<strong>Chapter 31 – Gold Behemoth (III)</strong>


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    Oliveira nodded and said, “Apart from a few specific races, the vast majority of beastmen are naturally afraid of fire. In past wars, the attacks of our Fire Mages were the most effective. How big do you estimate their losses to be?”


    Sura shook his head and replied, “It was too chaotic; I was unable to determine the extent of the damage they suffered. I believe, however, that they will want to assemble their entire army, so they will wait for the fire and chaos topletely die out. Furthermore, since the trees on the mountain are very tall, the fire should not die out anytime soon. As long as it doesn’t rain or snow, the fire wouldn’t be extinguished for two days at the very least.”


    Oliveira spoke, worried, “The only thing I fear now is that they might not wait to reassemble their army and will attack immediately instead. Konya City doesn’t have a strong defense. The city walls are only fifteen meters high, which is about the same height as an average Behemoth. We only have three genuine Gigantic Dragons altogether, none of which are fully matured. A tamed dragon cannot sessfully confront a Behemoth; it’s not strong enough. At most, it can only dy them.”


    Ye Yin Zhu interjected, “Elder Brother Oliveira, how long until we get reinforcements?”


    Hearing Ye Yin Zhu’s question, Oliveira’s expression immediately became uglier. ncing at the others some distance away, he lowered his voice and said, “I used a magic summon to report to my grandfather about the beastmen ambush on Konya City. Grandfather said, however, that there is immense pressure on Sacred Heart City right now. Mjolnir Stronghold’s beastmen are just as strong as the main army. Furthermore, there are many incredibly fast Wolf Cavalry attacks on Sacred Heart City’s perimeter. Defense is extremely strained. He has already requested reinforcements from the Empire. For the time being, he can only send my second elder brother and five hundred Dragon Cavalry as backup. He doesn’t know when the other reinforcements can arrive.”


    “What?” Ye Yin Zhu whispered, “If it’s like that, then our location…”


    Oliveira’s eyes disyed a determined light. An unshakeable aura exuded from his body, an aura created through a baptism of bloodshed and death, of iron and steel, and that only presented itself in soldiers during precarious situations as it arose involuntarily. “Regardless of the response, as a Mn Empire soldier and as a future Dragon Cavalrymen, I will absolutely not cower. Even if we must fight to the veryst man, the Dragon Cavalrymen and I will hold this line. We must dy the beastmen for as long as possible and give the Empire enough time to prepare. Yin Zhu, I’ve thought it out. You need to lead the students and evacuate; return as quickly as possible to the Institution. At present, the war has gotten out of hand. Everyone here is the best of the best at the Institution. They are the future of the Mn Empire; none must not die!”


    Hearing his speech, Ye Yin Zhu and Sura couldn’t help but be moved. This fifth-year upperssmen had gained both of their respects. Sura nodded and said, “This is perhaps the best solution.”


    “I won’t leave.” Ye Yin Zhu shook his head. Although his voice was serene, his tone was exceptionally firm.


    Oliveira frowned. “Yin Zhu, now is not the time to show off your bravery. You should know that all of you are elite students with bright futures. You absolutely cannot forfeit this here.”


    Ye Yin Zhu smiled. His smile was very pure and very gentle. “I understand. But, I won’t leave.”


    “You…” Oliveira’s eyes dted. He suddenly realized that this mage, who had previously received his sword blow, had a one-of-a-kind personality. This personality of his was what both his elder brother and grandfather had already seen.


    Sura anxiously spoke up. “Yin Zhu, if we don’t leave now, it’ll be toote.”


    Ye Yin Zhu nced at Sura. “You leave. Although I am not a member of the Mn Empire, I am a Mn Institution for Magic and Martial Arts student. I have a duty to protect this ce. Besides, I am also a mage within the Mn Imperial Army.”


    Sura sighed, eximing, “Since you insist on risking your life, then I will follow you.”


    Ye Yin Zhu smiled. “I knew that you hate to part with me. Actually, we might be able to defend Konya City.”


    Oliveira stared nkly. “Could it be that you have a n?”


    Ye Yin Zhu said, “Elder Brother Oliveira, did you forget the military stratagems you had told me earlier? You said that when confronting a well-matched adversary, you need to aim at their weaknesses. When confronting an adversary of greater strength, however, you need to reveal as much power as you can in front of them. Our fire attack may not have diminished the beastmen army’s strength, but at least it has left them panic-stricken. This false assumption they’ll be under will give us some time to prepare.”


    Oliveira smacked his forehead. “Right! Look at me; normally I’m calm, but under duress, I am inferior to your incisiveness. Yin Zhu, it seems that you could very well be an outstanding general.”


    Sura said doubtfully, “What nonsense are you two going on about?”


    Oliveiraughed and said, “It’s not nonsense. Yin Zhu’s idea is to scare the beastmen first and make them unwilling to rush into an attack, possibly even making them retreat. Unfortunately, beastmen are naturally headstrong, unlike humanity’s cautiousness. If not, we might really have a chance. Scaring them, however, will at least dy them for some time. Now I finally understand the hidden meaning of life.”


