novelbin Chapter 203: Ysara Vorhn
Chapter 203: Ysara Vorhn
The royal capital of the Kingdom of the Burning Ice was, without a doubt, an incredible city.
With over a million inhabitants, the metropolis stood surrounded by walls that rose twelve meters into the sky, defended by a garrison of ten thousand soldiers. That was without counting the tens of thousands of royal troops who served directly under the crown.
At the heart of the vast city, guarded by dozens of fourth-stage experts, stood the royal palace. It served as the residence of the current king, as well as the kingdom’s current sixth-stage ancestor, the realm’s supreme protector.
It was a vast and luxurious palace, its towers rising dozens of stories high while third-stage soldiers guarded every corridor.
It was into this palace that an imposing figure burst.
He had steely blue eyes and features hardened by decades of combat. Draped over his shoulders was a black cloak clearly fashioned from the armor of a third-stage beast.
His silver armor glinted faintly beneath the light of the cold sun, and the heavy thud of his metal boots echoed against the polished floor with every step.
He strode through countless luxurious corridors until he finally reached a set of black double gates.
Without hesitation, the man pressed both hands against the metal and pushed.
With a thunderous crash, the gates shuddered and gave way, splitting straight down the middle to reveal what appeared to be a throne room.
But it was not the king’s throne room.
"Oh... David Darkwall, isn’t it? How is your old ancestor? He must be quite proud that his son has already reached the fourth stage."
David froze for a moment upon hearing that soft voice cutting through the air like silk.
His gaze snapped upward, landing on a woman seated upon a black steel throne.
Ysara Vorhn, the widowed queen of the Kingdom of the Burning Ice. A powerful fifth-stage expert, and one of the five ancestors who protected the royal family.
"Your Majesty." David did not hesitate to kneel, the gesture drawing a sweet smile from Ysara.
She was a beautiful woman, without a doubt.
Long white hair spilled over her shoulders, and her deep golden eyes regarded David with quiet curiosity, a gentle amusement playing across her beautiful, delicate features.
Her curves, capable of capturing any man’s gaze as if they possessed their own gravity, were carefully covered by an elegant blue dress.
By appearance, she was no more than thirty years old, but in reality, she was already approaching six hundred.
Slowly, Ysara rose, the elegant blue fabric whispering against her curves. With a faint push from her delicate feet, she vanished.
When she reappeared, the queen was seated at a table in the center of the throne room, gesturing for David Darkwall to take the seat opposite her.
"I heard you exiled one of your children to the eternal forest recently..." Ysara remarked as she waved her hand, a bottle of wine materializing in the air.
It was green fairy wine, one of only five bottles that had been provided to her.
Originally, she had no interest in this drink at all. That changed only when one of her descendants insisted she try it, and she eventually gave in.
Now, she was basically addicted.
Over the past few centuries, ever since the loss of her daughter and husband, she had isolated herself almost completely. Having something so pleasant to drink right after emerging from twenty years of seclusion was, in its own small way, a relief.
She poured a glass for David and another for herself, the emerald liquid swirling softly as it filled each cup.
"It was nothing of great importance, Your Majesty," David replied, accepting the glass with a discreet nod. "Just a degenerate brat, unable to control his own hands..."
"Oh... really? You’ll just have to watch out for his mother, I suppose, fufufu~~" Ysara laughed gracefully, raising the glass to her lips.
"That’s something I already know how to handle." David shook his head. "Now, why did you summon me here, Your Majesty?"
Ysara didn’t answer the question right away, savoring the wine and letting the taste linger on her palate for a long moment.
With a soft sigh, she set the goblet aside.
"The preparations for the barbarian invasion must already be complete, mustn’t they?" she asked, then fired off another question before David could even answer. "And I trust you know what these preparations are really for, don’t you?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." David nodded, answering both questions at once.
The barbarian attack was merely an excuse, just as much as the fact that they were assembling such a large army in the dead of bitter winter.
The true objective of these preparations was a joint attack on the merchant federations of Blackwatch. They controlled the only land passage to the Central Empires and charged exorbitant tolls for the privilege.
The plan called for the Kingdom of Solene, the realm most affected by these tolls, to march two hundred thousand soldiers through the southern part of the confederation.
Meanwhile, the Kingdom of the Burning Ice would strike by sea with a force of one hundred thousand men, landing along the coast and pushing inland toward the federation’s capital.
With that, they could decapitate and dominate the entire region in a single stroke. It would finally put an end to the decades of abusive tolls they had been forced to pay every time they tried to trade with the Central Empires.
"Very well. Since you already know everything, I won’t waste much time." Ysara raised a single hand, a token materializing in her palm and flying toward David.
The moment he saw what it was, David’s eyes widened.
"I want you to lead the invasion force, Count David. You will have one hundred thousand men under your command, and I myself will closely oversee the operation. I trust you have no problem assuming the position of temporary general for this, do you?"
Naturally, David didn’t hesitate for a moment, accepting the honor immediately.
That was all he needed to demonstrate his power after advancing to the fourth stage!
Having been appointed general, David spoke with Ysara for a few more minutes before taking his leave.
Alone once more, the widowed queen merely sighed, the sound dissolving into the silence of the vast hall.
Lately, she had been having disturbing dreams, and it was precisely because of those dreams that she had decided to take part in this attack.
In every one of them, her beloved daughter appeared transformed into a demon by some vile necromancer.
"Ah... my dear Mireya... what did Mother do wrong to lose you so soon?"