Evacuating the Kilrun Duchy

 Ryker gave the Duke a perplexed look, "My lord, did you not have the pills? You probably could ascend and become a Noble expert before they arrive, right?" he asked.

 "If it was only that simple," the Duke said bitterly. "I'm at the peak of Genesis Sea realm, yet I did not reach my limit just yet. Besides making my foundation weaker, it also lowers the chance of me entering the Noble realm.

 If I have to guess, I will only have a 10 percent chance to become a Noble expert. Not to mention, it will take some time for me to ascend, time we did not have, and my disappearance would cause the entire fighting force to panic and lose hope,"

 While Ryker could understand it, he could also tell the Duke was stalling. "In that case, you should try to consolidate your realm first, during the evacuation," when the Duke looked at him in confusion, he explained.

 "Let the other higher-ups lead the evacuation while you focus on improving your foundation. When the evacuation is done, you should try to ascend then. If you fail, there is that. But if you don't try and the Duchy was destroyed, then you will live with regret, causing a heart demon to be formed,"

 Hearing him talk made the Duke nod subconsciously. "You are right, I should try first and if the worst happens, then at least I died trying everything I could," he said.

 Ryker gave him a smile before his expression turned serious once more, "For now, you should the resources you have accumulated. Those could be gathered later, if you survive. If you don't then you will deny the Mizalas Duchy of some spoil of war," he reasoned.

 The Duke nodded at the suggestion, "That is a good point. At least the resources and money will go to a better hand," he agreed to his idea.

 "Also, I have something that could help the Duchy," Ryker continued, before pulling several things out of his storage ring.

-x-

 Soon, the rumors of the destruction of the two neighboring baronies spread across the Duchy, making the citizens panic at the prospect of an invasion. While bandits did cause trouble during the recent uprising, it was something else for another nation to invade their home.

 Amidst the panic, the Duke had told his citizens of the evaluation plan, citing that all non-essential personnel and civilians must leave the Duchy or they would be accused of treason.

 While some feel this was a stupid plan, most agreed with the Duke's plan. Soon, soldiers and guards were formed outside each town, city, and especially the capital, the place that was planned to prepare their final defense.

 Having learned the lesson from the two baronies, guards and soldiers guarded the caravans of civilians, making sure that the groups would not be attacked by bandits. 

 The two generals of the front also remained close by, the thought of something happening like it did to the populace of the baronies haunted their minds, making them volunteer for the mission.

 Of course, to ensure they could live without worries, the Duke had ordered each family would receive a single pouch of gold coins, enough for them to live comfortably for a long time without working.

 While most of the personnel that evacuated were regular civilians, there were also some powerful families that did not wish to join the fight and instead left the Duchy to look for a better place.

 One of them is the Mortola Family, the leader disrespected the Duke. The Duke did not have enough energy to handle them so he just let them live for now.

 With the troublesome pests being out of the way, along with some other families whose loyalties to the Duchy had been in question for a long time, at least the defense of the Duchy would not be compromised by people like them.

 Consequently, with the addition of the baronies' soldiers, they were able to increase their numbers, and combined with forces from the other towns and major cities, the number of the defenders soon rose to a staggering 750,000 warriors, ready to defend the Duchy from the invasion.

-x-

 "Do you have to send us to another nation?" Lisha asked, giving him a pitiful pout.

 "Yes, if they don't see you, they will know that I likely have a miraculous treasure that could store living things inside. I'm grateful for the Duke but I am not to the point I am willing to show one of my important trumps cards,"

 He of course refers to the Hidden Ancient Mansion. He had shown the new abilities of the spatial artifact, and they knew what it was capable of. So, he could store them inside the artifact, and if things go wrong, he could leave.

 Heck, he could even decide to not help the Duchy, the Duke may have helped him a lot but it was not to the point where he would be obligated to assist him in making his last stand.

 In the end, he decided to stay for two reasons. One, he wanted to help the Duke win this war, and maybe get Hylla to join his harem. Second, there is no better place to test his current strength than the current state of the Kilrun Duchy. 

 Fighting for the Duchy would mean he can fight against Genesis Sea experts and from the looks of it, they did not seem to be lacking one at the moment. With his strength now at the 3rd Stage of Genesis Source realm, he probably could fight 3rd Stage Genesis Sea experts and kill the 2nd Stage.

 Thankfully, some experts that he trusted also moved to the Duchy, so he asked them to watch over his family and stopped the others from harassing them.

 "Don't worry, I will make sure they will be in good hands. Not to mention, the things you gave the President of Craftsman Alliance make him agree to protect them as well, or at least when he finished the project at the capital," Hylla assured him, though it did not help him too much, as he was forced to separate with his family once again.

 "You do know I'm not going to stay to fight to my last breath right? I will help your uncle but I won't be fighting until I die," he told Hylla, watching her expression carefully.

 She had a sad smile on her face, "I knew and what you did is already more than enough. If- no, when you survive the battle, will you let me join you?"

 "Let's see after the war is over first, alright?" he replied, making her nod in acceptance. He then closed the gap between them before giving her lip a quick peck.

 "We going to meet again, don't worry," he whispered into her ear before he walked towards the capital. Hylla seemed like she wanted to say something else but decided against it, instead heading towards another massive caravan that would head towards the surrounding Duchy.

 Ryker flew to the top of the wall, watching them leave with a pained heart. When he could no longer see them, he turned his eyes to the inside of the city, watching the preparation being done by the remaining people.

 His eyes sharpened as he muttered, "Mizalas Duchy, I will make sure you regret all of what you have done.