    Ye Yin Zhu’s eyes disyed a pondering light before he suddenly said, “Elder Brother Oliveira, if you can dy the beastmen for a while, we might really be able to withstand their attack. The condition, however, is to let all of the mages from the Institution stay here and have them listen to me as their leader.”


    Oliveira eximed, dumbstruck, “Are you saying that you have some way to block a beastmen army of nearly a hundred Behemoths? Mages? We only have forty mages, and the strongest amongst them is merely a Primary Level Cyan Rank. This is impossible. Not a single one of you can even injure a Behemoth!”


    Ye Yin Zhu countered firmly, “Magic is a profound art. If someone had told you that the Divine Music division could be the Freshman Competition Champion this year, would you have believed them? Elder Brother Oliveira, please give me this chance. I have to try.”


    Oliveira hesitated for a moment before resolutely saying, “No. Yin Zhu, it’s not that I don’t trust you. If Konya City’s mages were a part of the army, I would absolutely allow you to try. You should know, however, that these students are not only exceedingly outstanding, but practically all of them have a very powerful background. Even our Violet n cannot afford to bear such a loss. Furthermore, my youngest sister is among the student mages. I’m not afraid of death, but I cannot trouble my family. Even my grandfather cannot take such a burdensome responsibility.”


    “I will take on this responsibility for you.” At this pivotal moment, an entrancing and tranquil voice rang out. Xiang Luan and Hai Yang, hand in hand, had actually walked forward. The one who had spoken was the most beautiful woman of Mn Institution for Magic and Martial Arts—Xiang Luan.


    Oliveira stared at her in amazement. “You?”


    The mischievous smile that normally graced Xiang Luan’s face was gone. She nodded calmly and said, “Correct. I will. My name is Berlusconi Xiang Luan. My father’s name is Berlusconi Silvio. Does Senior Oliveira not believe that I have the qualifications to take this responsibility?” As she said this, she revealed an emblem in her hand. It glittered with rays of red and ck light. The emblem was in the shape of a pentagon, its tip pointed downward. The emblem was iid with three strips of red and ck metal. The red was a kind of extremely precious, pure gold while the ck was crow gold. At the exact center of the emblem was a brilliant diamond crafted into the form of a shield, with a cross-sculpted ruby embedded within it. This emblem was made of shockingly rare materials, not to mention the excessive magical aura it leaked.


    Ye Yin Zhu clearly didn’t understand the implications of Xiang Luan’s name, but beside him, Sura and Oliveira had bepletely lifeless. They both cried out in unison, “Mn Ruby Cross Shield Emblem?!”


    Beside Xiang Luan, Hai Yang delicately called out, “Oliveira, are you not going to greet the Imperial Princess?”


    Oliveira immediately reacted. <em>Putong!</em> Sinking to one knee, he spoke with reverence, “Respects to Princess Xiang Luan.”


    Berlusconi—the Mn Imperial Family’sst name. Berlusconi Silvio was the full name of the Mn Empire’s Emperor.


    Xiang Luan nodded, saying, “Please rise, my Knight. I have heard everything you have said just now. I, on the behalf of Mn, acknowledge your strength and feel gratified. Now, as the Imperial Princess, I order that from now on, no one may leave Konya City unless under mymand. All mages must unite under Ye Yin Zhu, including myself.”


    Oliveira lifted his head in shock. “No, your Highness, how can this be? You’re actually here? In that case, I have even higher grounds to evacuate you. You must leave, even if it goes against your order. As a member of the Violet n, I must prioritize the safety of the royal family above all else.” How could he have imagined that the Imperial Princess would actually be a part of this campaign of Mn students?


    The majority of those studying at the Mn Institution for Magic and Martial Arts were children of nobility, all of whom had concealed their identity, the royal family even more so. Only with such measures would they not stand out among the masses. This was a policy of the Mn Empire to restrict the royal family’s influence. Because of the open-mindedness of the royal family, the Mn Empire had be even stronger, allowing it to be the strongest national power on the Longinus continent.


    Xiang Luan spoke, slight anger coloring her voice. “What? You dare to go against my order?”


    Oliveira remained firm as he answered, “No. I do not dare. Mnw decrees, however, that princesses have no ce in politics, especially not as amander of an army. I apologize, your Highness, but I cannot ept your order.”


    “You…” Xiang Luan obviously knew that Oliveira was doing this to protect her, but deep in her heart, she waspletely convinced that Ye Yin Zhu could bring about a miracle once more. “Oliveira, ording to thew, I am indeed incapable politically, but this is currently an extraordinary situation. Don’t tell me that you believe that our current defense army can withstand the Behemoth’s attack? Just now, in the mountains, I saw first-hand Ye Yin Zhu’s power and the resulting disastrous losses the beastmen suffered at his hand. He could do it once, so why can’t he do it a second time?”


    Oliveira solemnly said, “His sess in the mountain range was essential, but first and foremost, Konya City is on an open in. Your Highness, we don’t have much time left. I will immediately arrange for people to guard your evacuation.”


