Ville continued to stare at the approaching Agartha's cavalrymen, not moving an inch. At that moment, he was surrounded by the few remaining Guard members who took up a fighting stance.
"Your Majesty ......"
Tabu speaks in a low voice beside him, but he does not show any reaction. Soon the cavalry surrounded Ville and one of them spoke to him in a quiet voice.
I am Almond, commander of the army of Lamaron. By the look of you, I would guess that you are one of the commanders of the army of Thana. May I ask your name?
Ville did not respond to the voice, but continued to look at Almond with his red, cloudy eyes. Almond looked at Tabu, who was standing beside Ville, and asked the same question as before. He looked at Ville as if to ask his permission to answer, but Ville remained looking at Almond and did not respond at all.
"...... Lamarron's army has been using you as bait?"
Suddenly, Ville spoke. Almond, with a dubious look on his face, replies in a calm voice.
No, I belong to the Kingdom of Ramallon, but the army you were attacked by was undoubtedly the army led by the king of Agartha. I am merely a reinforcement. ...... First of all, may I ask your name?"
"Rude!"
Suddenly, Ville's voice echoes across the desert. His ragged breathing can be heard clearly as far as Almond.
"Even though we are enemies, we are facing the king of a country. We are fighting against the armies of Agartha. Then send someone from Agartha's army! You're no use to us! Go home and tell the King of Agartha! I am Thana Kasi Viru, King of the Kingdom of Thana! If you want to capture me, you will have to come here yourself, King Agartha!"
Almond looked surprised for a moment, but then immediately looked at Ville's face with contempt as it raged in front of him. There is no Agartha or Lamarron to capture the enemy on the battlefield. He happened to see a group of men left behind on the battlefield, and he is coming to restrain them from attacking. By the commander, his life was already lost. Yet, he did not understand the situation and even called himself the king, demanding to be treated accordingly. Such a man does not deserve to be king. Almond muttered to himself.
In fact, Ville has fallen from the throne in every way. Many of his retainers and soldiers had fled. Now only a few soldiers under his command were all that remained of his army. In such a state, Ville's statement would have no effect, and he was in no position to even make the statement himself.
He is in no position to even make such a statement. ...... If he would only beg for help, he would still have something to show for it.
He looks around. The soldiers guarding Ville had drawn faces, and in the middle of them, Ville, slouched on a white horse with a golden saddle and silver armor, looking down at Almond with a high, thin bridge of his nose that made Almond want to smash it.
The king is a fool who has moved his soldiers around the country, confusing the soldiers and the surrounding countries.
He spewed these things out in his mind, but on the surface he appeared calm and opened his mouth to Ville.
"I am only here to capture you who were left behind on the battlefield. You are the losers. You have no right to choose your own death, or even your own life. Your lives and all other matters are for the King of Agartha to decide. You have been on the battlefield too long not to understand this.
With these words, he cocks his chin at his men around him. In response, the soldiers dismounted and began to seize the soldiers of Thana's army. Ville and his men complied with their orders, and the job was done in a matter of minutes.
"Are you sure, Commander? He is the king of a country. A little more ......"
While escorting Ville and his men back to the Agartha camp, Sheba, Almond's second-in-command, spoke to him. She does not approach Almond's horse, nor does she look at his face, so as not to irritate the men of Thana's army in the rear. Seeing this, Almond was reminded once again of Sheba's excellence.
"Sheba," he said, "they will get on you if you compromise with them. It's best to leave them alone."
He nodded broadly, a smile on his face.
...... I never thought we would be able to capture the enemy general, the king of Tana. When I heard the report, at first I thought there must have been a mistake. But Almond, who had taken custody of the enemy, assured me that this was indeed what the enemy had said and asked me to decide what to do with him.
Following the words of Knogen and the others that we should first see the prisoners, I ordered Almond to bring them here. Soon after, two men appeared: an elderly man with a nervous look on his face, and a man with a calm and peaceful expression on his face.
The older man looked a little puzzled for a moment when he saw me. However, he immediately wrinkled his brow and stared at me from where he stood. The man who was standing behind him slowly got down on one knee and looked at me intently.
While I was doing this, soldiers under Almond entered with silver armor and swords.
"Here are the weapons and armor of the King of Thana. Next to them are the weapons and armor belonging to Tabu, the SS commander of the Thanatian army.
I glanced at them and then looked at the older man again. He lifts his chin and stares down at me as if he is looking down at me.
"Almond, are you sure you are the king of Thana?
"Yes. The crest on the armor he was wearing was indeed the crest of the royal family of the Kingdom of Tana. I believe there is no mistake.
With these words, I stood up quickly and looked around at the kunogens who were standing by. Then I turned on my heel and was about to leave the main camp when suddenly a yell rang out.
"You're not going to take my head!"
I turned around in the direction of the voice and saw Ville staring at me with a furious look on his face.
"Linos, King of Agartha, if you are the king of a kingdom, you should at least know the etiquette of battle. If you don't know how to fight even if you win a battle... you're no better than a common thief. A king is supposed to see his captured generals, speak to them, and afterwards tell them what to do with them. Agartha will continue to invade many countries and capture their kings and lords. But if they fail in the art of war, Agartha will soon lose face and perish. Take my words to heart!
You! What the hell did you just say?
Before Ville could finish his words, Princess Rufana had drawn her sword. Knogen stopped her, holding the hilt of her sword with his right hand. I give Knogen a look and make Princess Rufana step back. She looks at Ville with hatred as she leaves the main camp.
"Now, cut her down! With my head, you can be proud for generations to come that you have raised the head of the god of war!"
"Thana's army has been destroyed. Your head is worth nothing now that the enemy's army has been overrun.
Ville is stunned by my words.
"No, King Agartha. No, King Agartha. This man is the king of a kingdom. If we let him go, Thana's forces will regain their momentum. Take his head and expose it to the soldiers of Thana's army. Then the enemy will lose the will to fight and our victory will be assured.
I look at Almond as he advises. Then he slowly opens his mouth.
"If he can get back to his own camp, yes. But we're in the middle of the desert. Can they make it to the army on foot, unarmed? I don't think so, do you? Expose your neck ...... hey. Hmmm. That's something else. Oh, by the way, Hayes,...... is it called Octa over there? You might be thinking ...... with his transition, but he's dead. You're going to have to give that up."
"What ...... octa? Octa......."
"King Agartha."
Ville is stunned by the surprise. Then a man standing behind him opens his mouth. He is on one knee, looking straight at me.
"I would like to ask you a question, sir.
"Yes?"
Why were we defeated? Our forces surrounded the Agarthan army and attacked to destroy it. But the attack seemed to have no effect at all. Why in the world would ....... What measures did you take?
"Oh, that's it. That's easy. I wired it up."
"Ke ...... warding?"
"Yeah. I'm a warding master in my own right, though I'm forced to deal with the troubles of being a king now. This time, I'm proud to say that I was able to create a good warding that I'm satisfied with.
"Ba ...... stupid ....... I thought we had the magic contained ......."
Ville is muttering under his breath. As I watch, I slowly open my mouth to speak to both of them.
"So, how did we come to be able to use magic? Shall I tell you?
The expressions on the faces of the two people in front of me gradually turned pale. .......