“Open the gate!”
“Open the gate!”
Rein and his group roared with fury. There were only three hundred enemies in total. Neil City had tens of thousands of troops inside—what was there to fear? After fighting desperately all the way back, Rein and the others thought they had saved their skins, but now—
*Slash!* The war blade cleaved a knight diagonally from the shoulder down, splitting his body into two large pieces. Intestines spilled out.
“Die, you all must die.” The large man leading the enemies laughed wildly.
Rein’s side was being mown down rapidly. In the blink of an eye, only a few remained. Rein looked at the enemies, and a trace of despair welled up in his heart.
*Am I going to die?*
Rein had many dreams, many goals he hadn’t achieved yet. But now he was about to die.
Inside the city tower, a group of nobles crowded around a middle-aged nobleman with an ashen face.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
“Don’t be afraid, Your Highness. The enemies cannot break in.”
The middle-aged nobleman surrounded by them saw his color improve a little. This man was the ruler of the entire Southeast Province, the current Emperor’s own younger brother, Prince Yulin.
Prince Yulin had no great ambitions in life, but he was the Emperor’s full brother, and His Majesty doted on this younger sibling. Prince Yulin thoroughly enjoyed his life.
He knew that the O’Brian Empire and the Loa Empire had not fought a major war for over a decade. So, on a whim, he decided to come see this border city. His arrival caused all the nobles in Neil City to revolve around him.
Who could have guessed that just as he was bragging about the Empire’s might on the city tower, an arrow was shot at him? Fortunately, a guard beside him blocked the deadly shaft.
“Open the gate!” Heartbroken, unwilling cries rang out from below.
The surrounding soldiers’ eyes reddened. There weren’t many enemies. If the garrison of Neil City sallied out, they could easily kill them all. But Prince Yulin forbade opening the gate.
“Your Highness, there are few enemies below. Let me lead men to kill them,” a military officer pleaded.
“Nonsense!” Prince Yulin pointed at his nose and cursed. “What do you know? Didn’t you see several hundred enemy soldiers in the distance?”
“But Your Highness, we have thirty thousand soldiers inside Neil City!” the officer retorted.
Prince Yulin snorted coldly. “It’s dark now. The grass out there is so tall. Who knows how many enemies are hiding out there? You should think—would a few hundred men dare to charge in without some backup? It’s not worth shedding more blood for just a few dozen Imperial soldiers.”
Prince Yulin spoke with a righteous air.
“But Your Highness…” The officer didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This Prince Yulin clearly knew nothing of military matters. With Neil City’s strong fortifications and thirty thousand troops, even a hundred thousand enemies couldn’t easily take it.
And their side only wanted to kill the enemies at the gate, not even pursue them.
Prince Yulin wiped his forehead, cold sweat beading on it.
*It’s just a few dozen soldiers. If they die, they die. I don’t want the slightest threat to my life,* he thought. He then issued a strict order. “Remember, do not launch any unauthorized attacks. If anything happens, don’t blame me for being heartless.”
“Your Highness, the leader of the troops below seems to be Rein,” someone suddenly said.
“Which Rein?” Prince Yulin frowned.
“The legitimate heir of the Dunstan Family, ‘Rein’.”
“The Dunstan Family?” Prince Yulin frowned, then laughed it off carelessly. “Dying in battle for the Empire is the glory of their family’s sons. Besides, the Dunstan Family is a large clan. So what if one son dies?”
Prince Yulin didn’t care at all.
“Open the gate!” After that desperate cry, no more screams came from outside.
Rein’s body slumped weakly to the ground, collapsing at the foot of the city wall. There was an arrow in his shoulder, and a horrific wound gaped in his chest, blood gushing out in a steady stream.
Rein was already unconscious.
“Captain?” His armor had given away his identity.
The large man grabbed Rein directly, slung him over a shoulder, and shouted to those around him, “Retreat!” With that, a dozen figures swiftly vanished like lightning.
Throughout this, the soldiers of Neil City, besides shooting arrows from above, never opened the gate to sally out and meet the enemy.
The Dunstan Family had enormous influence within the military. The complete annihilation of Rein’s unit, coupled with Prince Yulin’s ludicrous order not to sortie, reached the Dunstan Family’s ears very quickly.
Shortly after Prince Yulin returned to his residence, his subordinate brought him shocking news.
“Your Highness, the fallen Lord Rein… he was a very close brother of Master Lin Lei. Both studied at Ernst Academy. Their bond is as deep as blood.” A middle-aged man with a mustache spoke respectfully to Prince Yulin.
“What? Master Lin Lei? They were as close as brothers?” Prince Yulin shot to his feet.
“Those damn people on the city tower—why didn’t they tell me?!” Prince Yulin panicked.
“Your Highness, few people knew of the relationship between Lin Lei and Rein. Even in the Imperial Capital, only a handful of nobles knew. How could nobles in a remote place like Neil City be aware of it?”
Prince Yulin’s brows immediately knitted together.
Offending the Dunstan Family? He wasn’t afraid of that. The Dunstan Family, no matter how powerful, still had to watch the Emperor’s moods. For just one son, if he said a word to the Dunstan Family, this matter would certainly be settled.
But offending Lin Lei was a different matter entirely.
“Immediately get in touch with the Dunstan Family. And… the news from Neil City, block it all. Don’t let it reach the Imperial Capital, and absolutely do not let it reach Lin Lei. Say Rein died in battle for the Empire.” Panic began to set in for Prince Yulin as well.
xxxxxx
Yulan Calendar, Year 10009, September 15th. This was the day of the grand wedding of Wotton and Nina. Wotton was the younger brother of the world-famous Master Lin Lei, and Nina was an Imperial Princess.
Their wedding was an exceptionally grand affair.