Kingdom in Turmoil, Fleeing

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

Green had just walked out of the forest when three voices of different timbres rang out from ahead of him.

Ever since Green's standing in the castle had changed—and since he often went hunting—the three girls frequently appeared along the road he took back from his hunts. They took the opportunity to draw closer to Green, but they also competed with one another. Whoever gained the upper hand would be jointly suppressed by the other two, so even now, the three had made no real progress.

This time, however, was clearly different from usual. The three girls running toward Green had unmistakable panic on their faces. Judging by their expressions, something major had clearly happened. Green dropped the Mountain Berserker Bear in his hands and ran toward the three girls.

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

"Lord Green, something terrible has happened. Grand Duke Lothan has rebelled and announced that he's joining the Saladin Kingdom. The entire Lodin Kingdom is in chaos now, and the Saladin Kingdom has declared war on the Lodin Kingdom. We've been abandoned." Ashlyn, who still retained a sliver of reason, hurriedly told Green what she knew.

"Come on. We'll return to the castle before we talk." Green was first shocked by the news, then immediately began analyzing the situation.

No wonder there was no news at all in the kingdom about the Saladin Kingdom invading. 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 blocked the news, then the baron's failure to receive any response was only normal. Green thought to himself.

"Come on. We'll return to the castle first and find out the details." There was too little information, and they did not even know when the Saladin Kingdom would invade. Green made up his mind to return to the castle and gather information, then hurried back there with the three girls.

The news had already spread throughout the castle. Every person inside wore an expression caught between panic and sorrow, with a trace of bewilderment mixed in. The maids could not calm down enough to work. Even the soldiers guarding the castle looked like eggplants beaten down by frost, their minds nowhere near the task of watching the gates.

Is it already this chaotic? Green thought as he looked at the disorderly castle.

Green quickly found Old Green, who had just returned from the baron's room.

Old Green looked as though he had suffered some devastating blow. After leaving the baron's room, he had sat dejectedly on the edge of his bed.

"Old Green, what exactly is going on? Why are you so dejected?" Old Green's condition was clearly abnormal.

Old Green looked at Green with a bitter smile, then told him the detailed news he had learned from the baron.

Grand Duke Lothan had indeed betrayed the kingdom, and he had also announced his reasons. Lothan had always stood on the front line against the Saladin Kingdom, facing a war almost every few decades. In the kingdom's early days, the relationship between the king and the grand duke had indeed been excellent. The two worked together, with the king providing provisions and the grand duke providing military strength. They had managed to repel the Saladin Kingdom's attacks every time, and had even seized territory from the Saladin Kingdom.

As the throne changed hands, cracks appeared between the king and the grand duke. The king wanted to reclaim the grand duke's territory. During the past battles, the king had continually reduced the provisions supplied, and during the last Thornflower Battle, he had even stopped supplying them altogether. If Duke Lothan had not still possessed some reserves, Lothan would already have fallen in the previous war.

Betrayed by the kingdom, Duke Lothan knew that he could not withstand the Saladin Kingdom's next attack. If he did not change course, his entire lineage would be wiped out. If you show me no mercy, why should I show you any justice? Duke Lothan secretly contacted the king of the Saladin Kingdom and expressed his intention to defect. The Saladin Kingdom naturally agreed with delight.

Lothan then smoothly surrendered the fortress he had been stationed to guard, Anselus Fortress, allowing the Saladin Kingdom's army to occupy it. With Anselus Fortress lost, the entire Lodin Kingdom had effectively fallen by one-third.

The biggest problem was that the baron's territory also lay within Anselus Fortress's sphere of protection. Now that this bridgehead was lost, as long as Saladin's army broke through the Annabur Mountains, it could reach the baron's territory.

As for why the baron's territory was so important, if Anselus Fortress had remained, the baron's territory would have been of little use at all.

With Anselus Fortress occupied, however, the rivers originating in the Annabur Mountains had become extremely important. The baron's territory lay upstream. Once it was occupied, it could serve as a base, allowing ships to travel downstream and use the river to rapidly transport troops and supplies.

Of course, apart from the baron, the several surrounding territories would not escape the same fate either. There was more than one river originating in the Annabur Mountains.

Trying to use a baron's territory to resist the army of an entire nation was obviously like an ant trying to stop a chariot. With the enemy army continually advancing through the Annabur Mountains, the baron had already decided to flee.

He had no choice but to run. The baron's value was not particularly high. 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 quickly, take his valuables, and flee to another country before the enemy arrived.

With the wealth in his hands and the martial strength of a Formal Knight, the baron could at least live as a wealthy man.

In truth, the baron himself did not want to flee, but he had no choice left. Fleeing was the best possible outcome.

As for why Old Green was so dejected, he had participated in the Thornflower Battle and had always regarded it as a source of pride. He had been proud to serve as a soldier under Duke Lothan. Now that Lothan had betrayed the kingdom, though it had happened under the kingdom's coercion, it had still dealt Old Green a heavy blow. Baron Klow and the captain of the guards, Os, were in the same state.

Green could naturally understand the feeling of seeing something he had regarded as an honor reduced to being worthless. During his scientific research career in his previous life, Green had no idea how many rivals had treated him as a thorn in their side and attacked him from every angle. Verbal assaults, harassment in his daily life—their methods had been endless.

I wonder how happy those parasites in the scientific community were after I died on the operating table.

"Are you planning to leave?" Seeing Old Green's dejection, Green finally asked the question.

"I'm not that stubborn. I refused to leave back then because the fortress still existed. Now that we've lost our support, I naturally won't be foolish enough to insist on staying." Old Green spoke this way, but the dejection in his eyes could not be concealed. "The commoners throughout the territory have already received the baron's notice, and most have begun moving their entire families away. The hatred between the Saladin Kingdom and the Lodin Kingdom has been building for centuries. Once the Saladin Kingdom enters the territory, it will very likely launch a large-scale massacre. The commoners may not survive either. Green, pack up your things. In two days, we'll leave with the baron."

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

Now that there was nothing obstructing their departure, Green also began packing his belongings.