Work Prophet
Chapter 649 - 22 Hels’s Decision

Chapter 649: Chapter 22 Hels’s Decision

Hels dispatched a pigeon messenger to report the Dwarf ambush on Marquis Kuren in the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range to the Royal Capital.

The nature of this incident was very serious. The Dwarves’ actions were no longer just a provocation.

To kill the lord of the western domain, the Family Head of the Figrola family, one of the Twelve Great Nobles of the Empire, such behavior was tantamount to a declaration of war.

Hels hoped the Empire could send reinforcements to avenge his father and the noble knights who died, or at the very least, provide the expeditionary army with provisions and financial support.

However, the expectant Hels did not receive aid from the New Emperor; instead, Gars demanded that he set off immediately to lead his army to Lion Heart Castle and guard the Royal Capital.

Upon receiving the order, Hels’s brows furrowed deeply.

As one of the Empire’s top noble houses, the Figrola family had members in Lion Heart Castle, and even spies in the court, so Hels also received news of Crab’s Corner’s fall.

And he knew that the Wing Tribe, having rested briefly, were once again closing in on the Royal Capital. With their marching speed, they might have already reached the gates of Lion Heart Castle by now.

This could explain why the New Emperor was so eager to amass troops— it seemed Gars was planning to have a decisive battle in the Royal Capital against the Wing Tribe.

Of course, Hels did not wish to see Lion Heart Castle fall, but the problem was that the Figrola family had just suffered a heavy blow. Not much time had passed since his father’s funeral, and thousands of elite troops from the western domain also perished in the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range alongside Kuren.

Although Ireya, who arrived later, routed that Dwarf army, it was not the entirety of the Dwarf Kingdom’s forces. Those Dwarves still had the capability to invade the western domains once again.

If Hels were to lead his army away at such a time, it was undoubtedly a very dangerous thing to do, but he couldn’t disobey the Emperor’s command, which was why he was so conflicted.

Golden Finger Romero seemed to see his dilemma and suggested, "You could delay your departure as long as possible, and even travel slower on the way.

"The western domains are naturally very distant from Lion Heart Castle. Arriving late wouldn’t matter much. It’s best to wait until the great battle is nearing its end before rushing there, that way you can preserve your strength to the greatest extent."

Hels, upon hearing this, couldn’t help feeling tempted. "How long do you think this great battle will last, and who has a greater chance of winning?" he asked.

"I don’t know," the Finance Officer of Rock Snow City shook his head. "The Wing Tribe can fly and are naturally invincible because of that, but the problem is their numbers are too few, only slightly more than ten thousand. Such a small number can’t conquer the Bratis Continent."

"So you think the Wing Tribe will have reinforcements later on?"

"No one can answer that question," Romero paused before continuing. "But personally, I lean towards no."

"Why?"

"Because if they had reinforcements, the most prudent strategy would be to use Crab’s Corner as a base, advance steadily, and with their flying ability, they could easily target towns with weak defenses and take them without much effort, gradually whittling us down with the help of allies.

"But now they are heading straight for Lion Heart Castle. If they win this battle, they can indeed crush us in one fell swoop, but if they lose, or even if it results in a stalemate, it will reveal their weakness to everyone.

"That is an outcome they can’t afford. Attacking Lion Heart Castle is a risky move, as for the final victor, it’s hard to predict. Personally, I guess it will be a protracted battle that could last quite some time.

"With the lesson of Crab’s Corner before us, His Majesty the Emperor will surely have people store more water in the city to deal with the fire attacks from the Wing Tribe, to avoid repeating the Drummond family’s mistake," said Hels.

Hels nodded, "I can set out later, but I must eventually go. What will become of the Western Territory after I leave?

"Those dwarfs are allies with the Wing Tribe, and they might take the opportunity to attack again."

"You need to choose someone you can trust to guard this land in your absence," said the Finance Officer.

"Who, you? I can trust you."

"Unfortunately, I am not skilled in leading troops into battle," Romero shook his head, "But I can recommend someone to you—the Dragon Slayer Knight, Ireya of the Arias family."

"She won’t do," Hels rejected the suggestion without a second thought, "Find someone else."

"But there is no one more suitable than her. Sir Ireya has led people in slaying the Black Dragon and has warned everyone from the start that the Wing Tribe would invade the Bratis Continent. She also killed several members of the Wing Tribe, her loyalty is beyond doubt.

"Additionally, she recently led five thousand men to defeat an army of tens of thousands of dwarfs. The dwarfs on that side must also be quite wary of her. If we were to replace her, no one else would have that kind of deterrence."

At these words, Hels fell silent once again.

The Finance Officer continued, "This time when you go to Lion Heart Castle, you may arrive a bit later, but you cannot take too few people with you. You must muster an army of at least ten thousand; otherwise, it would be too obvious, and the New Emperor would surely have an opinion about you.

"As a result, the number of people left behind won’t be too many, and Sir Ireya has proven that she can win with fewer forces..."

"Sigh..." Hels let out a long sigh, "After I leave, I will have my cousin ’Winter’ Gwen take charge of Rock Snow City.

"I will instruct Gwen that should those dwarfs dare to cross the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range, to have Ireya lead troops to battle them. That should suffice."

Romero wanted to speak but hesitated, Hels was intending to let a clan member handle the affairs of the Western Territory in his absence, which was fine, but ’Winter’ Gwen was not a very good choice.

The Finance Officer knew of Gwen and understood that he was a very arrogant man and one who did not take counsel easily.

But Romero also understood the predicaments of Hels, who had not been brought up as the family’s heir from the start. Only after his brother David ran into trouble did Hels get promoted and start recruiting followers.

There were not many close confidants whom he could trust. ’Winter’ Gwen was one of the people who had supported him from the beginning, so at least there was no need to worry about loyalty.

Plus, Hels had already compromised on the matter of Ireya, so at this moment, it wasn’t appropriate for Romero to say anything else.

Thus, he nodded in agreement to Hels’s arrangements, and after the Finance Officer left, the young Lord of the Western Territory seemed to remember something else and summoned one of his trusted followers.

"Go, write to Quintus the High Priest, tell him I wish to see him again to discuss how to curb the Double Rest Sect. I will be leading an army past Duolin City in a while; we can talk more about it then.

"I hope he can come up with a feasible plan. Whatever help he needs, whether it be manpower or financial, I can support him."