Peace-Loving Narnians? In Search of Aslan the Lion King

The flag signalers waved black flags to give the order to retreat, and the attacking Telmarine quickly relayed the signal and retreated out of the fortress.

"They're about to escape." Cornelius's expression was grave. If the Telmarine evacuated the bunker in time, their battle plan would be unlikely to achieve its intended effect.

"This is normal. Others use traps to lure the enemy while retreating, trying not to arouse the enemy's suspicion."

They were so foolish; they lured people in and then immediately retreated without any attempt at concealment. If the Telmarine hadn't noticed anything amiss, I'd suspect they were idiots.

At that moment, a small squad of Telmar soldiers ran up and discovered Aaron and Cornelius talking.

"What did I say? We should leave here first," Cornelius said. "But these people shouldn't be a match for you!"

"Of course." Aaron looked at the squad of soldiers charging towards them and fired two shots, killing the two closest soldiers.

He then grabbed Cornelius by the shoulder, saying, "This might not be too kind to an older, fat man."

With a muffled thud, the two were instantly swept into the grayish-white vortex.

The next moment, the two figures reappeared.

Cornelius stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. He looked at the Narnian rushing out of the tunnel not far away, and a look of shock inevitably appeared on his face.

"What did you just send?"

"This is a profound form of magic, and even among Warlock, less than one-tenth have mastered it."

You are very lucky; you may be the only human in the world to have experienced Teleportation.

Cornelius nodded blankly, his attention quickly drawn to the commotion ahead. "This is not the time to talk about this. Quickly inform Peter that the Telmarine army is withdrawing from the bunker."

"Stay here and don't move, or I can't guarantee your safety."

"I see."

Aaron Apparition again, teleporting instantly to Peter's side.

Peter, Caspian, and Edmund were directing the Narnian' retreat when they saw Aaron and nearly fell off their horses in shock.

How did you get here?

"Of course it's Teleportation," Aaron said matter-of-factly. "But don't even think about it; that's a skill only Warlock possess."

Peter:...

Do you think I can't see it? But I'm really envious!

"I have some not-so-good news for you: the Telmarine are evacuating the bunker in an orderly manner."

"What?"

"Don't get so excited. They did discover that the bunker was a trap, but they discovered it a little late."

Many soldiers have already ventured deep into enemy territory, and the order to retreat hasn't been issued in time. Even if it were issued, it would take some time to withdraw, so acting now would barely achieve the desired effect.

"But we haven't all evacuated yet," Caspian said bitterly. "It will take at least another half minute."

Aaron glanced into the passage and saw that the Narnian were lined up for dozens of meters, with many pursuers not far behind them.

"I'll help you one more time." Aaron sighed helplessly, half-crouching on the ground to aim.

"No!" Edmund hurriedly stopped him. "Our men haven't come out yet!"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Aaron said, then pulled the trigger.

A gunshot rang out, and the last bullet pierced through the dense crowd in an instant, striking a clearing between them and their pursuers.

Mars flickered in the dark passage, then flared up as a flame, before turning into a crimson fire.

Because the dry firewood and flammable materials on the ground were doused with a layer of kerosene, the flames spread rapidly in all directions as soon as they appeared.

The Telmar soldiers, seeing the flames surging toward them like a tidal wave, Time Stop their pursuit.

"Run!"

A soldier shouted, pulling them back from their daze.

The next moment, all the soldiers' faces were filled with panic, and they turned around and ran wildly in the opposite direction.

Their immense desire for food caused them to unleash a speed far exceeding that of a normal person, almost only slightly slower than the spread of the flames.

There were oil drums prepared by the Narnian at many corners inside the bunker. When they encountered the flames, they went out of control instantly, and the scale of the flames changed from a tide to a tsunami that engulfed a whole area.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The raging flames spread rapidly in other directions.

The bunker had become a giant furnace, from which came heart-wrenching screams that could be heard even from a distance.

