The King's Revenge (Part 2)
On August 5th, X373, King Belmod, who had been recuperating in her palace for over a month, finally recovered and resumed attending to state affairs. (Apologies, my sense of time is poor, so the time in the main storyline is not entirely accurate. Please forgive me!) The first thing Belmod did after recovering was to hold a grand banquet in the reception room to announce her return to life, so as to prevent any inappropriate thoughts from arising.
After issuing a strong warning to everyone, Belmod and the Prime Minister left the banquet and went to the council hall to discuss matters.
"Prime Minister, tell me about the recent events in the kingdom, as well as the important events that have occurred on the continent!"
"Your Majesty, your health has just recovered, and you should not overexert yourself. I think you should..."
Seeing the cold glint in Vermouth's eyes, the words the Prime Minister was about to say were cut off in his throat. After swallowing hard, the Prime Minister changed his words and said, "Your Majesty, during your convalescence, General Auddick and Queen Irene held their wedding. At the same time, Prince Sodir of Forstadu also married the Heavenly Dragon King Grandil.
"Wait! All four of them got married on the same day and at the same time?"
The prime minister looked at His Majesty the King, who was so sensitive about the timing of Sordil's wedding, with a puzzled expression, and then said, "Yes... yes! Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with this?"
Suppressing her surprise and confusion, Belmod said with a cold smile, "It's nothing, I just think the timing they chose is too coincidental!"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right, I think so too!"
Having broken free from the spell of time, Belmod asked, "By the way! Didn't Sordil go to the Kingdom of Donagunov to demand an explanation? How did that matter end?"
Upon hearing the king mention the cause of his illness, the prime minister immediately knelt down and said with trepidation, "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! It was because the information I received at the time was incomplete, which led to Your Majesty's misunderstanding and anger."
"Oh? It seems there are other hidden details about that incident. Tell me, Prime Minister!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
As soon as the prime minister finished speaking, Belmod came to his side, helped him up from the ground, and brushed the dust off his clothes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Prime Minister, there's no need for such formalities. Please tell me what happened that day!"
The Prime Minister organized his thoughts and then said, "Your Majesty, according to the intelligence I received later, the matter should be as follows: Prince Sordil challenged Belserion and his companion because they had intercepted Prince Sordil on his way back to Fostadu. Later, feeling humiliated, Belserion ordered the kidnapping of Prince Sordil's fiancée, the Sky Dragon King Grandiere. Subsequently, Prince Sordil single-handedly stormed the palace and rescued the Sky Dragon King. Finally, the two sides reached some agreement and chose to resolve the matter peacefully."
"That's how it is?"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After understanding her ailment, Belmod said, "Prime Minister, please continue. What major events have happened recently?"
The Prime Minister nodded and said, "Shortly after Queen Irene and her entourage held their wedding, a small port town in the Principality of Babaronza King of Babaronza attacked by a reconnaissance force from the Western Continent's dragon race. All the residents of the town perished, and the entire town was razed to the ground. Left with no other choice, the King of Barbolensa had to seek help from the Kingdom of Donagunov. To everyone's surprise, Queen Irene entrusted this matter to Prince Sordil."
"And then what? Did Sordil complete the task?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Sordil annihilated the enemy's reconnaissance squad in less than five days, leaving not a single one behind!"
"That's amazing?"
"Yes!"
What happened after that?
"A few days after the reconnaissance team was wiped out, the dragons of the Western Continent dispatched three armies to attack from the northwest, southwest, and due west of Ishgar. Queen Irene immediately convened a military conference with the leaders of various kingdoms, duchies, and Dragon Clan Secret Realm. At the meeting, Prince Sordil overruled the objections and insisted on dividing the army into three routes to meet the enemy. However, unlike a conventional three-pronged attack, Prince Sordil could use a special Magic Array to instantly transport a large number of combatants from one battlefield to another. Therefore, two of the three armies only needed to leave some garrison personnel behind, while the rest of the combatants would concentrate together to launch a surprise attack on the third enemy, overwhelming them with overwhelming force. If the other two routes encountered an emergency, the third route and the reserve forces could also be dispatched to their aid at any time via the Magic Array."
After hearing Sordil's plan, Belmod had to admit it was impressive. However, once you understand how this battle line operates, disrupting it wouldn't be difficult at all.
Just as Belmod was studying the plan to sabotage Sordil's operation, the Prime Minister suddenly spoke up, "Oh, right, Your Majesty! In order to fight against the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, General Oddek and Queen Irene jointly wrote a letter requesting that our country send the Western Border Army to the battlefield as reserve members. Since you were recuperating at the time, I took the liberty of agreeing to this."
"What? The Western Border Army has been transferred?"
"Exactly!"
Belmod, who had initially only partially believed that Sordil was indeed Oddek, became skeptical after hearing the Prime Minister's words. Hesitant, Belmod glanced at the Prime Minister and said, "Prime Minister, the night before last I received a secret report. My spies told me that Oddek of the Western Border Army and Sordil of Fostadu are actually the same person. I didn't believe it at first, but now I'm somewhat doubtful. What do you think, Prime Minister?"
To Belmod's surprise, after hearing her words, the Prime Minister replied without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I believe what the spy said!"
"Why? They are a person and a dragon, and they have appeared together before. Why do you believe what the spy said, Prime Minister?"
"Your Majesty, before the war with the Western Continent, could you imagine someone being able to send an army hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of kilometers away in an instant? Yet Prince Sordil proved this to everyone with his magic! So now you tell me that Prince Sordil disguised himself as Oddek, infiltrated the capital, and gained your trust, and I am not surprised at all!"
"Magic?"
Belmod murmured the word 'magic,' but her thoughts drifted back to a year ago, to the first time she met Sordil. Recalling the incredible events of that time, Belmod had to admit the Prime Minister's words were quite convincing. After a long while, the His Majesty the King's initial surprise and curiosity vanished, replaced by anger and fear.
"Prime Minister, why do I feel a chill on the back of my neck?"
"To be honest, Your Majesty, I feel the same way right now!"
"Prime Minister, tell me, what should we do to save ourselves from Sordil's clutches?"
"In my opinion, the best way is to let him die at the hands of the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent!"
"No! If he dies at the hands of the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, the United Front Alliance will collapse instantly. At that time, we will lose the protection of the dragons and become food for the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent!"
The Prime Minister pondered Belmod's words carefully and realized that it was indeed true. This so-called United Front Alliance was actually composed of Sordil and his two wives. Once Sordil, this main pillar, collapsed, it would be them who would suffer. After racking his brains to no avail, the Prime Minister decided it was better to hand this hot potato over to His Majesty the King.
"Your Majesty, I am utterly foolish and cannot think of any solution. Please enlighten me!"
Belmod smiled and said, "Although we can't let the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent kill Sordil, we can use them to weaken Sordil and his forces, so that Sordil won't have time to deal with us!"