The Vastness of Magical Destiny

Chapter 98 - 98 20 Nicosia (1)_3

?Chapter 98: Chapter 20 Nicosia (1)_3 Chapter 98: Chapter 20 Nicosia (1)_3 The Finance Minister was taken aback. Allocating funds for soldiers’ compensation from the Royal Treasury was unprecedented; the money in the treasury was the private fund of the Royal Family, and control over it was not solely in the hands of His Majesty the King. Generally speaking, Her Majesty the Queen was often the main controller of these funds.

“Your Majesty, …..”

Seeing the Finance Minister standing there hesitantly, the elder waved his hand impatiently, “Enough, you needn’t worry about the rest. Go and attend to your duties with peace of mind, and if there are any delays, I won’t let you off easily.”

Only then did the Finance Minister hesitantly rise to his feet and bow before leaving slowly.

Another wave of oppressive silence filled the room. The elder’s face was impassive, seemingly lost in thought, while the Minister of Internal Affairs and the dressed military officer exchanged glances. The king had even taken out funds from his own Royal Treasury, which showed just how tight the kingdom’s finances were.

“Your Majesty, this can only be a temporary solution, not a permanent strategy,” the Minister of Internal Affairs couldn’t help but interject.

“But as you both have seen, the northern warfare is urgent, and we cannot afford to neglect the construction of our army, otherwise the fall of our kingdom is imminent. Mathew, how is the formation of the Iron Cross Corps progressing?” the elder shook his head wearily and asked with a sigh, “Also, have the beastmen exhibited any other unusual movements recently?”

“Your Majesty, the Iron Cross Corps has fully recruited its soldiers, but there’s still a significant shortfall in weapons and armor, and the finances simply can’t support the costs for weapons and protective gear. Currently, soldiers can only train unarmed or with wooden spears. To form a basic combat capability, we urgently need a supply of weapons and armor, and it would take at least half a year more of training.”

The dressed military officer spoke with a worried face. He was aware that the crux of the problem was the financial issue, and the king was in a tight spot, but since His Majesty had asked, he could only give an honest response.

“The beastmen are still ravaging throughout the territory of Myron Duchy and Meine City-State, albeit with less ferocity than before. Perhaps due to the colder weather, their activity has also slowed considerably. However, this doesn’t hold much significance anymore. Mycenae has been utterly destroyed, and nearly all the significant strongholds within the territories of the three regions have been ruined. Myron, Meine, and Susoer are, in effect, vast wastelands at the mercy of the beastmen. These three territories are now virtually incapable of providing any defense. Perhaps next year, the Central Region will face an even fiercer threat from the beastmen.”

“How did the beastmen come to possess battering rams? Has this issue been clarified? How did they obtain such weapons?” The elder let out a long sigh, his weathered face revealing rare concern, “Tez, do you have any leads on this?”

“I apologize, Your Majesty, but we still don’t have any substantial leads on how the beastmen obtained the battering rams. However, we can be certain of one thing: they did not produce them on their own. According to our undercover reports from within the beastmen’s Fox Clan territory, it seems they have also dismantled several destroyed battering rams to study closely. If they were self-made, I doubt they would bother to disassemble them for study,” Duke Tez said with a somber tone, his gaze shifting as if harboring many questions.

“Could it be that the beastmen are studying how to improve these battering rams?” the dressed military officer posed a question.

“That seems unlikely. The beastmen don’t even seem to understand the basic operating principles of a battering ram; how can they think about improvements? Based on feedback from our soldiers on the Battlefield, these beastmen are still not adept at using such advanced siege weapons. Otherwise, they would have caused us much heavier casualties. If it was their own research, firstly, I doubt there would only be merely a dozen of them, and secondly, their soldiers would have already been familiar with these weapons. Considering these points, the likelihood that the beastmen produced them themselves is extremely slim,” Tez pondered for a moment before dismissing his colleague’s suspicion.

“If the beastmen have more battering rams next year, we will be in trouble. Myron Duchy is finished; without a strong ally to the west, the beastmen can move freely through that area. Our defenses along the western strongholds are still not tight and solid enough. If the beastmen launch an attack from the west, we will face significant trouble,” the dressed military officer’s concern deepened, his brows furrowed heavily.

“Perhaps more troubling is the situation of the Central Region countries and city-states, right? Without Myron Duchy, Meine, and Susoer as barriers, the beastmen may use these territories as stepping stones to head south without restraint next year. The Central Region nations and city-states, ill-prepared as ever, are now terrified and unsure of what to do. Just a few days ago, envoys from Naples, Netherland, and Medea came seeking tentative advice, considering requesting military aid from our kingdom to defend their northern borders. They are worried that their armies and mercenaries will be unable to withstand the ferocious beastmen soldiers. They are willing to pay any price for this assistance,” said the Minister of Internal Affairs, his silent smile hiding the bitterness that another infantry corps had yet to be fully assembled, and already the three allies had set their sights on it—who knew the hardship within?

“Oh? That is indeed an interesting proposal. If those three kingdoms are willing to pay all expenses, including weapons, armor, and all logistical materials, I’m not against sending the Iron Cross Corps to the Central Region to serve as mercenaries for once. They need to temper and improve themselves through warfare anyway, only through actual combat can they grow into a true army. Consider it a live training exercise,” the dressed military officer’s eyes brightened, seemingly quite interested in the suggestion.

“Enough, Mathew, do you think the North doesn’t need an army for defense?” the Minister of Internal Affairs countered.

“No, Tez, we suffered such a huge setback this year for a reason. No one expected the beastmen to have battering rams and it caused panic and disorder among our soldiers. In reality, those few battering rams have a limited effect, but their unexpected appearance has thrown our soldiers into disarray. No one predicted this, but such a thing won’t have as much of an impact a second time. Also, I suggest a deployment of magicians and mages to all key castles and strongholds in the North, which would greatly hinder the beastmen’s use of siege instruments. I think next year the beastmen will pay a hefty price if they want to bandy in our North. What worries me is our West, now that Myron Duchy is no more, and the beastmen control most of its territory as well as Meine and Susoer. Next year, they could invade us from the West, so I feel we should not wait passively for the beastmen to attack but rather take the initiative,” said the dressed military officer, choosing his words carefully as he elaborated on his idea.

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