"Where are our men?" Peter asked anxiously.

"There are no oil drums near the exit, so as long as you run fast enough, the flames won't catch up."

Upon hearing this, Peter two companions exchanged bewildered glances.

That's true; the screams of the Telmar soldiers were truly terrifying.

Fortunately, the Narnian were much faster than the Telmar soldiers, and in less than half a minute, the remaining Narnias had all evacuated, suffering no damage except for looking somewhat disheveled.

On the other side, Puspi's face was instantly covered with frost.

He understood what the trap in the bunker was, and even the sight of the thick black smoke rising from it made him involuntarily swallow.

Weren't the Narnian supposed to be peace-loving people? What has he seen now? A horrific massacre; even the devil would have to give him an award.

He did not issue any further orders to retreat, because there was no need.

The soldiers who managed to escape ran faster than anyone else, while the fate of those who failed to escape was self-evident.

"Your Excellency?" the general asked cautiously.

"I didn't agree. I should have listened to you and let our soldiers withdraw in time," Puspi said coldly. "How great were our losses?"

The general hesitated, wanting to avoid the topic.

"Your Excellency, I suggest..."

"I'm asking you to tell me about our losses."

"Yes." The general hesitated for a moment and said, "The cavalry suffered heavy losses. They were almost wiped out, and now less than half of them are still able to fight."

As for the infantry... at least a third of them died, and those who survived from the bunkers suffered burns of varying degrees and are unlikely to be able to participate in combat for some time.

"So, from the beginning until now, the Narnian have suffered less than one-tenth of their losses, but we've already lost half our forces?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," the general nodded. "Our advantage in this war is no longer so obvious. We need to rest for a while to restore the fighting capacity of our troops."

Therefore, I suggest we withdraw our troops.

"Withdraw the troops?" Puspi sneered. "Absolutely not."

The general's expression changed slightly. "Your Excellency, we have already suffered more than half of our losses."

Morale is low now; continuing the fight would result in far greater losses than anticipated, a lose-lose situation, and even a victory would be a Pyrrhic one.

"War always results in death, General," Puspi roared. "All the Narnian are gathered on the other side now. Once this opportunity to annihilate them in one battle is lost, it will never come again."

I am heartbroken that our army has suffered more than half its losses. Even if we only have half the troops, our numbers will still exceed those of the Narnian.

"If we retreat now, it will be a disastrous defeat, and all those soldiers who died will have died in vain."

"But..."

"No buts. Execute the order, General."

Sophi pursed his lips, then reluctantly ordered the remaining troops to assemble.

Peter and the others, watching from a distance, were also somewhat incredulous. "How could this be?"

"Are they insane?" Edmund asked. "What good will it do them to keep fighting at this point?"

"It won't hurt those soldiers, but... it might not work for the council elders," Aaron said meaningfully.

Caspian paused for a moment, looked at Puspi from a distance, and suddenly realized what was going on.

"I understand, Puspi wants to seize the throne of the Telmarine."

Killing Miraz wasn't enough; because I'm still alive, Caspian is the most legitimate heir.

Miraz is my uncle. He took the throne, and even the council elders have something to say about him.

Puspi was just one of the members of parliament; as an outsider, he was hardly able to win over the people.

"If he doesn't kill me, his throne will be unstable."

"Not just you, but also your little nephew," Aaron reminded him. "In a sense, Miraz's son is also Telmarine prince."

"So, after killing Caspian, he even killed Miraz's child..." Edmund's eyes widened in astonishment. "That's too cruel!"

"This is normal; the struggle for the throne is full of bloodshed."

Miraz could kill Caspian's father in his sleep, Puspi himself claimed he could kill Miraz's son in his sleep. "I just wonder if he'll have Miraz's patience to wait until his own son is born before making his move," Aaron said half-jokingly.

"He doesn't need it," Caspian said with a complicated expression. "Puspi has a son."

"It's outrageous. After killing you and your nephew, he has no more worries," Edmund said speechlessly.

