Chapter 493: The Exchange of Hostages
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The king was quite moved when he saw the people become silent.
Even though he had been pampered and spoiled by the people around him since a very young age, he had never felt such a sense of fulfilment before today. General Rexton who was all in his face just minutes ago now lay beneath his feet, and all this was achieved through his own efforts.
Or maybe it was the baiting plan that they had crafted earlier.
When they were discussing ideas in the chief’s house, they knew that there was no way that they could directly fight with the army. If that really were to happen, the ten mages could easily fly away to escape, but what would become of the king and the tens of apprentices?
Thus, they had to come up with this plan to bait and kidnap the General.
The king would appear and lure the General away from his soldiers. Then, they would use magic to subdue him. This process was not an easy one, and if the king did not rack his brain to memorize the speech from the notes they wrote, General Rexton would most probably not let down his guard as he had previously.
Coincidentally, the attention of the opponent was distracted right after he finished his speech. Thus, the king took his notes out and waved it at the General, successfully getting him to the bait.
The plan went abnormally smoothly, but the king did feel a hint of regret amidst his delight.
If he had memorised more of those issues all those years ago, would he have been able to persuade the entire army to his side with just his words?
What a waste....
However, this was all in the past. The king now did everything he could to fulfil his role in the plan and protect his and the apprentices’ lives. There was nothing else he could hope for.
The situation was much more comforting now that General Rexton was now in their hands.
"You should feel ashamed." The king declared coldly as he swept his eyes across the ranks of soldiers. "Only a bunch of foreign mages are actually standing up to fight now when Carretas is in danger."
The soldiers looked at each other helplessly.
"You.... You conman, how dare you call yourself the king, you... you...." General Rexton struggled again, but this time, his voice was no longer as powerful as before. He was out of breath and energy, and he sounded lethargic and frail.
"Watch your words. You’re talking to the King of Carretas." Lara scoffed as she tightened the grip of the Shadow Cloak.
General Rexton’s voice shook and broke under the pressure, and he could no longer speak between his frantic breaths.
"General, are you okay? General...."
The soldiers who stood in front of the troop noticed the General’s situation and immediately grew concerned. They wanted to rescue General Rexton, but it was obvious that the mages standing opposite them were not an easy bunch; General Rexton was, unfortunately, now their hostage. Thus, the soldiers did not dare take act recklessly.
"Since you did not commit any major mistakes, I shall temporarily refrain from doing anything to him," said the king, "Gealorre has been taken over by the church. They groomed a replacement for my crown and used the term the ‘Kingdom’s Religion’ to corrupt Carretas from within. As soldiers who’d sworn your loyalty to the kingdom, it is your duty to chase these people out."
The soldiers were dead silent - it was obvious that they were in a dilemma. What was the truth, and what was fake...? They could not differentiate one from the other, and they dared not make any rash decisions as they clearly understood the consequences of standing on the wrong side in this fight.
To the soldiers, they would usually stand where their superiors stood.
However, their superior was now a hostage.
This would be difficult.
"...Release the General and we will retreat." Finally, a soldier who looked like a Batallion Commander emerged from the ranks of the soldiers and said.
He had the attitude of someone who was unwilling to be involved in any trouble.
The mages shared a look with each other but did not reply. General Rexton on the other hand, struggled again as if he was not willing to agree to that.
However, the king frowned as he heard this.
Logically, that was quite a good exchange, but the feasibility of it was the issue. If General Rexton was released, he would probably turn around and come for their heads. A mere Batallion Commander would not be able to guarantee their safety.
Besides, the king still hoped that he could make use of the army.
No further elaboration was needed. These were his soldiers, men who had sworn to be loyal to him when they first joined the military, and now lived off his money in the kingdom’s bank. He could turn a blind eye at their defiance, but now they were going directly against him! What was the logic behind that?
He felt wronged to be unable to command his own army.
"Your Majesty, you see..."
The king was still wallowing in pain when Tony came to him. On the surface, Tony was asking for his opinion, but his intentions were very clear - they intended to agree to this arrangement.
The mages’ rationale was simple. They wanted the soldiers to get out of their way as soon as possible, as their only opponent was the church.
But, the king was still hesitant on the issue.
"In.... in your dreams." Suddenly, General Rexton regained some of his energy and spoke once again, his voice shaky but determined. "Kill me if you dare. Or I’ll capture all of you by myself and drag you back to Gealorre!"
"You’re spouting so much nonsense." Lara curled her lips in distaste before she tightened the energy around the bindings.
General Rexton gasped for air once more.
However, the situation presented to them was genuinely quite a sticky one. If they did not release the General, the army would not retreat; if they released the General... Well, the army probably would not retreat anyway.
After some thought, Lara controlled the shadow and abruptly increased the pressure from her grip, immediately knocking out the General.
"We’ll talk after you stop the siege," she said.
The soldiers exchanged looks before finally nodding.
The man who seemed to be a Batallion Commander turned around and started to order the soldiers to gather. Soon, all the soldiers around the village came to the entrance and looked at the king and the ten mages in silence.
Tony, on the other hand, whispered to the king. "Your Majesty, we have no other choice. It is impossible to regain control over the military immediately, it probably won’t happen anytime soon. Just allow them to leave for now."
The king sighed at Tony’s words.
That true.... There was no other way.
It was difficult enough for them to get out of this standoff without any bloodshed. What else was he hoping for? What could he do to these confused soldiers?
Thus, he finally spoke.
"Retreat to a distance of five kilometres. We will leave General Rexton here in this village. You shall return here after half an hour to take him back to your camp."
The soldier who led the men considered the proposition. After some thoughts, he shook his head. "No, give us the General. I can’t be sure you will really leave the General here after we leave.
The king frowned at his demand and turned to quietly ask Lara, "Can you make him even groggier?"
"Trust me, he’s dazed enough," replied Lara, "Rest assured, Your Majesty, I know what I am doing. He would need half a day to regain consciousness even if he was as strong as a bull."
The king nodded.
"Alright then." He turned to look at the soldiers. "I will return General Rexton to you, and you can then leave with him. I hope you will not regret the decisions you made today in the future."
The soldiers said nothing but some bowed their head slightly. The king took this as a silent agreement to his statement.
The king shared a look with Lara who then nodded in response. Then, she controlled the shadow and prepared to toss the unconscious General Rexton back to his men....
"Hold up! Don’t toss him yet!"
However, a voice came from the sky just as she was lifting the General with the shadow, interrupting her mid-way.
Everyone was stunned.
They turned their head towards the source of the sound and saw Benjamin floating above their heads.