Trapped in a Dead End

"The Flying Eagle Territory is lost..."

"How come it's so fast? I just confirmed it three hours ago."

In Antir's Royal Capital, Theodore sat on his throne, feeling the Territory Resonance emanating from it.

The ominous news sent a shiver down his spine, nearly throwing him off the throne beneath him.

Fortunately, he had already been in control of the throne for some time, which prevented the ascension process from being interrupted.

Theodore was secure on the throne, he began to consider the current situation.

"The people from White Flower Territory killed Ian without even negotiating, so it seems that River Valley Territory has probably been occupied by the same group as well."

"They acted swiftly, quickly capturing Flying Eagle City and killing its lord..."

Theodore found the situation quite difficult, because no matter how you looked at it, the people coming from the White Flower Territory had only one purpose.

That is to seize the throne of Antir.

The enemy has already killed his trusted subordinates, and it's estimated that the knights were also killed. Those lords who want to make a quick buck won't be fooled by this.

Theodore could offer fifty Gold Coin for Ian alone, and he believed that the lords looking to make a quick buck were aware of this as well.

But since the other party has given up this part of the ransom, their goal is almost exclusively the same: Theodore's current throne.

"Was this the personal action of other lords, or a premeditated tactic by certain countries...?"

Theodore paused for a moment, because he knew that other countries had almost no motivation in this matter.

Because they simply cannot pass the Alliance's review, the Alliance will not allow Antir to be easily replaced or incorporated into any of the surrounding countries.

If people from other countries dare to do this, all they will end up with is a piece of paper filled with text.

The Alliance demanded that they immediately withdraw their troops from Antir, then find a blood relative of the former king in Antir and place him directly on the throne.

Therefore, Theodore's guess was off from the start; he was biased towards why someone would recklessly advance towards the Royal Capital from the direction of White Flower Territory.

"Illegitimate child..."

Theodore tilted his head, thinking it was very likely that way, since only a never-before-seen illegitimate child could have led to such extreme actions from the other side.

Only the king could possibly have an illegitimate child that the other nobles wouldn't know about.

His broad, calloused hands rubbed the armrest repeatedly as he pondered how to handle the situation.

"It's time to contact the Alliance, but this time it won't be the Transmutation School."

After Ian returned to the Royal Capital last time, Ian explained to Theodore in detail what Lucy was up to, which gave Theodore quite a shock.

This time, he learned from his previous mistake. Since Lucy from the Transmutation School was problematic, he decided not to consult with them.

He could find any Investigator in the Alliance who's more reliable than this.

As for what will happen once the Alliance takes notice, that's beyond Theodore's control.

However, he was certain that the worst outcome of this matter would be for the current situation to continue.

After all, when the local duke is plotting for the throne, and a neighboring country suddenly presents an illegitimate child, everyone knows what they're up to.

Furthermore, the status of an illegitimate child is not so easily acknowledged within the Alliance, even if the child truly is of the former king's bloodline, since you have undeniably borrowed the army of a neighboring country.

The Alliance will take into account the influence of neighboring countries when deciding on this outcome.

"Let's leave it at that for now."

Duke Theodore lowered his hand from the armrest and slumped back in his chair.

It's not that he didn't want to make more arrangements, such as setting up more defensive lines.

But now he was truly powerless; after Ian's death, it was as if he had lost an arm.

The knightly order that Ian held in his hands was the last bit of power he could squeeze out.

The incident at Horn Pass was truly devastating; more than twenty knights perished, only half of whom completed their succession, while the rest were embroiled in disputes due to various factors.

After Ian and his entire knight force perished, he no longer had a large-scale fighting force at his disposal.

If he wants to take over a place like Flying Eagle City, which is guarded by five knights, he must send out at least ten knights.

However, he is struggling to even muster five knights right now. His territories are being harassed, and many lords are beginning to reduce their knightly forces and focus on defense. They simply don't have the energy to deal with him, the duke.

So, faced with the news that Flying Eagle Territory had just been captured, Theodore had no other option but to pin his hopes on the Alliance.

His knights were truly wiped out, and at this point, the lords would certainly be focused on protecting themselves and wouldn't pay much attention to a king who couldn't even leave the Royal Capital.