"He wants to kill not only Caspian, but also all of you."

After all, you witnessed him kill Miraz with your own eyes; letting you live would be a potential threat.

"Quite a few people have died for this throne!" Peter said. "This is probably the most accurate thing Miraz ever said."

"I don't have time for your sentimentality, let's get the army organized!"

What follows will be a tough battle. The Narnian have a chance of winning, but it's still not very high.

Peter nodded, and the centaur leader standing beside him raised his Longsword. "Prepare for battle."

The Narnian immediately became serious, each picking up their weapons and quickly adjusting their stance.

"I should probably go now," Aaron said, then put away his Sniper Rifle.

"Aren't you going to stay and help us?" Peter asked, puzzled.

"I don't want to stay on the front lines," Aaron rolled his eyes. "I've done everything I could to help, so don't come to me with anything that requires you to risk your life!"

"But the woods aren't safe either; there are definitely Telmar cavalry patrolling there," Caspian said.

"I don't take those stragglers seriously."

If they're courting death, I won't show them any mercy.

Upon hearing this, the three of them were speechless.

"I'll go help Lucy and the others find Aslan. If possible, I also want to end this war as soon as possible."

"But they've both been gone for a day," Edmund said.

"I can Teleportation."

"What I mean is that you probably won't be able to find them."

Aaron raised an eyebrow and took out Captain Jack's Compass. "This magical item can point to whatever the holder desires."

The three exchanged glances. "If you had this earlier, we might have found Aslan by now."

"I've tried, but I can't find Aslan," Aaron said with some regret. "This land seems to be protecting him, allowing him to be isolated from the Compass's detection, but finding other people shouldn't be a problem."

"Go on, be careful. Leave this to us," Peter said. "We can hold out until you get back."

"Goodbye!"

Aaron Apparition again, instantly appearing in front of Cornelius.

Without saying a word, he grabbed the old professor Apparition.

When Cornelius reappeared, he patted his heart, still shaken.

"If there's going to be a next time, please let me know in advance. This is too exciting; I wasn't prepared at all."

"You want a next time?" Aaron glared at him disdainfully. "I, a Grand Archmage, have already condescended to protect an old geezer like you, and you're still not satisfied? Who do you think you are?"

"I'm sorry." Cornelius pursed his lips guiltily, looking around at the walls and rubble, his gaze lingering on the four statues. "Where... where is this?"

"The Cair Paravel Ruins have been abandoned for hundreds or thousands of years, but this Chamber of Secrets has remained undiscovered."

There's no safer place in Narnia than here. You stay put and don't come out before tomorrow.

"I know, I know," Cornelius said somewhat impatiently. He was fascinated by the history of Narnia, and this place, being an unexplored site, held immense appeal for him.

Having settled the large burden, Aaron followed the Compass needle and Apparition every hundred meters at a time.

After several attempts, the pointer pointed in the opposite direction.

"Found it." A look of joy appeared on Aaron's face. He stopped his Apparition and ran wildly in the direction the pointer was pointing.

On the way, he saw several corpses of Telmar soldiers, with red arrows stuck in their bodies, presumably killed by Susan.

There was another unlucky guy with three bloody holes in his body, clearly a gun-wielding thief, and the one who did it was Lucy.

After walking about a hundred meters following the pointer, Aaron finally saw the two of them. In front of them was a huge male lion that was over two meters tall.

"Aslan?"

The lion roared, then a gentle voice said, "Welcome to Narnia, young wizard."

"Uh... not everyone welcomes me."

"Aaron," Susan kept winking at him, "You must kneel before the Supreme King."

"I don't want to." Aaron refused outright.

He had never knelt before anyone in his life except his ancestors and parents.

This lion is indeed stronger than him, and is not worthy of making him bow down.

"It's alright," Aslan laughed. "Your talent is too great, and you have unlimited potential for the future. Perhaps you will surpass me in less than ten years."