enemies" he said calmly.

"That's absurd. If there's an autonomous region within a country, that country is weak. If I were in your place, I would exterminate all the monsters" Arkion said.

Trying to maintain his composure, Ethan said, "Killing monsters is not a problem for us, but killing monster-humans is not right."

"Why? Because they resemble humans more? So, if something is aesthetically pleasing and beautiful, does it earn the right to live more?" Arkion asked.

"What's the problem with that? It's in the nature of a goblin to destroy everything, and it's more appropriate for such a creature to die, but contrary to what you think, monster-humans are quite peaceful species. Finally, are you surprised that something aesthetic and beautiful earns the right to live? Don't your believed god's holy books say that the most perfect and beautiful existence in existence is always your god? So, don't come and talk empty philosophy to me" Ethan said.

Arkion was about to reply when finally the scout unit returned and hurried to Richard's tent. Seeing this, Ethan stood up and hastened towards the large tent. Prince Arkion followed, and the two entered the tent. Several important figures had already gathered around a table in the large tent, and Ethan took a seat on a chair. Soon, a few more people entered the tent and bowed, offering their respects.

"What did you learn?" Richard asked impatiently.

"Your Majesty, if you wish, we can explain it on the map. It will be both more understandable and easier for us to understand" said the leader of the scouts.

"Then bring the map immediately" Richard said, and soon a large map was spread out on the table.

The leader of the scouts approached the table and, looking at his notebook, marked a location on the map. "Your Majesty, about two days ago, the Alpshar army was camping here, and in the morning hours, they moved rapidly northeast. I must also mention that they rested their army for only a few hours," said the leader of the scouts.

Everyone was surprised by this information. Alpshar's aggressive advancement into Asina territories was already surprising news, but now they were moving at a tremendous speed towards the core territories of the Asina Kingdom, near the borders of the Tamerid Empire. This was indeed an interesting situation.

"Does anyone have any idea about this situation?" Richard asked.

"It seems like they're fleeing from us" said Henry, stroking his beard.

"If they wanted to escape from us, why aren't they heading south?" Duchess Theodora asked.

"Maybe they just learned that we've gathered an army larger than the one we've gathered against the Avarya Kingdom" Henry said.

"Tell me, how many soldiers did their army have?" Richard asked.

"They were numerous, but not as large as I expected. Also, I should mention that they had at most 20 creatures with them" said the leader of the scouts.

The people at the table were even more surprised to hear these words. It was already known that the number of soldiers in Alpshar's army was lower than usual, but the low number of creatures was not expected. In the war against the Tamerid Empire, he had gone with an army of about 90,000 people and an estimated 60 creatures. After winning the war, his army had grown, and his treasury had filled, but he had formed an army of an estimated 50,000 people against the Asina Kingdom.

"He's underestimating us. This is an insult to us!" Richard raised his voice.

"I don't think he's underestimating us. He may have kept his other remaining army in defense against possible attacks from Tamerid and the island federation. The real focus should be on why he had his army maneuver like this" Ethan said.

Everyone looked at Ethan, who had been silent until now. "Then enlighten us, Prince Ethan. Why might he have made such a maneuver?" Arkion asked.

Isabella interjected, "Perhaps he's targeting the capital. After all, he can target the walls with creatures, and he may want to capture the capital before we arrive."

"No, the walls of the capital can withstand 20 creatures for months, and besides, the soldiers we left there can defend the capital." General Gideon said.

"I don't know why he did this, but he clearly has a plan, and we shouldn't let his plan succeed. Give the order to the army immediately! We're pursuing the enemy army" Richard said.

Everyone stood up and began to leave the tent one by one. The prolongation of the war had created a rather uncomfortable feeling, and everyone in the entire army wanted the war to happen as soon as possible. After all, the uncertainty and unknown created by Alpshar had created a kind of fear. People fear what they don't know, and Alpshar had always had a surprise factor in the wars he had fought so far and had always won.

When the soldiers turned around, they remembered that even the Tamerid Empire, which was stronger and larger than their own country, had lost. The key to a war often depends on how strong the morale of the army is, and it seemed that the prolongation of the war was damaging the morale of the Asina Kingdom's army. Richard, who was aware of this, knew that he had to advance the army as quickly as possible.

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Meanwhile, the envoy ship sent by the Asina Kingdom had finally arrived at the capital of the island federation, Juntana Island, and the ship began to dock at the port. When the renowned naval forces of the island federation saw a ship designdesign they had never seen before, they were quite surprised, but their shock subsided when they saw the familiar eagle symbol flag of the Asina Kingdom. They moved some ships to make room for the ship to dock. After all, the island federation was a trading nation and had become quite wealthy, especially through the slave trade from the southern continent .

Therefore, some merchants had to wait for days to dock their ships in their ports, but fortunately, they did not want to show such disrespect to their ally, the Asina Kingdom. When the ship finally docked at the port, Ulric and a few guards bearing the emblem of the Asina Kingdom emerged from it. The way was opened for the envoys without any disrespect, and a splendidly dressed man at the end of the port was waiting with some guards.

"I am the ninth Zhan of the island federation. I am here to greet you, and if there is no problem, may I ask why you are here?" He asked. The title Zhan actually meant prince, and here, instead of the title of king, the title of Ghan was used.

"I have been personally tasked by His Majesty Prince Ethan to deliver the letter sent by King Richard" Ulric said.