"I never imagined my situation would become this critical..."

Duke Theodore gave a bitter smile. He knew he was in dire straits. Whether he could continue to sit on the throne was another matter entirely.

If he leaves, then all the perseverance of the past month will have become a joke, and everything will have to start all over again.

Of course, if he chooses not to leave, he will most likely face a fierce attack from the White Flower Territory, as they do not want to see someone who has truly become king appear.

At present, time is not on Duke Theodore's side. As long as they continue their attack, they will soon reach the Royal Capital.

At that time, the one besieged inside the Royal Capital was Theodore.

"But why not?"

Theodore clenched his fists and then released them. In the month since he had sat on the throne, he had felt the nourishment emanating from it, which had improved his strength to some extent.

"Then let me stay in the Royal Capital. Let's see who dares to come in and fight this time."

Theodore slammed his fist into the back of the throne, and the thick stone wall was instantly slammed down, sending up a cloud of dust.

Given Theodore's current strength, he is no longer afraid of any second-tier opponent. In this Royal Capital, he does not believe there is any second-tier opponent who can defeat him.

Theodore calmed himself, his eyes gleaming. He looked at the closed door and casually pressed the bell beside him.

Ring ring.

The sound was very soft, but it triggered a series of heavy footsteps. A waiter hurried to the door, knocked three times, and then opened it.

"Theodore... Your Majesty."

After a brief exchange of polite words, the waiter fell silent, and Theodore finally spoke.

"Have the messengers tell the lords that I intend to stay in the Royal Capital, if they feel..."

Theodore grinned, then continued:

"If Antir's next king isn't Theodore, then let them change their lord."

"I look forward to the day they regret it."

Silence fell over the hall, and it took Theodore a long time to break the silence.

"Okay, you can go now."

"Thank you, Your Theodore."

Theodore's actions were nothing unusual; it was simply a threat: if you change your lord at this time and let your territory change hands, then when I become king, I will personally come to settle accounts with you.

This threat may fall through, because whether Theodore ultimately becomes king still depends on the individual lords.

If the lords suddenly stopped recognizing Theodore as their ruler, he would fall from the Theodore on the spot.

But who can guarantee that all the lords will work together wholeheartedly and share weal and woe?

What if, at this point, a lord wants to climb the ranks further and therefore tries to curry favor with Theodore?

Furthermore, would you rather believe in Theodore, renowned throughout Antir, or in a bastard whose origins are unknown, whose army seeks to conquer your land?

Theodore was confident that by the time his message reached the lords, they would understand the current situation and most of them would side with Theodore.

At this point, Theodore could still accept the loss of three territories, plus the three territories that had been occupied by the 'bastards,' which amounted to about one-third of all of Antir's territories.

He believed that even if that 'illegitimate son' was able to conquer Flying Eagle City so quickly, he must have paid a heavy price.

For Territory Knight like them, the inevitable outcome of a quick conquest of a territory is loss.

He didn't believe that the 'bastard' would have the strength to launch four more attacks in the next two months; he was convinced that his lords believed he would ultimately prevail.

So in the end, if that 'illegitimate son' still wants to fight for the throne, then he can only conquer the Royal Capital and confront him directly.

Just as he dared not set foot within the Royal Capital's boundaries back then, would that 'illegitimate child' dare?

He had already conquered the entire territory of Antir, only lacking White Flower Territory. Even under these circumstances, he dared not rashly rush into the Royal Capital, for that prince still possessed the ability to kill him.

Now, Theodore has no doubt that the 'illegitimate son' can reach the foot of the Royal Capital in a very short time, since there is a small path in White Flower Territory that connects directly to the Royal Capital.

So, he was forcing that 'illegitimate son' to come in and fight him to the death.

But how could that be possible? Could that illegitimate child possibly reach the First Order rank?

That 'illegitimate child' could be a lord from a neighboring country, but the probability of that is extremely low. And even if he were a lord from a certain region...

How could he possibly gather enough power to fight me head-on at the second tier?

Keep in mind that he is a second-tier knight. In the Lord Knight Profession, having already secured territory, he is far ahead of that 'illegitimate son'.

He firmly believed that he was on the right track.