Work Prophet
Chapter 175 - 23 Hope and Disappointment

Chapter 175: Chapter 23 Hope and Disappointment

Before they saw that video, many people didn’t take the dragon seriously, some even doubted it was just a slightly larger lizard that frightened the new Family Head of the Arias Family.

After all, women tend to be more timorous and prone to making a big fuss over minor issues.

But upon viewing the video, anyone who wasn’t blind could realize just how powerful the Black Dragon in the marsh was; yet precisely because of this, representatives of the great families became even more hesitant.

To defeat that terrifying beast would clearly come at a considerable cost, whether in terms of money or manpower, and since the dragon wasn’t appearing on their own territories, most people were unwilling to foot the bill for the disaster of the Arias Family.

It’s no wonder then that someone suggested Ireya shouldn’t disturb the creature in the swamp.

The words of David certainly made sense. The nobles of the western lands were not unaware that the Black Dragon, capable of flight, could threaten the Arias Family as well as them.

But some things were well understood by all, even if they were inconvenient to say aloud.

——Before that dragon did any harm to Black Stone City or the forest farms of the Pope Family, it certainly would have first destroyed Green Field.

In other words, even if David’s worries turned into reality, with the Arias Family in the frontline, they could buy enough time for the other families to muster their forces.

Compared to recruiting a large army in advance and stationing it on the Arias Family’s lands, this tactic was undoubtedly more cost-effective, and it wouldn’t weaken their own territories by pulling away too many elite forces.

Thus, aside from the Batoris Family, a long-standing staunch ally of the Arias Family, who expressed clear support, the enthusiasm of the other family representatives for sending troops to slay the dragon remained rather low.

They also didn’t oppose it outright, for that would sound bad in terms of reputation, and it would appear disrespectful to David, the future lord of the western lands.

So after David spoke, most people were quick to echo his sentiments, which filled Miss Rabbit with joy, thinking that reinforcements could be expected.

However, afterward, these same people began finding all kinds of reasons to delay the assembly of the troops: wives going into labor, sudden epidemics in their territories, or bandits appearing nearby requiring immediate eradication, and so on. Then the squabbling over who should be the Commander ensued, leading back into the previous deadlock.

Another month and a half passed in the blink of an eye, but aside from Ferdinand arriving at the outskirts of Green Field with a three hundred-strong force, Ireya saw no sign of any reinforcements.

Day after day, the Family Head of the Arias Family stood on the city walls, full of expectation, but that expectation was disappointed time and again, ultimately culminating in dire news.

"What did you just say? Repeat that!" The girl doubted her own ears.

"The Alliance Army will be commanded by Hels, the second son of Marquis Kuren," the messenger repeated the information obtained.

"Why, why does it have to be Hels? What about Lord David, hasn’t he always supported sending out troops?" Miss Rabbit blurted out, but in reality, she already knew the answer.

As the future successor of the Figrola Family, even if David himself wished to participate in the Dragon Slayer campaign, it was nearly impossible for the Figrola Family to let him do so at such risk.

And the Alliance Commander position requires a significant figure to take on the role, someone who must be from the Figrola family with a preferably pure bloodline, in order to command the troops of the other families.

Considering this, there truly is no one more suitable than Hels.

But the problem is that Hels is very likely the mastermind behind the murder of Ireya’s father, and he himself has an unclear but apparent connection with the dragon in the swamp.

Having such a person become the Alliance Commander means there might as well be no point in fighting the battle to come.

Upon receiving the news, the girl’s first reaction was to immediately rush to Rock Snow City to plead with Lord David to change the Commander, but once her mind cooled down, she realized that even if she went, it would hardly affect the outcome.

At this stage, most of her suspicions about Hels were mere speculation, and she had no sufficient evidence at hand to prove that Hels was indeed associated with the Black Dragon.

Moreover, the Alliance Commander was elected by all the great families, not something that David could simply switch on a whim. Even if it were possible to replace him, there was no telling how long it would take to elect the next Commander.

Ireya was now aware that the other families were clearly planning to indefinitely delay the dragon slaying. No one knew how long they intended to drag it out, yet the time left for the Arias family was running short.

Winter was nearing, and the dragon could leave the swamp at any moment due to a lack of food.

The girl could only convene her vassals once again, to discuss countermeasures with Ferdinand of the Batoris family, and this time Li Yu was also present.

Miss Rabbit surveyed the hall and then asked her Guardian Knight, "Alfred, how many men do we currently have at our disposal?"

"I’ve been expanding the army as you requested all this time, intensifying the recruitment and training of soldiers. Right now, the Arias family has a total of three hundred and twenty-six warriors, but most of them are new recruits. Discounting the necessary guards for the castle, we can mobilize roughly two hundred sixty men."

The old knight paused before continuing, "Regarding the militia, since the busy farming season has passed, if mobilized completely, the number should exceed one thousand five hundred."

Afterward, several knights of the Arias family with fiefs also stood up to report the situation on their end. Combined, their troops amounted to roughly another two thousand men, though the majority were also militia.

Together with one thousand lizard people from the Double Rest Sect and the three hundred men brought by Ferdinand, the gathered forces were nearing the significant number of five thousand.

This was about the limit of what Ireya could muster, and though the number sounded impressive, everyone in Teacup Castle, without any outsiders present, was well aware of how this figure came about.

Soon, Juan, who had recently been knighted for his contributions in dragon-searching, spoke up to quench the enthusiasm, "Militia with only basic training will likely be of little use against the dragon."

Since Jude had nominally died already, Juan was now the only surviving person who had fought the giant dragon and lived to tell the tale, so his opinion carried weight.

"The dragon’s oppressive presence is tremendous. Ordinary people lack the courage to face it. To be frank, when I first saw it, I too was filled with fear, even trembling as I held my sword," Juan recalled that nightmare, still visibly shaken.

"If we involve the militia in battle, given their psychological capacity, it wouldn’t take long for them to break. And once the militia starts fleeing en masse, it could trigger a chain reaction of panic among others, and the consequences could be unimaginable."