Chapter 647: The Troublesome Aftermath
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Finally, there was an end to the attack on the academy.
Most of the troops from Icor were not willing to surrender, so they were totally wiped out. The few hundred mages remained completely loyal to the Queen; some had even committed suicide on the battle scene or had started to lash back in a manic craze, and were eventually turned into ice sculptures by Benjamin.
The fighting that followed lasted nearly an hour. Although it was basically a one-sided affair, their arms had become sore from the huge slaughter. Because of this, everyone had weary expressions even before the battle ended. Even the students, who had been hiding in the academy and had not done much, could not help but feel dizzy as they looked at the devastated streets.
Some quick estimation would tell you that the surprise attack by Icor had involved a total of four hundred and sixteen mages as well as fifty-thousand foot soldiers. It was a mighty feat in the history of battles. It was also very difficult for Benjamin to imagine how the Queen had brought so many people and gotten nearby without anyone realizing it.
Nevertheless, it was all over now. He could not be bothered to think about the matter.
In the small town, they found the captives from the academy in the camp. Apparently, when the surprise attack had begun, the academy mages and the army troops of Icor had started a series of battles in the streets of the small town. The result of that was, of course, the total defeat of the academy, resulting in the battalion retreating back to the academy and using runes to defend themselves. About twenty over mages were eventually taken as captives by Icor, with ten or so mages losing their lives in the battle.
It was a regrettable result, but at least they had protected their home.
The students poured into the streets and cleared up the battlefield. Varys started planning a memorial service; the year-end examinations were only just beginning and the plans to rebuild the small town also had to be pushed forward...
After the conclusion of the battle, despite their fatigue, they still had to attend to many matters.
As for Benjamin, he took the Queen to the basement of the academy to begin his interrogation and torture.
—that’s right. After he had frozen her into an ice sculpture, Benjamin had not chosen to instantly freeze her to death but had instead spared her life, intending to use her to solve Icor’s problems.
"A regrettable ending, is it not?" Under the dim light, Benjamin spoke slowly. His expression was cold and heartless. "You had practically bet everything, and in the end, lost it all."
The queen spat dejectedly, "If you can, then just kill me already. I have no interest in watching you flaunt your victory."
"Do you think that I do not wish to kill you?" Benjamin let out a cold snort as he replied, "Unfortunately, your Guild Master has sent me news, begging me to spare your life. If not for that I would have long pushed you under the guillotine."
He was not lying; after the battle had ended, the Guild Master had indeed relayed such a request to him.
Although the army of Icor had been completely defeated, and all the mages had drank the antidote and been freed from the Queen’s control, the Icor that they saw now was completely disorganized. Government decrees were ineffective whilst rumors spread like wildfire ..... It seemed that the Guild Master could not control the situation.
Furthermore, according to him, the Mage Guild had publicly announced that they had completely disbanded. Out of the few thousand mages, only a few hundred were willing to stay on and help the Guild Master. As for the officials of Regina, the majority of them were not willing to relinquish their position, leading to the disorganized situation before them now.
Luckily, the aristocratic heirs from the previous empire had never taken any powerful aristocratic roles. Otherwise, Icor might have been divided into clans of rival warlords.
But now... They still had to be alert of the Church outside the gates of the Crusader Gateway.
It was only because of this that Benjamin was here now, having a conversation with the Queen.
"The Guild Master? He is a traitor, he betrayed me, and he has also betrayed his own country!" The Queen immediately put on a disdainful expression, speaking with a voice full of anger and hatred.
It looked like she hated the Guild Master even more than Benjamin.
"No one cares what you think."
Benjamin, however, shook his head and suddenly clapped his hands. Following this, the Queen suddenly clutched at her stomach and fell to the ground in pain. Her screams echoed across the underground room.
"I have cast a curse on you. Only someone with magical abilities more powerful than mine can undo it." His voice was soft and cruel. "You have no choice now."
Benjamin activated the curse for five minutes straight; the Queen fainted from the pain multiple times, only to have Benjamin wake her up with the healing water ball. In the end, she could only lie paralyzed on the ground, unable to say anything.
Subsequently, Benjamin took her with him and flew for a day, eventually arriving in Regina.
"Your Majesty. I never thought that we would see this day."
In the quiet, cold palace, the Guild Master could not help but shake his head when he saw the Queen’s pitiful look.
The Queen did not respond.
"What is the situation with the Church? Will they swoop in at this opportunity? Can Icor still hold up now?" Benjamin walked over, asking the questions he had been thinking a lot about.
"This... I’m also not so certain." The Guild Master turned his head and said, "Nothing has happened at the gates. The spies we have planted in the Kingdom of Helius have also sent news that the Church has been unusually quiet recently. Not even the slightest bit of movement."
Hearing this, Benjamin could not help but fall into deep thought.
This was not right...
If it was because of the incident in the Abandoned Valley of God, so much time had already passed since then. The Church should already have been done with their exploration a long time ago. And, based on their style of doing things, if they could intervene, they would have definitely not stood on the sidelines and watched these events concerning Icor.
Was there some sort of conspiracy?
He felt that he needed to write a letter to the Fulner family, and get an inside scoop.
"So... Now, is the situation within Icor stable? What should we do next?" After some thought, Benjamin turned and asked again.
It was very obvious that they could not possibly let the Queen return to the throne and continue ruling Icor. Icor needed a new ruler, a trustworthy one who could resist the threats of the Church. It had best be someone noble and proper, or the internal governance of Icor would definitely be the first to get riled up.
The Queen could be a temporary puppet, to help first stabilize the internal situation in the country, but..... Knowing the Queen’s personality, as long as she was able to come into contact with governance, once enough time had passed, she would definitely cause disruptions again.
The Guild Master seemed to share Benjamin’s thought and said, "It is stable in the short term, but Icor needs a new ruler."
"Are there any suitable nobles in the country? As long as they have even a bit of blood relation with the Queen, they can be considered. At the very least, controlling them will be easier."
The Queen, however, let out a cold laugh as she heard this. Even the Guild Master shook his head, expressing that there was no such candidate.
However, as they were thinking about this with frowns on their faces, a mage suddenly ran in, saluting as he saw them, "Honorable Guild Master, a messenger from Carretas has just arrived. Do you want to meet him?"
When the two of them heard this, they turned around, somewhat surprised.
A messenger from Carretas...
The battle of the academy and the change in governance of Regina were not really secrets; other countries were sure to have heard about them. Sending a messenger at such a time could only be in regards to the recent event.
Nevertheless, the first mage had only just entered, before another mage suddenly ran in as well, saying rather frantically, "Reporting to you, Guild Master, a messenger from Ferelden has also arrived! They bumped into each other at the entrance, and seemed to have started an argument!"