Read Novel Full Chapter 675: The Loss of Half the Army
Chapter 675: The Loss of Half the Army
"Father, let me take responsibility for this."
Gulvar and the ministers were startled. They all turned toward the throne room entrance and saw Karakh step inside, followed by two of his trusted aides.
"Karakh?" Gulvar furrowed his brow. "What are you doing here? Go back to your room."
But Karakh didn’t obey. He insisted, "Father, I am a prince of this kingdom. How can I just stand by and watch the capital fall into chaos?"
He stopped before Gulvar, clasped his hands together, and bowed his head slightly.
"I beg you, Father. Please grant me the authority. I’ll do my best to resolve this!"
Gulvar fell silent. In truth, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to grant him the authority—he simply still harbored suspicions toward Karakh.
Yes, Karakh was even on the list of those he suspected were behind this chaos, including Aldrian’s death at the Seven Lights Inn.
It wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion. Aldrian’s death benefited the princes, including Karakh.
The possibility that Karakh was the culprit was far from low. However, without evidence, Gulvar couldn’t simply accuse him.
Worse, if his suspicions were wrong, the consequences could backfire on both him and the kingdom.
"Your Majesty, please grant Prince Karakh’s request," one of the ministers said, clasping his hands and bowing slightly. "The capital is already in complete chaos. If we leave this unchecked, everything could spiral out of control and turn into an even greater disaster. Please, Your Majesty!"
"That’s right, Your Majesty! Please grant him that authority!"
The other ministers also voiced their support for Karakh.
Karakh kept his head bowed, and no one noticed the faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Faced with the pressure from his ministers, Gulvar knew he had no choice but to agree.
He took a deep breath, then nodded and said heavily, "All right. I understand."
Gulvar fixed his gaze on Karakh and ordered, "Karakh Lyren, I command you to take five hundred troops and restore order in the capital!"
Karakh suppressed his joy, then lifted his head and nodded respectfully.
"I will carry it out, Your Majesty!"
...
"Hah... hah... hah..."
Erkan gasped for breath. The front of his armor was shattered, exposing his chest and abdomen, both covered in wounds.
His face was pale. Cuts lined his neck, forehead, and cheeks, and blood continued to trickle down, making him look miserable.
The sword in his hand trembled, as if it might slip from his grip at any moment.
His gaze remained fixed ahead, where a ten-meter-tall dragon lay lifeless. Its body was covered in deep slash wounds across its legs, waist, and abdomen.
A large, gaping hole in its chest oozed thick black blood.
The stench was overwhelming, enough to make anyone who smelled it vomit on the spot.
"Finally... finally, that monster has been defeated," Erkan muttered, his voice shaking.
There was no joy on his face. Only sorrow, pressure, and frustration.
He turned and looked at the corpses of his soldiers scattered across the ground. He didn’t know exactly how many had died, but it was clearly over three thousand... perhaps far more.
"G-General," a weak, gasping voice called from beside him. "Are you okay?"
Erkan turned and saw Crosmon staggering toward him.
His face was pale, as if all the blood had been drained from it. His body was covered in severe wounds that couldn’t possibly heal in just a few days.
Erkan suppressed the anxiety in his chest and replied weakly, "I’m fine. How about you?"
Crosmon let out a small sigh. "I’m fine. It’s just that my leg is badly injured."
A wry smile appeared on his lips. "Seems like riding a horse is impossible in my condition."
Earlier, one of the monster’s attacks had struck his right leg.
Although the bone was spared, his calf had suffered severe burns that sent pain radiating through his entire body.
Fortunately, he had administered first aid immediately, so the injury hadn’t worsened.
Still, it made it difficult for him to walk. He didn’t even know if his leg would ever fully recover.
Erkan walked over and patted his right shoulder.
"We’re not leaving yet. Order the surviving soldiers to set up tents around here. And..." His expression turned serious. "How many of our troops were killed?"
Crosmon’s expression darkened. He replied in a low voice, "Half of our troops... are dead. Another two thousand suffered minor and severe injuries."
Those words hit Erkan like a hammer.
The soldiers were his responsibility. If they had died in battle, he could have at least considered it an honor.
But this was different. Ten thousand of his men had been slaughtered by a monster—one that wasn’t even their main target.
Frustration, anger, resentment, and countless other emotions churned in his chest. His breathing grew heavier, and his desire to kill the culprits—Nolan and Seira—burned even stronger.
"All right, I understand," he said through clenched teeth. "For now, go and carry out my orders."
Crosmon nodded, then turned toward the soldiers, who looked listless and exhausted.
Erkan drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Nolan Lorian... Seira Lorian..." he growled. "Don’t let yourselves fall into my hands. If you do, you won’t have a single good day until you’re rotting in the royal palace prison."
He would remember this grudge, even if he died someday.
"Are you okay?"
The calm voice of Thousand Faces came from beside him.
Erkan turned toward him and saw that the man looked disheveled and weak, a clear sign of how hard he had fought earlier.
"I’m fine. Thank you. If it weren’t for your help, we all..."
Erkan’s words caught in his throat. It was difficult to admit, but it was undeniable. Thousand Faces had played the biggest role in defeating the Earth Dragon.
If it weren’t for the ultimate spell he had cast, they might have all become victims.
Thousand Faces waved his hand dismissively. "It was my duty. Besides, I’ll get a bonus later."
Although he was evil, Thousand Faces was a man of principle, firm in his decisions—even when dealing with his enemies.
Erkan nodded without saying a word.
"We’ll rest for three hours before continuing our journey. Until then, use this time to recover your strength."
After saying that, he limped back toward his soldiers.
***
While Erkan and his soldiers were still drowning in grief and exhaustion after the battle against the Earth Dragon, Nolan and Seira had already made it out of the valley.
The night sky was visible once more, adorned with a beautiful scattering of stars.
Seira’s tension slowly eased, and her smile returned.
"Luckily, we managed to get out too. I really didn’t feel comfortable in that valley."
Even though, strangely enough, not a single monster had approached them, the valley’s eerie and suffocating atmosphere was undeniable.
Every second had felt like an hour, and Seira couldn’t bear staying there any longer.
"By the way, are we close yet, Nolan?" Seira asked.
Strangely, there was no response. She furrowed her brow and called out, "Nolan?"
Nolan suddenly brought his horse to a halt. He turned around and warned, "Sister, brace yourself."
Seira was startled. Just as she was about to speak, Nolan suddenly opened his mouth and shouted, "Get out, all of you!"
His voice reverberated in every direction. A moment later, a teasing voice came from the right.
"Tsk! Just as expected of Nolan Lorian—you’re quite perceptive, exactly as stated in that letter."