The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 172: Tension at Averion’s Border

Chapter 172: Tension at Averion’s Border

One month had passed since the army of Zephyra marched to Kingdom Averion. The army was approaching the border where General Ravenmoor was stationed.

"They are here! The troops of the enemy kingdom have arrived. Report to King Solomon!" General Ravenmoor gave his command.

The royal messenger immediately left the fortress.

"Get ready to defend! We must hold them back. They must not enter our border! Prepare the arrows." General Ravenmoor took the lead, instructing his knights.

"Commander, can you estimate their numbers?" he asked his comrade.

"According to the scouts I sent, there are five thousand knights," he responded.

General Ravenmoor frowned. He only had two thousand knights with him. The other warriors were deployed to the other three borders.

"Do you have any updates from the other generals? What is their situation there? Are they being attacked as well?" General Ravenmoor asked curiously. He was trying to calculate the possibility of asking for backup just in case.

"Yes, there is another group on the northern border. General Artemis is facing one thousand knights headed by Alucard Winslow, the former royal guard captain of Zephyra."

General Ravenmoor was taken aback upon hearing that. He got confused. "This is very surprising. We thought they’d revolted against the current ruler. Why are they attacking our kingdom?"

"They set up a camp outside the border. They want to negotiate first. Captain Alucard issued a command to stand by. It looks like they are waiting for someone before making a move." The Knight Commander reported to him.

General Ravenmoor observed the approaching army. The leader of the army also stopped marching, signaling the knights to set up their camp outside the border.

"Who is their leader?" General Ravenmoor asked.

"Gideon, the Chancellor’s son," The commander replied. "Are we going to attack now, General?"

"Let’s wait. If they want to negotiate, they’ll send someone to relay their demands. Besides, we’re on the defensive side—we can’t launch an attack recklessly. As long as we hold this stronghold, they can’t breach our border. They’ll have to destroy our wall first." General Ravenmoor sounded confident.

Meanwhile, Gideon observed the enemies before them. Several knights, especially archers, were stationed atop the wall. Averion’s defensive fortress proved highly effective in delaying the enemy troops and preventing them from entering the kingdom’s territory.

"My Lord, what your command?" A knight commander approached Gideon.

"Prepare your shields. The enemies might shoot arrows. Or worse, they will use burning arrows. We have to stay cautious while waiting for Princess Eve," Gideon said.

He had been thinking about Eve. A few days ago, he had received a letter from her, instructing him to wait for her arrival before launching an attack.

"We understand, my lord."

Gideon picked up a parchment paper and wrote something on it. He sent a messenger bird to Captain Alucard.

It didn’t take long for Alucard to receive Gideon’s message. After reading its contents, he finally approached the border gate alone. Tension mounted as the archers readied their arrows while Captain Alucard drew closer and closer to the gate.

"Captain! Be careful!" Commander Kevin warned him.

"You don’t have to worry about me. They won’t shoot," Alucard responded with certainty. He looked up and smiled meaningfully.

He was about to reach the gate when someone stepped out to face him—it was General Artemis.

"Don’t shoot!" General Artemis commanded his knights.

General Artemis and Captain Alucard exchanged glances. Neither side made a move; everyone simply watched as their leaders faced off.

"Are they going to settle this with a duel?" a knight asked Commander Kevin.

Commander Kevin remained silent. He had no idea what Captain Alucard was planning. They had no choice but to trust him. In terms of numbers, they were at a disadvantage. They were also exposed to enemy attacks, as they didn’t have a defensive wall like their opponents.

’Is our Captain trying to defeat the general for us to enter the border?’ Commander Kevin pondered to himself.

They couldn’t hear what the two were talking about. But it seemed that the general facing their Captain was calm.

"It’s been so long since the last time I saw you, General Artemis. I didn’t expect that we would see each other like this– in a battle." Captain Alucard greeted him first. He sounded friendly.

General Artemis nodded with a smile. "Yes. Why are you here? I thought you rebelled against King Zaraki. Are you here to conquer our kingdom to show your loyalty to him?"

Captain Alucard let out a soft chuckle. "No. I’m not doing this for King Zaraki. I’m not serving him. Princess Eve is the reason why my rebel army is here. We are here to support her."

General Artemis was surprised upon hearing that. "Princess Eve? Is she the one who wishes to conquer our kingdom? But why?"

