Chapter 919 Slipping Away

On the seventh of November, Ascent and Ilios were ready to go to war. Although their problems were numerous, most of them have been solved somehow. Janea gave them corps that could last them on their trip, solving their most significant issue.

The next headache came from their transportation method. Arthur would need to drain all of his mana to teleport fifty thousand people, and not even that was guaranteed to be enough. Furthermore, any teleportation near Runera was restricted at the moment.

Thus, their second-best option was to teleport toward the Iliosian borders using one of the arrays, and then the army would march toward Runera.

The city of Runes was in the northwest direction of Ilios. It was located on land between Janea, the Yalveran Union, and Ilios. Although no nation ruled this land because it was filled with monsters, Runera used its arrays to create a place for itself.

Therefore, Ascent and the Iliosian army needed to travel from the borders toward Runera, a distance of five hundred kilometers. The trip would take at least ten days for an army of that size.

"We need to find a faster method," said Arthur with a frown toward his war council. It consisted of Alan, Zonas Mantra, and Layla. These were the three who had real-life experience in leading armies. "If we arrive there on the seventeenth, then we might not defeat Runera before the end of the year."

"We have studied the alternative. We cannot let your mana run low because you are our strongest trump card. Furthermore, even if we teleport toward Runera, how would we know what area they have covered in their s.p.a.ce-locking arrays?" replied Alan with a shake of his head.

"Every guess we make about teleportation costs us money and energy. If we attempt to teleport the whole army and the portal fails to form, we will lose more than the tremendous energy and money."

This was the main reason teleportation was impractical in wars since it was uncertain. Furthermore, to teleport fifty thousand soldiers, Ascent would need at least a thousand mana crystals.

"We can use Adam Leno for that instead of hiding him inside the Runic Dome," said Zonas Mantra after a momentary silence. "For a man with infinite mana, we make very little use of him."

"Adam Leno is not a part of Ascent but a guest," said Arthur with a shake of his head. "However, even if we want to use him, no teleportation rune could handle his mana. It is too chaotic and dense."

"We cannot wait any longer," said Layla with a frown. "Although I only led gangs before, I know that giving the enemy too much time is akin to sawing our necks. Runera is filled with runemasters, and given time, the nerds could create miracles."

"I agree with the young miss," said Alan. "Even if we need time to prepare, the attack is about the element of surprise. We forsook that advantage when we made the threat and gave them time to respond."

"It had to be done," said Arthur as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. "Otherwise, we would lose something important: the belief that we are not evil."

"Wars are evil regardless of the side or reasons," said Zonas Mantra with a shake of his head. "We must accept that and make the best of this evil deed. It could even bring peace and prosperity to Ilios."

"I accepted that I will be hated for this, but the soldiers need the conviction," said Arthur toward his councilmen. "We leave at dawn. Prepare the arrays and inform the soldiers."

"As you command, Guild Master," answered Alan and rose with the other two, leaving the meeting room. Arthur remained alone, sitting in his chair, savoring the realization.

Arthur knew that the moment he decided to invade Runera, the world would see him as a villain. However, he realized something about that. Villains and liberators were the same since both of them started wars.

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Villains are those who lose.

Those who emerged victorious would decide who was the villain and liberator. Thus, the answer to the moral question was simple: he needed to defeat Runera.

A knock came on his door, and once Arthur called them inside, Julia entered the meeting room. Her unease and worried face made Arthur stand to receive her, feeling an ominous feeling in her heart.

"Is there something wrong?"

"I received some information about Emma Agard," said Julia with a frown. "It seems she has gone missing ever since the incident in Kera. No one heard a thing, not even her family. Some suspect she is being kept inside the palace since it was the last place she was supposed to visit."

"A maiden awaits her rescue," muttered Arthur with realization. His hand curled into a fist as his knuckles pressed against the table. "It must be that d.a.m.n prince and the royal family. However, how is she related to Oriole?"

"If the Yalen King is holding her prisoner, then she must be useful to him in some way," said Julia as she walked to sit in the chair beside him. "I found nothing about her ability, not even in Jerano"s records."

"It has been over two months since the incident in Kera, and she has been missing for that long without my knowledge," said Arthur while gritting his teeth. Julia saw the rising dark aura around him and hurried to hold his hand.

"You would have gone to rescue her if you knew," said Julia with rea.s.surance. "Oriole must have wanted to warn you about her imprisonment, knowing you would blame yourself. It still does not exclude the warning about Sier."

Julia knew everything about the incident in Runera, and Arthur had no problem filling her with the rest. She might even be the one person who knew the most about him. Thus, Arthur calmed down.

"I need to save her."

"After we are done with this war, you can do that," said Julia as she held his forearm. "I know how hard it is to see someone you care about getting hurt, but…."

"How would you know?" said Arthur with a shake of his head as he pulled his arm away. "I have been losing people left and right. Diana, Oriole, my mother, and now Emma. What use is there in being able to hold a thing, for them to slip away anyway? How would you know this pain?"

"…you are right, I don"t, but we cannot win this war without you," Julia was silent before retracting her hand. "You must endure this until the end of the war. And then, you would have all the time to save her."

Arthur was silent, and Julia left the meeting room. He knew he was too harsh, even though she wanted to rea.s.sure him. However, the wrath in his chest was too hard to control. Emma was one of his closest friends before he went to Alka and even after he returned.

The door closed, and Arthur found himself unable to contain his wrath. He promised he would return to her when she told him about how they watched her. Arthur a.s.sumed that she was alright, protected by her family.

"I couldn"t have known that something happened if not for Oriole, but… two d.a.m.n months with that b.a.s.t.a.r.d…" muttered Arthur with wrath. A dark aura rose to form his body, threatening the runes in the room.

Arthur snapped out of his wrath when he saw the runes get obliterated. He realized that he had once lost control of his emotions because of Eragon. It was one thing to control his powers using the memory of the person he loves, but another when something like this happens.

The wrath was not over, and it could not be contained. Arthur could feel it building in his heart; if he did not let it go, it would end him. His hands held into the table as he tried to contain it, and the moments pa.s.sed.

It was dawn when Arthur calmed down at last. His wrath lasted for hours, making him feel like lava ran through his veins. However, it was over, and he did not lose control. It seems that even if he had a hold on Eragon, he would still be affected by him.

"Sin of Wrath," muttered Arthur with a tired smile. "What an inconvenient curse has been placed upon you. You might truly be the one to end this world one day."

The door opened again, and this time it was Alan in armor. The warrior had a mace on his waist, which Arthur had never seen since they explored Avarice Dungeon. The warrior seemed confused at how Arthur had remained here since last night.

"Guild master, we are prepared. The army is waiting on the border, waiting for your arrival," said Alan, who frowned when he saw Arthur and his pale face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, there is nothing wrong," said Arthur with a shake of his head. "Ask Julia to direct the dome toward the army. It should take less than half an hour to get there. It is time to start this war."