A Grave Mistake, Too Late for Regret (Part 2)

Before his eyes could match the person before him with the data in his brain's database, Sage Dragon's attention was drawn to the sudden explosions and commotion that filled his ears. When he turned his head to look outside the tent, the effects of the alcohol vanished instantly, replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

"What happened? How did the enemy get in?"

Upon hearing Sage Dragon's question, the man before him lowered his head in shame, then said angrily, "Sage Dragon, it was my dereliction of duty that led to my failure to detect the enemy's movements in time, which allowed them to successfully infiltrate the vicinity of the camp, make contact with the traitors within the camp, and storm the camp!"

Before he could finish speaking, Sage Dragon scrambled to his feet, lifted him off the ground, and angrily demanded, "Alsman, what did you just say? There's a traitor in the camp?"

"Yes, Lord Sage Dragon! There is a traitor within the camp!"

"This... this is impossible! How could this be? How could there be a traitor within the camp?"

Seeing Belserion shaking his head repeatedly, the reconnaissance captain was at a loss for words. After all, the discovery of a traitor was a devastating blow to everyone in the Central Camp, let alone Sage Dragon, who had personally established the Central Camp. If he hadn't witnessed the scene at the camp gate, even the reconnaissance captain himself wouldn't have believed it.

However, facts are facts, and no one is allowed to question them or hesitate about them.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a breath landed not far in front of them, causing a violent explosion. The intense blast swept in all directions, uprooting the tents they were standing in. The dust and sand carried by the wind made it impossible for them to open their eyes, but they could tell from the faint sounds that the enemy was gradually approaching.

Just then, a rapid sound descended at an extremely fast speed.

"Sage Dragon, the enemy has already attacked! We can't hold out any longer! We must retreat immediately!"

After glancing at the blood-soaked Third Brigade Commander (Buo'ertui) and the reconnaissance captain, Sage Dragon roared, "No! We cannot retreat!"

"My Sage Dragon Xianlong, the enemy's advance is fierce and their forces numerous; we cannot possibly withstand them. Moreover, they have a traitor leading the way, rendering our defenses utterly ineffective. If we do not retreat now, we will all perish here!" (Buo'ertui)

"I know, I know all of that! But we can't retreat! Because once we retreat, the enemy will use the central battlefield as a breakthrough point to launch attacks on the southern and North Camp. At that time, the entire defensive line will collapse, and we will all be at the mercy of the enemy!"

Upon hearing Belserion's words, the Third Brigade Commander silently lowered his head. He knew in his heart that once they retreated, the possibility described by Sage Dragon would instantly become a reality. At that point, it wouldn't just be them who would have to pay the price!

"Sage Dragon, although Commander Borch's proposed retreat strategy is inappropriate, it is a fact that we cannot withstand the enemy's attack! If we insist on holding our ground, the final result may be worse than a direct retreat!" (Alsman)

"We all know what you're saying, but what else can we do besides defend?" (Sage Dragon)

"My Sage Dragon, perhaps while we are defending, we should also inform Prince Sordil of the situation here. Maybe he can come up with a strategy to deal with it?" (Alsman)

"This..."

Just as Sage Dragon was hesitating for the sake of his reputation, his drinking buddy interjected, "Bell, this is the best solution right now. Let's do as Alsman says!"

Although Sage Dragon was somewhat resistant to this decision, he gritted his teeth and nodded, considering the brothers in the camp and Dragunov behind the defensive line.

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

"In that case, I will lead my men to hold off the enemy's attack. Bell, you report the situation here to those rascals. (Sacred Dragon)"

"No! Aku, I'll lead the men to hold off the enemy's attack. You go and report the news to that brat!"

Seeing his old friend's face turn red with embarrassment, Acunologiya frowned slightly, then sighed speechlessly, "You... sigh! Fine, since you're too embarrassed to admit it, I'll go explain to that brat!"

"Aku, thank you!"

"No need for thanks, just focus on holding the line!"

"Don't worry, the defense line won't collapse before you and that brat get here!"

After speaking, the two exchanged a smile, and then each punched the other in the chest with their right fist. Having done this, they led their respective men and flew off to different locations within the main camp.

Dragunov, Royal Palace Banquet Hall

More than a year later, the palace, which was used to celebrate important events in the kingdom, was once again decorated with bright lights and filled with banquets.

