Kingdom Upheaval, On the Run

"Brother Green!" Aishweil, Leila, and Mia called out in unison.

Green had only just emerged from the forest when three voices of different tones rang out ahead of him.

Ever since Green's status in the castle had changed, and since he often went hunting, the three girls would frequently appear along the road he took back from his hunts, taking the opportunity to grow closer to him. Yet they competed with one another as well. Whoever gained an advantage would often be jointly suppressed by the other two, so even now, none of them had made any real progress.

But this time was clearly different from usual. Panic was evident on the faces of the three girls running toward Green. Seeing their expressions, it was obvious something major had happened. Green tossed the mountain berserk bear in his hands aside and quickly ran toward them.

"What happened? Why are you so flustered?" Green asked the three girls gently, his voice full of concern.

"Lord Green, this is bad! Grand Duke Lothan has rebelled and declared that he has joined the Saladin Kingdom. The entire Lodin Kingdom is in chaos now. The Saladin Kingdom has declared war on the Lodin Kingdom, and this place has already been abandoned." Still retaining a trace of composure, Aishweil hurriedly told Green everything she knew.

"Come on. Let's return to the castle first." Green was shocked upon hearing the news, but he immediately began analyzing the situation.

No wonder there had been no news that Saladin was about to invade. Grand Duke Lothan, the border grand duke, actually betrayed the Lodin Kingdom and joined the Saladin Kingdom. As the first line of defense against the Saladin Kingdom, if Grand Duke Lothan intercepted the messages, then it would be perfectly normal for the baron's reports to receive no response, Green thought.

"Let's go back to the castle first and find out the details." There was too little information. They did not even know when the Saladin Kingdom would invade. Having made up his mind, Green hurried back to the castle with the three girls to gather intelligence.

The news had already spread throughout the castle. Everyone inside wore expressions of panic and sorrow, mixed with a trace of confusion. The maids could not settle down enough to work. Even the guards watching over the castle looked like wilted eggplants, their minds nowhere near the castle gates.

It's already this chaotic? Green thought as he looked at the disorderly castle.

Green hurried to find Old Green, who had just returned from the baron's room.

Old Green, who had come out of the baron's room, looked as though he had suffered a severe blow. He sat dejectedly on the edge of his bed.

"Old Green, what exactly is going on? Why do you look so downcast?" Something was clearly wrong with Old Green's condition.

Old Green looked at Green and revealed a bitter smile before telling him the detailed news he had learned from the baron.

Grand Duke Lothan had indeed betrayed the kingdom, and he had publicly announced his reasons. As the first battlefield that had always resisted Saladin, Lothan faced a war nearly every few decades. In the kingdom's early days, the relationship between the king and the grand duke had indeed been excellent. They worked together: the king provided provisions, while the grand duke supplied military strength. Each time, they repelled the Saladin Kingdom's attacks and had even seized Saladin territory.

As the throne changed hands, a rift emerged between the king and the grand duke. The king wanted to reclaim the grand duke's territory, and during previous campaigns, he continuously cut back on provisions. During the last Thornflower Battle, he even stopped all supplies entirely. If Duke Lothan had not still possessed some reserves, Lothan would have been breached in that last war.

Betrayed by the kingdom, Duke Lothan knew he could not withstand the Saladin Kingdom's next attack. If he did not make a change, his entire family would be destroyed. If you were heartless, then he could not be blamed for being unjust. Duke Lothan secretly contacted King Saladin and expressed his intention to submit. The Saladin Kingdom naturally agreed with delight.

Lothan then naturally handed over Anselus Fortress, which he had been stationed at, allowing Saladin's army to move in. With Anselus lost, one-third of the entire Lodin Kingdom could already be considered fallen.

The most troublesome part was that the baron's territory also lay within the area protected by Anselus. Now that this bridgehead had been lost, Saladin's army only needed to break through the Annabur Mountains to reach the baron's territory.

As for why the baron's territory was so important, if Anselus Fortress still stood, then the baron's territory would have been of no use at all.

With Anselus Fortress occupied, the rivers originating in the Annabur Mountains became extremely important. The baron's territory lay upstream. Once it was taken, it could serve as a stronghold, allowing troops to sail downstream and use the rivers for rapid transportation of soldiers and supplies.

Of course, the baron was not the only one. Several surrounding territories would not escape the same fate, since more than one river originated in the Annabur Mountains.

Trying to resist the army of an entire kingdom with a baron's territory was obviously like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. With the enemy army steadily advancing through the Annabur Mountains, the baron had already decided to flee.

He had no choice but to run. The baron himself was not worth much. Even if the enemy accepted his surrender, his territory would be reclaimed and his wealth divided up.

It would be better to pack his belongings, take his wealth, and flee to another country before the enemy arrived.

With the wealth in his hands and the strength of a baron who was a formal knight, he could at least live as a wealthy man.

In truth, the baron did not want to flee, but he had no other choice now. Running away was the best possible outcome.

As for why Old Green was so dejected, as a participant in the Thornflower Battle, he had always taken great pride in it and in being a soldier under Duke Lothan. Now that Lothan had betrayed the kingdom, even though he had been forced into it by the kingdom, it still dealt Old Green a severe blow. Baron Kluo and Os, the captain of the guards, felt the same way.

Green naturally understood the loss of seeing something he regarded as glory reduced to worthless nothing. During his previous life's research career, countless rivals had seen him as a thorn in their side and attacked him from every possible angle. Public smear campaigns, harassment in daily life—there had been no end to their methods.

After I died on that operating table, how happy were those parasites of scientific research?

"Are you planning to leave?" Looking at the despondent Old Green, Green finally asked the question.

"I'm not that stubborn. Back then, I refused to leave because the fortress was there. Now that there's nothing to rely on, I naturally won't stubbornly choose to stay." Old Green said this, but he could not hide the desolation in his eyes. "All the commoners in the territory have already received the baron's notice. Most have begun moving away with their families. The hatred between the Saladin Kingdom and the Lodin Kingdom has accumulated for centuries. Once the Saladin Kingdom enters this territory, they may very well carry out large-scale slaughter. The commoners might not survive either. Green, pack your things. In a few days, we'll leave with the baron."

Learning that Old Green was willing to leave, Green let out a sigh of relief. If Old Green had truly refused to go, Green might have had to force him.

Since there was now no obstacle to leaving, Green began packing his belongings as well.