The Punitive Army, Part One

Arthur Kingdom, Province of Hailan, Palm County.

This had once been the richest land in Province of Hailan, even in the entire Kingdom of Arthur. Now it had been utterly devastated by war.

Everywhere lay shattered ruins, and everywhere were refugees driven from their homes by the ravages of war.

Hamilton gazed at the desolate scenery around him, his expression complicated. He sighed quietly and murmured, "Is this Palm County, once hailed as the Pearl of the North?"

Behind him marched a force of several thousand, and every one of them shared the same thought.

They had all been sent by Renard to reinforce the Royal Army. They were the backup plan he had arranged.

Of course, Master Lei hadn't known in advance that King Ferdinand would run into difficulties restoring Province of Hailan. His reason for sending these men was simple: to bring the fighting in the north of the kingdom to an end as quickly as possible, so they could join forces against the foreign enemy.

Renard knew better than to put all his eggs in one basket. So when he decided to send troops to the Ambrisset Mountains, he also dispatched an elite force to help the Royal Army.

That way, even if things went badly on his end, King Ferdinand would still have a chance of winning.

Once the war in the north was over, the king could immediately turn his attention to the demon army, which was hoping to swoop in and reap the benefits.

But that depended on the northern war ending as quickly and at as little cost as Renard expected.

So, although the force he sent to help King Ferdinand wasn't large, every soldier was an elite. Even the weakest was an Intermediate Warrior, and his father, Hamilton, was leading them. That