Chapter Sixty-Five: The Army at the Gates

"Exactly! Otherwise, who would risk their life to build a hidden, small walled city inside the Monster Forest?" Alex narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "This foreigner intends to use this place as a base to spy on our Magnificent Empire, gather intelligence, and then muster an army to launch a surprise attack at the opportune moment, hoping to destroy our empire! And the Amber family are traitors, collaborating with foreign powers for their own gain!"

The men of the village looked perplexed, for they knew the Amber family were not traitors. Yet Alex's words seemed to have some logic; otherwise, why would a foreigner build a city in the perilous Monster Forest? The only explanation was that it was preparation for war against the Magnificent Empire! Some nation was plotting to overthrow the empire and was laying the groundwork.

"This is the guidance of the God of War, a divine blessing that bestows upon me, Alex, the right to become a hero who saves the Magnificent Empire!" A look of excitement lit up Alex’s face. "All forces, advance! Overwhelm this enemy secret base before it's completed, and the king will reward the heroes of this battle most generously! Whether you can shed your lowly status and become nobles of the Magnificent Empire depends on your own efforts!"

"Kill!" At these words, all the men’s blood boiled. Though they loathed Alex, the prospect of serving their country and possibly rising to nobility through military merit—especially after “seeing through” the “enemy nation’s” conspiracy—instantly united them in self-interest. They surged forward, full of momentum, toward the secret city.

"Bekaron, take a few men and return the way we came, report to the town guard barracks," Alex commanded. "Once we break through the city, I want the captain of the town guard to arrive at once and witness my valorous achievements firsthand!"

"Yes, Young Master Alex!" Bekaron nodded enthusiastically. "May victory be yours, young master! I’ll bring the town guards back to witness your glory!"

After Bekaron and his men left, Alex spurred his horse forward, catching up with the villagers’ militia and advancing quickly toward the secret city.

A sharp alarm howl from the kobold sentries pierced the air, dragging Jian Jin away from his wedding night with his new bride, Tina, and sending him downstairs in frustration.

It was his wedding day with Tina. He had hoped for a sweet, restful day with her. At last, he'd sent his in-laws off to the fields after a good meal, and even dispatched Perrin downstairs to stand guard and keep everyone else away. Yet now, this sudden alarm had ruined his mood!

"What’s going on?" he stormed downstairs, just in time to see a contingent of kobold crossbowmen hurrying from the other gates, gathering at the southern gate facing the forest’s edge.

"Unknown enemies are attacking!" Wolf was also running swiftly toward the gate.

"An attack?" Jian Jin frowned, taking the stairs to the ramparts two at a time.

Behind him, Perrin and Tina followed close. Tina’s parents, Bolint and Landis, as well as Amber and the elder Harlins, hurried up to the battlements, peering out.

"Kill!"

"Long live the Magnificent Empire!"

"Destroy the invaders!"

Over five hundred militiamen, brandishing wooden spears and bows, surged forward—a messy formation, but the sheer numbers were imposing! Especially as a young man on horseback shouted commands at the rear.

Inside the city, all the kobolds had assembled at the southern gate, crossbows raised and aimed down. There were a hundred and thirty kobold soldiers, plus their leader and Wolf, the werewolf, all standing ready.

"They’re from our village!" Tina exclaimed. "Why are they here?"

"Clearly Alex coerced them," Bolint told his daughter, peering at the young man giving orders behind the crowd.

"It’s true! What on earth is happening? Why would they do this?" Tina turned to Jian Jin. "Keen, those are our villagers—please don’t hurt them!"

"Tina, something is wrong here," Jian Jin replied helplessly. "Your villagers seem to have gone mad. I’ll try not to hurt them, but if they force their way in, for safety’s sake, I’ll have no choice!"

"Wait, let me try to talk to them first!" Bolint stepped forward, bracing himself against the wall to look down.

The militia quickly reached the gates.

Alex rode ahead, drew his sword with a flourish, and shouted up at Jian Jin and Bolint who stood above, "Foreigner! Was it you who killed my father and abducted Tina’s family? Where are the traitorous Amber family?"

"Who was abducted? The village chief tried to force me to marry him, but Keen came to rescue me!" Tina retorted, stepping forward indignantly.

"Wretch! Your parents promised you to my father, so you should come back and marry him! And you—conspiring with a foreigner to kill my father—I’ll make you both pay dearly!" Alex’s eyes burned with rage.

At this, Bolint could not remain silent. "Who said my wife and I agreed to give Tina to the chief? That old man tried to force us, and when we refused, he imprisoned us. No one ever agreed to that marriage—it was all his own plotting!"

The villagers looked at the young man on horseback with disdain; the facts were clear, and it was obvious the chief had tried to use force to marry young, beautiful Tina to himself—a despicable act! And now they were falsely accusing her rescuer. The chief and his son were truly loathsome!

Realizing the situation was turning against him, Alex immediately shouted, "Whatever the case, you are building a secret military base here to help this foreigner invade our Magnificent Empire! My father’s death aside, whether you colluded or not is irrelevant. For the sake of the empire, we must destroy the invaders and traitors!"

"Kill the invaders! Kill the traitors!" The villagers, who a moment ago looked on with contempt, now had their attention diverted, and raised their weapons in unison, shouting furiously.

"We are not traitors!" Amber rushed forward and shouted down, "Don’t let Alex deceive you, he’s just using you!"

"Oh? Then tell us—why is this foreigner building a city in the hidden Monster Forest within our Magnificent Empire, if not to invade?!" Alex brandished his sword and shouted.

"Why? Why?!" The villagers echoed, voices rising in agitation.