翁公在厨房和我猛烈撞击

Chapter 168 – After War

The world was shaken, and the kings, emperors, and presidents called for their historians and priests. The bell that rang through the sky was soon revealed as the one foreseen since ancient times.

The End\'s Beginning.

The world was shaken, and the event that transpired spread like wildfire, reaching the farthest places on earth. However, those most affected by the news were the Rosia Kingdom for reasons unrelated to Celestia.

"My daughter was attacked?" muttered the aged man sitting on the throne as his subjects trembled in fear. His cane struck the ground, making the gold of the hall ring as he rose to his feet. "My Petals," he waved his hand, and four figures appeared out of thin air in front of him. "Bring the princess back, and kill anyone who stands in your way, even if it was the Bestial King himself."

"As you command, my lord," they replied in unison before they turned into petals that danced in the wind. The nobles trembled in fear at the appearance of the strongest people his majesty had. 

"Your Majesty," his advisor stepped forward. "Master Edward seems to have been missing for a few days," he said with worry.

"The last person we need to worry about is your master," replied the king as he sat back down, his eyes far-seeing and wise. "However, this seems far too planned. The Bestial King cannot be the one behind such elaborate scheme that uses demigods as pawns."

"I hear that the assassination failed because the dark being was someone the princess assigned as her retainer."

"I remember her mentioning him in her letter," the king stroked his beard. "I never thought that such a creature would get so close to my daughter. How did Edward miss such a threat?"

"I gathered a report about him from our knights over there," said the advisor as he advanced. "This dark being was none other than a young man, no older than the princess. I wanted to get a portrait of his face, but it seems he wore a mask with most people, except for her highness."

"Then we will wait for her return," answered the king with a grin. "That dark being has infiltrated Celestia, and whatever he brings out will change this world. I must get my hands on him."

The advisor was silent because he did not know what to say. His lord was too ambitious, ignoring the fact that this dark being might bring them doom instead of a fortune. A bad feeling told the advisor that his kingdom might suffer the most from this event.

The army sallied toward the Bestial Kingdom. Their finals stop being Alil village. However, their march came to a halt because they received news that the beastmen were assembling their troops.

***

"I told you that I recovered," Lucas told her, but Maria found it hard to believe. His dead body was still imprinted into her mind, refusing to disappear, even if the owner was now alive.

"You died, Lucas," she insisted as she stood in front of him to protect him. "Let us handle these monsters. You can join later."

The ogres roared as they attacked at the barricade of warriors. The old Knights\' Captain was in the lead, fighting against the ogres while the rest fought to protect their princess.

"The reinforcements are here!" a noble pointed toward the sky as a colorful signal died its blue. "We can survive this!"

Maria sighed with relief when she saw the signal. Her eyes met those of the Bestial Prince, who she danced with, and he was smirking.

"I will have you," he mouthed to her before walking away with his general. The ogres started fighting ferociously, and the prince could no longer be seen.

The ogres screamed as the reinforcements attacked them from behind. Their troops were in disarray, allowing the knights to reach their princess.

"We need to go," she grabbed Lucas, who was still looking toward the sky at the remnants of divine energy. His eyes were unwilling to go because he expected his friend to come out at any moment. "Lyle is gone."

"I still don\'t understand why he wanted to sneak into Celestia," sighed Lucas. "That bastard didn\'t even say goodbye," he grumbled as he allowed the princess to guide him through the sea of soldiers.

"I feel like you knew about his secret," she glanced back at him, and Lucas sheepishly laughed. "You trusted a dark being, Lucas. This is beyond stupidity."

"That dark being was the one to save me," Lucas smiled as he placed his hand on his chest. "I can still remember how he saved my soul from the darkness."

"He was the darkness," she emphasized. "But," she paused as she turned toward the front, "I don\'t think he was a bad person."

"I am sure that he had his reasons, but in the end, both of us are alive," smiled Lucas.

"Lyle told me to tell you that he was sorry," she said, and the man she was pulling froze. Then came a sniff from behind her, making her turn her head. "Are you crying?"

"I am not!" denied Lucas. "Something got into my eyes. That liar can act all cold, but he turned out to be quite soft, hehe. I knew that I could trust him."

"You would trust a stranger holding a knife to your throat. You are that stupid," Maria sighed as they got to the other side, where her knights waited.

"My princess," came forward the old knight, "I am glad you are safe and sound. We need to take you out of this city immediately."

"I will rely on you, Captain," she said before turning away. "I want no man left behind. We will ride toward the nearest border to escape. Our army should be on the other side. This might be the beginning of a war, so we need to be prepared."

The knights saluted their princess as their blood boiled. This was the first time their princess was so assertive in command, making them secretly proud. Lucas stared at her silently.

"Are you fine with wars now?"

"I am far from fine," she gritted her teeth. "However, today, I almost lost you because I believed that peace is possible. I was wrong. The only way for peace is to defeat those who oppose you. That is true peace," Maria said with conviction.

Lucas was silent before he sighed and smiled. Then, as the knights prepared horses for them, he slipped his hand into hers. "I will follow you no matter what you want."

His words made her heart bloom with warmth, and Maria felt conflicted because the one who made this feeling possible was a dark being. Her educators always ensured that she knew how dangerous and corrupted the dark beings were.

However, now, Maria did not know what to think anymore. The person she was taught to hate and fight turned out to be the person who helped the most when everyone cowered. Her knight captain was a traitor, and her love was dead. A dark being was the one who saved her and gave her Lucas back.

\'I need to find out the truth,\' she vowed. \'The world changed today, and I need to change too. Otherwise… I will lose him again,\' her hand tightened around his hand, and he smiled.

Maria realized that her previous beliefs were foolery, even though she was ready to give away her life for them. However, the only reason she hated war was her childhood friend. If peace were to take him, she would lead the battle herself.

They rode toward the border with several platoons chasing them. Lucas used his wind to increase the distance between them by splitting the air in front of them and pushing their enemies back.

"Break through the border!" a knight shouted, and Maria turned away from the one she was healing. This man used to have half of his abdomen slashed through, but now he was as good as new.

This was another gift left behind by Lyle. The amount of healing mana she used to take from the tree was a joke, and she could now use a lot more.

The border was a giant wall without a magical barrier like Rosia had. The knights gathered their skills and fired toward the wall, bringing down a large portion of it.

Their escape was a success from the Fera Kingdom, but their expressions changed when they witnessed what lay beyond the walls. An army of beastmen was fighting against their Rosian Knights.

"The beginning of our war," muttered Lucas with apathy. "I cannot say that I am surprised by how prepared both armies are," he said with a smirk.

Maria realized that he was right. She was naive to believe that her kingdom also wanted peace. However, the words he told her before he left were like the last strand of hope she had to bring peace. Although now she knows that peace is what comes after war.