Chapter 50

A new day dawned, and the sun rose.

Yet the winter sunlight brought no gentle warmth.

Its only use was to melt a little of the snow piled upon the ground, while making the wind even colder as it howled through Gaina's royal capital.

Gaina's situation grew increasingly grim.

Bruno Green tore away his hypocritical mask, baring his fierce, cruel fangs as he pressed step by step toward Gaina's royal capital, expanding outward from his own territory.

Wherever he went, he mercilessly oppressed and plundered the estate owners, commoners, and slaves within the cities.

As a result, many people began fleeing with their belongings.

They had once regarded Gaina's royal capital, or territories still under His Majesty the King's rule, as their only "refuge."

But as time passed, the "refuge" they depended on for survival gradually began to shrink...

The king could not withstand Bruno Green's attacks. The royal capital was being steadily cornered beneath the gaze of wolves, hanging by a thread.

And that was not all Bruno Green had done.

He cut off the royal capital's paths to survival from every direction, blocked all roads leading to the capital, controlled the merchant guilds' sources of goods, and forbade them from selling items to the capital...

Every one of these measures quickly proved effective.

Bruno Green stopped at nothing to seize the throne.

Leit had once led cavalry to the front lines to fight Bruno Green and resist him.

But the result had been a crushing defeat. During his escape, Leit had suffered severe internal injuries. He only recovered and survived after purchasing herbal potions and ointments from the Thorn Merchant Guild.

His request for Xia Zuoyi's aid had truly been a decision made only after he had run out of options.

Xia Zuoyi had not agreed from the beginning.

He wanted Gaina.

Besides, other than Gaina's throne, Leit had nothing else worth offering.

If Leit wanted Xia Zuoyi's cavalry to enter Gaina and save him, he had to be prepared to offer up Gaina's throne with both hands.

Otherwise, Xia Zuoyi could simply wait until Bruno Green captured the royal capital, ascended the throne through bloodshed, and killed Leit before taking Bruno Green's life.

After all, the turmoil in the Gaina Kingdom had nothing to do with Desinia Territory.

But Bruno Green had to die. The only difference was whether he died before or after ascending the throne.

After receiving the letter requesting aid, Xia Zuoyi laid out clear compensation and conditions.

Leit hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing after yet another Gaina territory failed to resist and was occupied by Bruno Green.

Quite a few people in Gaina's royal capital opposed Leit's decision, but he temporarily suppressed them all.

Now that Desinia Territory's cavalry had entered Gaina, however, some ministers began entertaining other thoughts again after Walker came to the palace to discuss matters with Leit.

An elderly noble said earnestly, "Your Majesty, are you truly going to hand Gaina over to the Lord of Desinia as payment?"

"If you truly do this, Gaina will cease to exist from then on and become nothing more than a city under Desinia's rule..."

And when that happened, they would no longer be lords. Who became mayor would no longer be for them to decide...

Over the past three years, Desinia Territory had grown into a force that could not be ignored. Even if Gaina wanted to make an enemy of it, it would have to carefully consider the kingdom's strength first.

But to have Gaina belong to Desinia Territory from then on, not even counting as a vassal...

No territory, no supreme authority... How could the nobles of Gaina's royal capital possibly agree with Leit's decision?

At this moment, they were doing everything they could to stop him.

They even tried to persuade Leit to wait for Desinia's cavalry and Bruno Green to fight each other, then seize the chance to eliminate both sides at once.

Gaina's royal capital, including these nobles, had long since rotted to the core.

They had fallen into decadence, lived extravagantly, greedily indulged in pleasure, and cared nothing for the outside world until disaster loomed over their heads and they finally seemed to awaken.

Yet they were like headless ants, utterly lost and unable to find any effective solution.

Not only could they offer no help, but at this critical moment, they even wanted to drag Leit down.

Leit was so furious at their words that he laughed.

At the same time, however, a sense of helplessness and exhaustion rose within him—for this country, and for himself...

Leit knew perfectly well that he neither had the qualifications nor the ability to serve as Gaina's king.

He felt nothing for women. For three years on the throne, he had merely kept up appearances. He allowed the women in the palace to find lovers, but never permitted them to bear children.

Leit lived in unbearable repression.

He had become unlike himself—unlike the person he once was.

He did not possess Bruno Green's ambition. He had never insisted on inheriting the throne.

But he had realized it too late. Back then, Bruno Green had nearly forced him into a dead end, and the person most important to him had also died before his eyes.

In that situation...

If Leit had not ascended the throne, one careless step would have sent him plunging into an abyss, leaving him shattered to pieces. Yet after becoming king, he had been unable to deal with Bruno Green as he pleased, leading to...

Now, these noble ministers appeared to be acting for his sake, but in truth, they were driven only by their own interests, each one showing a false face.

Leit felt no stir in his heart.

He said, "Does any one of you understand Desinia Territory?"

The ministers could not help exchanging glances.

"It is merely a large territory, not even a kingdom... I heard its lord is not very old either."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Even if that Lord of Desinia possesses the Black and White Cavalry, I heard they are fully commanded by two knight commanders... especially Fernandi Edward, commander of the Black Cavalry."

