Translator: Cinder Translations
...
Paul's letter had arrived, and while Catherine was pleased, she quickly calmed herself.
Alden was far from here, and organizing an expedition from there would take quite some time.
In the short term, she could not count on Paul's help.
Catherine needed to make full use of the resources at her disposal.
"Your Highness, Sir Monterlit requests an audience!"
A guard entered with the announcement.
"Monterlit?"
Catherine searched her memory.
"I'm not familiar with the name..."
She shook her head in frustration and turned to Ophina, but was met with a helpless shrug.
It was Duke Alambre who reminded her.
"Your Highness, he is the heir to the Tavares family."
"The Tavares family? I know of them. Please, let him in."
The guard left and soon returned with a young man.
He was tall, handsome, with dark golden curly long hair.
"Your Highness!"
Monterlit kneeled to salute the princess and then nodded to the duke.
Duke Alambre asked, "Monterlit, how many men have you brought?"
The young man lifted his head.
"I have brought a hundred knights, each with exceptional combat skills, and a thousand sturdy soldiers. The Tavares family will use all its strength to defend the kingdom's honor."
His expression was resolute, fearless, and utterly sincere.
Catherine was moved by his declaration and nodded her approval, which caused Monterlit to raise his eyebrows in surprise.
Ophina spoke,
"Based on earlier estimates, combined with the Bradley family's forces, the number of enemies heading to Blackstone Plateau should be between twenty-five and thirty thousand. If we can gather two thousand troops before they arrive, we'll have a fighting chance."
"Report! Lord Leicester has returned!"
A joyful shout came from outside.
Everyone in the tent perked up.
Leicester was quickly summoned in.
"Your Highness, the orc army has fallen for our trap. They are taking a longer route to 'pursue' us. If nothing goes wrong, they should be six to seven days away."
"Really?"
At Leicester's words, the tension in the room eased slightly.
Since they had created a relatively safe distance from the orc army, the royal army set up camp to wait for reinforcements.
Over the next few days, many local lords received and obeyed the royal summons. They gathered knights and soldiers from their territories and led them toward Sunset Valley to join the royal army.
By the fourth day, Catherine's forces had grown to nearly forty thousand.
The army from the capital numbered around five thousand, and with the reinforcements, the combat strength had doubled.
The princess organized these troops from different territories to avoid confusion in command.
That evening, scouts brought back the news that the orc army was approaching.
"So soon?"
Catherine asked the scout, surprised.
"Each orc soldier has three to four horses. They rotate riding their mounts during the march, so they move very quickly."
The scout, with a terrified expression, reported what he had seen.
"Along the way, villages and towns have suffered. The orcs pillaged supplies and forcefully conscripted able-bodied men into their army as laborers or cannon fodder."
"These orcs are so brutal; they deserve to die!"
Monterlit slammed his fist on the table in anger.
Although the human army of this era wasn't much better, Monterlit looked at Catherine, his eyes full of yearning.
"Your Highness, since they've arrived, let's fight them to the death!"
It was obvious that he was seeking the spotlight.
"I second that!"
"I also second that!"
"Yes, Your Highness, with our numbers, we no longer fear the orcs!"
The lords from all over Blackstone Pass joined in, eager to support Monterlit's call for battle.
Seeing their enthusiasm, Catherine's resolve hardened.
If that's the case, then let's fight!
What was surprising, however, was that the very next morning, the orcs sent an emissary—one with slicked-back hair and a relatively "slender" build compared to his kin.
After being invited into the tent, he bowed to Catherine according to Alden's court etiquette.
"Human princess, the beautiful Catherine, the grasslands warrior Calem has sent me to discuss some matters with you."
Catherine sat calmly in her seat and coldly asked, "Emissary, how should I address you?"
The orc smiled, "Your Highness, my name is Diet Evans. People call me Honest Evans."
Catherine was curious, "That sounds like a human name."
"Yes, Your Highness," Evans replied. "I used to be a merchant, and my business was doing well. I often traveled between Alden and the grasslandss, so I became fluent in Aldan and took this name."
"Then, Emissary, what is it you wish to discuss with me?"
"Bradley family's second son, Sir Lamost, Calem wishes for me to bring him back."
"Bring him back?" Catherine snorted coldly, "Dream on. I won't let any traitor go free."
"We can ransom him! You can set the price!"
"Absolutely not!"
After some back-and-forth, Evans seemed to accept the reality and no longer tried to convince Catherine to release Lamost.
"Alright, the task is complete. Thank you for listening, Princess Catherine."
"Complete?"
Catherine was confused, unsure what Evans had actually accomplished, as she had not released Lamost.
"In fact, that earlier discussion was just to give the Bradley family an explanation."
Evans said frankly.
Everyone soon realized—Calem, the orc leader, was just putting on a show.
"Now, let's move on to the next topic, Your Highness."
Evans put away his playful expression and became more serious.
"We wish for you... to surrender!"
"Surrender?"
Catherine almost laughed out loud.
"Go back and tell your master, there has never been a princess in Alden's history who has surrendered to the enemy."
"Oh, have you thought this through?"
Catherine was furious. "It seems you're confident you can defeat us?"
"Yes!"
The orc emissary's answer almost blew the tent apart.
(End of the Chapter)
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