"Ladies and gentlemen, a year has passed, and we are gathered here again. I believe you can all guess the reason for this gathering even if I don't tell you, right?" (Irene)

"Ha ha!"

After Her Majesty the Queen finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

After the laughter subsided, Her Majesty the Queen spoke again, "Hehe! You all laughed just right. This is indeed something to celebrate, because we have once again defeated the Evil Dragon of the Western Continent, and are one step closer to driving them out of Ishgar! Come, let us raise our glasses and drink to this great victory!"

"Drink heartily!"

"Drink heartily!"

Everyone on and off the stage raised their glasses, repeating Her Majesty the Queen's last words, and then tilted their heads back to drink the wine in one gulp.

"While we sit here enjoying the joy of victory, our soldiers on the front lines are still holding the line, working tirelessly for our safety. Let us raise a toast to them!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Her Majesty the Queen raised her wine glass and bowed deeply towards the front lines. Then she turned the glass upside down, letting the wine spill onto the ground. Seeing the Queen's action, the crowd below followed suit, raising their own wine glasses, bowing, and pouring their wine.

Just as everyone was moved by the sacrifices of the soldiers on the front lines, three oddballs mixed in with the crowd were secretly plotting their own unique schemes.

"Oh dear! What a waste to pour such fine wine on the floor!" (Igneel)

"Irene -chan, what were you thinking? Why did you pour the wine on the floor? Isn't that something you do to commemorate the dead?" (Sordil)

"It was clearly meant for the soldiers on the front lines, so how did it become a waste? And what does this have to do with the dead? And what the heck is Irene -chan? (Yelibell)"

Although the three of them protested inwardly, the course of the banquet would not be changed.

"As we celebrate our victory, we must thank the soldiers on the front lines for their bloody battles. But we must not forget that a victory requires not only the hard work of the front-line soldiers, but also a stable rear support. Therefore, I would like to raise a glass to everyone here!"

As she spoke, Irene raised her glass to the audience and then downed the drink in one gulp.

"Thank you, Your Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Thank you, Your Her Majesty the Queen!"

The crowd below the stage expressed their gratitude in unison, and then, like Her Majesty the Queen, drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp, leaving not a drop.

"Now, please enjoy the fine wine and food, and have a wonderful evening!"

After speaking, Irene bowed to everyone, then gracefully walked down from the platform to find her own pig's trotter.

After three cups of wine, Her Majesty the Queen gave the order to begin the banquet, and everyone relaxed and began to enjoy the feast held in celebration of victory.

Just as Her Majesty the Queen approached the live-streaming venue where Sordil and the others were, before she could even greet her beloved husband, she was blocked by a guard.

"Your Her Majesty the Queen, this is an urgent military intelligence report that has just been sent via the Teleportation Array. Please take a look!"

Although her beloved husband was not far away, military matters took precedence over everything else, so Her Majesty the Queen stopped and carefully reviewed the military intelligence.

"Hiss!"

After reading the contents, Her Majesty the Queen gasped, then quickly regained her composure to avoid being seen by others.

Immediately afterwards, she whispered to the guard beside her, "Come with me!"

So the two of them walked toward Sordil and the others at a normal but quick pace.

"Brother Sordil, something's happened! (Yelibell)"

Hearing the voice beside him, Sordil quickly turned around to look, and saw Yelibell staring at him with a serious expression. Before Sordil could ask any further questions, the sharp-eyed Diphiya nudged him and excitedly exclaimed, "Brother, look! Sister-in-law Irene is here!"

"Hmm? Irene's here? (Sordil)"

"Since Irene is here, let her tell you!" (Yelibell)

Listening to Yelibell's meaningful words and carefully observing Irene's facial expression, the young master quickly realized that something terrible must have happened. Although he wanted to rush over and ask Irene what was wrong, considering Irene and Yelibell's good intentions, he stayed where he was and waited for news.

A moment later, Irene and her companion arrived in front of Sordil and the others.

"Sordil, something's happened at the front. Here are the details, take a look for yourself!"

After Irene finished speaking, Sordil immediately took the intelligence from her and quickly scanned it.

"Hiss! This..."

After reviewing the documents, the couple did the same thing. However, compared to Irene's surprise, anxiety, and fear, Sordil felt a pang of regret. But it was too late for regrets! His only task now was to quickly devise a countermeasure; otherwise, he would lose far more than just a large camp or a defensive line!