"I can’t speak for her. Only she knows the reason why. It’s better if you ask her yourself. We’re waiting for her arrival—we won’t make a move without her. So, there’s no need to fight right now. Let’s just talk... like old times," Captain Alucard explained to him, expressing his desire to catch up with his old friend.

"Alright. Come with me inside. Let’s have a talk." General Artemis invited Alucard to enter the gate.

Alucard didn’t refuse his invitation. He trusts this man. He was an old friend so he knew that Artemis won’t betray him. He wouldn’t let anyone attack him.

"Commander Kevin! Look! Captain Alucard is entering the gate! We should stop him!" A knigh got worried upon seeing their captain stepping inside the border gate.

"We should help him! What if he will get attack by the enemies inside!"

But Commander Kevin stopped the knights from leaving their spots. "Stay here. We must follow our Captain’s command. He told us not to make a move without Princess Eve. Don’t be scared. Our Captain Alucard is a great warrior. He won’t die easily."

The knights had no choice but to listen to their commander. They just hoped that Captain Alucard would be safe inside.

Meanwhile, Captain Alucard and General Artemis headed to a tent. He ordered the guards to leave them. They wanted some privacy. As they settled inside, Artemis offered him some drinks.

"My old friend, I know we owe you for helping Princess Esmeralda settle here in the Kingdom of Averion. Because of you, she escaped from King Zaraki’s grasp. Please forgive us for coming here as enemies of your kingdom. I hope you understand that our loyalty lies with Princess Eve, the rightful heiress of the Kingdom of Zephyra," said Captain Alucard.

General Artemis took a deep sigh. "Yes, I understand. I am loyal to my king as well. But I don’t understand why Princess Eve is doing this. Can you enlighten me of what is going on?"

"The Kingdom of Averion is her home, and she cares about its people—especially those from the slums. Why is she waging war against us now? Is she being blackmailed by King Zaraki?" he added, confusion was evident in his eyes.

General Artemis was urging Captain Alucard to reveal what he knew. He couldn’t wait for Princess Eve. He was dying to know the reason why Princess Eve was doing this.

Meanwhile, Captain Alucard heaved a sigh of defeat. He couldn’t hide something from this man. General Artemis was a good friend of King Arthur. He was also the reason why Princess Esmeralda survived after escaping from Kingdom Zephyra.

"Fine. I’ll tell you what I know." Captain Alucard paused for a moment, taking a sip of his beer.

General Artemis looked at him expectantly.

"Honestly, I’m not certain if Princess Eve is merely following King Zaraki’s orders. I also suspect that he might be blackmailing her. However, I can feel that Princess Eve is also doing this for revenge." Captain Alucard expressed his thoughts and opinion regarding this matter.

"Revenge? What do you mean? Why would she want revenge?" General Artemis frowned, eyeing him with disbelief.

"I heard that the royal family mistreated her and her mother. It’s about her mother. Princess Eve wants to avenge Princess Esmeralda’s death. Do you know that Princess Esmeralda was murdered?" Alucard questioned him.

General Artemis was at a loss for words for a moment. He had suspicions about Princess Esmeralda’s death, but he had no proof.

"The Queen of this kingdom murdered Princess Esmeralda—and your King covered up her crime. I believe this is one of the reasons Princess Eve decided to conquer this kingdom. Her memory returned. She witnessed how her mother died."

General Artemis clenched his fists upon hearing this revelation. Now, he finally understood Eve’s real motive for doing this.

"Damn it! It’s my fault. I’m the one to blame. I failed to protect Princess Esmeralda," Artemis said, his voice filled with remorse.

Captain Alucard placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don’t blame yourself. We both failed in our duty. But there’s one thing I want to assure you—Princess Eve has no desire to harm innocent knights. She doesn’t want bloodshed. She only seeks to punish the royal family responsible for her suffering."

"How could she do that? There’s no way King Solomon and Queen Amara will surrender. They’ll command us to fight to the death to protect their thrones."

Captain Alucard smiled knowingly. "This is how you’ll play your role. You need to convince them to surrender. You have to become the mediator between the royal family and Princess Eve. Trust me—Princess Eve has a way to make them surrender."

General Artemis couldn’t understand Alucard’s words until they heard a commotion outside the tent. The knights began yelling, their voices filled with panic.

"What’s going on outside?"

"General! General! There is a dragon flying above us!"

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