"He is one of us Gaina people."

"Your Majesty, why not win him over with benefits? Then we could..."

"Exactly. Gaina people should naturally serve Gaina. We can contact Fernandi Edward in secret... As long as Your Majesty promises him a noble title, or..."

"Desinia Territory has far too many good things. The Thorn Merchant Guild, Watermarked Paper, red bricks, asphalt roads, and more all come from there. If they all belonged to Gaina, then wouldn't that be..."

Leit watched coldly as they revealed one greedy, shameless face after another.

Foolish and ignorant, fantasizing about impossible things.

Leit said, "Why don't one of you invite Fernandi Edward to the royal capital and tell him your plan?"

"See whether he agrees to betray the Lord of Desinia, or kills you first in Gaina's royal capital..."

The ministers instantly fell silent and said nothing more.

After a while.

The elderly noble said, "Your Majesty, Gaina has been passed down through generations of kings. It cannot simply be handed over by you like this..."

"That Knight Commander Edward was saved by the Lord of Desinia and has received his support. He will likely not betray Desinia for Your Majesty's sake."

"But you cannot allow Gaina to disappear like this either. Even if the late king has returned to the Creator God's embrace, he would not rest in peace."

The other ministers immediately joined in persuading him.

"Your Majesty, Gaina cannot become a city within Desinia Territory."

"I know you do not wish to become a person without integrity, but at a critical moment, you must understand how to make sacrifices..."

"As long as one side falls while Desinia and Bruno Green are fighting each other, the other side will surely not be in good condition either. Then we can take the opportunity to turn around and threaten..."

They could kill Bruno Green, or drive Desinia Territory's cavalry out of Gaina.

That way, Gaina could be preserved. Once the traitor was killed, the lost territories could be reclaimed as well.

"Your Majesty, it is all for Gaina!"

"Your Majesty, for Gaina's sake, please make your choice carefully."

Leit said, "Enough. I have made my decision, and I will not change it."

He raised a hand to stop the ministers from speaking and said coldly, "I am tired. Leave."

After speaking, Leit shook the bell hanging in the study.

The knight guarding outside opened the door and escorted the ministers out.

The ministers had no choice but to turn and leave.

As they were about to exit the palace, the elderly noble exchanged imperceptible glances with several others.

In the middle of the night, these people secretly arrived at the elderly noble's residence. The butler led them into a room where the old noble was waiting for them.

They did not disperse separately until nearly dawn, making sure no one noticed them.

After the last carriage quietly departed, a plainly dressed person emerged from the darkness at the corner. After glancing at the elderly noble's residence, he headed out of Gaina's royal capital.

In the mountain forest where Desinia's cavalry was stationed.

Another light snowfall had fallen last night, covering every tent in the camp with a gleaming white layer.

Heavy snow sealed off the mountains. No one came or went through the forest, while soldiers sent out to scout guarded the surrounding area tightly, missing no movement.

Besides, everyone in Gaina was now in danger. Those who could avoid leaving the city did their best not to do so.

Thus, this vast mountain forest could serve perfectly as the cavalry's base, with their defenses arranged in advance.

Xia Zuoyi's tent stood in the very center of the camp.

Judith carefully lifted the curtain, avoiding letting the cold wind pour into the tent.

Though it was very warm inside, three large beasts lay sprawled across the carpet. Their huge, furry bodies occupied more than half the space.

There was almost nowhere left to step.

Upon hearing the sound, Coalball lazily turned his head. When he saw Judith, he turned back again, resting his large head on his crossed tiger paws and opening his mouth in a wide yawn.

Judith stood at the edge and looked around the tent, but he did not see his lord.

He could not help smiling as he called out.

A moment later, faint movement came from between Snowball and Egg Yolk, who were lying together. Then a small head emerged, caramel-colored eyes looking toward Judith.

Xia Zuoyi's cheeks were rosy, and he had clearly been resting just moments ago. Confusion was still evident in his eyes, but after blinking, he gradually woke up.

He rested his chin on Snowball's slightly hard yet smooth fur. Behind him, Egg Yolk's large head nudged close in a spoiled manner, so he casually rubbed it and said, "Judith, what is it?"

Judith said, "My lord, one of the people you previously sent to monitor Gaina's royal capital has returned."

"Indeed, not everyone in Gaina's royal capital agrees with Leit Green's decision."

"Most of them oppose it, and... after leaving the palace, several noble ministers gathered silently at the duke's residence during the night and did not leave until nearly dawn."

Xia Zuoyi straightened up and leaned back against Egg Yolk's body.

He said, "I could have guessed that. After all, not many people would truly agree to hand over an entire kingdom."

"Since they gathered again, Leit Green must not have approved of their proposal... I think they will most likely defect to Bruno Green's side in the end."

Judith nodded.

Xia Zuoyi slowly stroked Snowball's white fur and said, "In that case, send people to continue monitoring them closely."

"If they try to secretly send Bruno Green any information, let them believe they succeeded. Then... once Gaina becomes my territory, we will settle accounts with them one by one."

"Yes, my lord."