    “Oliveira, you really aren’t obeying my order.” Xiang Luan was furious. At this moment, her imposing aura intensified.


    “Your Highness, I apologize. ording to Imperialw, yourmand is invalid.”


    “Then, what about mymand?” Azy voice echoed. Everyone’s gazes shifted towards the direction of the voice, only to see a tall figure d in heavy armor. A heavy sword in hand, the warrior walked forward. It was very obvious that he was a Heavy Sword division student of Mn Institution for Magic and Martial Arts. He took off his helmet, revealing his sun-kissed face to everyone.


    Ye Yin Zhu said in surprise, “Fisiche, you?” Just as the sound of his voice faded away, he stared at the emblem in Fisiche’s hand, which had been pulled out from somewhere unknowingly. It was identical to Xiang Luan’s Mn Ruby Cross Shield Emblem.


    “Yes! Idol, it’s me. Big sis, this brother came just in time.” Fisiche still looked the same, a happy smile on his face. It looked like he didn’t know what <em>worry </em>was.


    Oliveira’s eyes widened. He nearly copsed unconscious on the ground as he thought to himself, <em>Heavens! Why must you bully me?! The princess I can argue with, but why is the prince also here?</em> It wasmon knowledge that the Mn Empire’s Emperor, Berlusconi Silvio, only had one son and one daughter.


    Hai Yang bowed slightly and said, “Greetings, your Highness the Prince.”


    Fisiche chuckled and said, “Older Sister Hai Yang, you need not be formal with me. I’m afraid my big sis will beat me.”


    Sura stood there nkly. On the contrary, Ye Yin Zhu didn’t have arge reaction. He had lived in the Deste Jade Sea since infancy, so he didn’t have a very strong impression of nobility. Princess? Prince? Weren’t they still people?


    “Senior Xiang Luan, so you’re actually a princess! I also didn’t expect Fisiche to be Senior Xiang Luan’s younger brother either. But, why don’t the two of you look alike?” Ye Yin Zhu inquisitively asked.


    Fisiche bitterly smiled. “We are half siblings! You didn’t say I’m uglier than my big sis, so I’m very d. Senior Oliveira, ording to Imperialw, as the Crown Prince of the Empire, I have the power to take control of, at most, a hundred thousand troops at any time and any ce, unless my Imperial Father is present, right?”


    Even though Oliveira didn’t want to admit it, he still nodded. Helpless, he replied, “Yes, your Highness.”


    Fisiche dered, “Alright. I now order you to listen to my big sis’ previous orders. Specifically, the ones you were fighting against.”


    Oliveira’s heart sped up. So troublesome! If the princess and prince were to die here, the entire Violet n would not survive the responsibility! “Your Highness the Prince, this won’t do…”


    Fisiche intoned deeply, “Enough. Senior Oliveira, bear this in mind. The Berlusconi Family are not cowards. I believe my idol has the ability to ward off the enemy. If I shrink back when the time for battle approaches, then my people will be ughtered by the beastmen. I absolutely refuse to watch this happen. If my older sister and I leave now, we will live the rest of our lives with this tremendous disgrace. We do not have any more time to waste at the moment. General, carry out your duty; execute the order. My older sister and I will undertake the responsibility. Even if we die here in this battle, I guarantee that no one will make things difficult for the Violet n. I will report this to the reinforcements via a magicalmunication device, making my intentions clear.”


    Staring at Fisiche and Xiang Luan’s determined gazes, Oliveira knew that it would be useless to argue further. Even if he wanted to use force, it would be impossible. With the Mn Ruby Cross Shield Emblem, the entire Dragon Cavalry would onlyply with the royal family’s order.


    “Affirmative. Yin Zhu, everything will be up to you. I will head out to the frontlines with the army to stall for you as much as possible. The beastmen will only be able to enter Konya City over my dead body.” After speaking these words, Oliveira sped off with haste. He must notify Maldini of the current situation immediately. Even if the walls of Sacred Heart City fell, military personnel would be sent to save Konya City!


    Watching Oliveira depart, Fisiche rxed. Chuckling by Xiang Luan’s side, he remarked, “Big sis, what do you think? I did pretty well, didn’t I?”


    Xiang Luan hummed. “Today you acted like a man. You’re not leaving? Do you think that just because you revealed your identity, you don’t need to go to war? Don’t forget what you said just now.”


    “Yes, your Highness.” Fisiche abruptly stood at attention, saluting Xiang Luan as custom for the military. He immediately sped off as well.


    Xiang Luan stared at his departing figure before giggling. “This boy! I didn’t expect that a little of Imperial Father’s brilliance would shine through when facing this crisis. It appears that he will be a good emperor in the future.”


    Ye Yin Zhu lightly sighed, saying, “Senior Xiang Luan—oh. I meant Princess Xiang Luan; I am somewhat regretful.”


    Xiang Luan smiled slightly. “What are you regretful for? Could our identities have diminished your will to fight?”


    Ye Yin Zhu shook his head. He exined, “I had merely hoped to not involve everyone. Without the two of you helping, however, I wouldn’t be able to aplish anything.”