Axel City, the unofficial capital of the Ashen Covenant Faction, possessed very unique and advantageous geographic features. The entire city was built in a region surrounded by massive mountains on three sides, making it naturally well-protected and difficult to invade from most directions.

Fresh spring water constantly flowed down from the mountains, splitting into multiple streams that passed through different parts of the city. A few kilometres later, those streams merged together and formed a large river that became one of the most important resources of the region.

The western side of Axel City took full advantage of this river. Vast stretches of fertile farmland spread across the area, producing enormous amounts of crops throughout the year. At the same time, many industries and workshops were established near the river because of the easy access to water and transportation. Over time, this greatly strengthened the already massive economy of Axel City and further solidified its position as the true centre of the Ashen Covenant Faction.

But around twenty kilometres further beyond the developed areas, a massive forest could still be seen stretching endlessly into the distance. Originally, this entire region had once been part of one enormous rainforest. Even the mountains surrounding Axel City were connected to this greater forest system.

In the past, the forest spread down from the mountains and expanded in every direction without interruption. Back then, Axel City was nothing more than a small settlement built by a few hundred people trying to survive in the middle of nature. Over the centuries, more and more parts of the forest were cleared to expand the city, create agricultural lands, and establish different industries. As a result, a massive gap slowly appeared in what was once one continuous forest.

However, this also created a serious problem for the city.

Because Axel City was still surrounded by dense forests from most directions, attacks from Magic animals were far more common compared to other cities within the Empire. Powerful magic animals often wandered close to human settlements, especially during certain seasons. This made the outer regions of the city extremely dangerous for ordinary civilians. Venturing too far outside the protected areas without guards or cultivators was considered highly risky, as many people had lost their lives to Magic animals over the years.

The Harrington family had to spend an enormous amount of wealth every single year to ensure the safety of not only Axel City itself, but also the industries, agricultural lands, and smaller villages located outside the city walls. Protecting those outer regions was far more difficult because they were much closer to the forests where Magic animals frequently roamed.

Large groups of guards, cultivators, patrol units, defensive walls, watchtowers, and magical formations were constantly maintained to keep the surrounding areas secure. Without those defenses, the villages and farmlands outside the city would have long become easy targets for Magic animals.

However, compared to the astronomical amount of revenue the Harrington family earned from Axel City every year, spending a small fortune on protecting the people and industries was more than worth it. In their eyes, every single gold coin spent on defense was an investment into the stability and prosperity of the region.

Not only that, but over the last few decades, the Harrington family had gradually continued increasing their spending on defenses against Magic animals. More patrol routes were created, stronger cultivators were stationed near dangerous areas, and additional protective measures were established around villages and industrial zones. All of this was done to ensure that both the city and the surrounding territories remained safe and peaceful despite being located so close to the massive forests.

Since magical beast attacks were far more frequent in this region and almost an everyday occurrence, the troops stationed in Axel City were far more experienced and prepared for such situations compared to the soldiers of most other cities within the Empire.

Whenever a part of the city or an area near the outer territories came under attack, Harrington’s right-hand man, who was in charge of the entire military force of the region, possessed full authority to immediately mobilize as many troops and weapons as necessary. He did not need to wait for permission from the Duke or the head of the Harrington family before taking action. The priority was always the safety of the city and its people.

Back when Harrington himself was still the ruling Duke, he personally joined the battlefield almost every single time Magic animals attacked the city. In fact, ninety-nine percent of the time, he would lead the troops himself and fight alongside his soldiers without hesitation. Because of this, the soldiers of the Harrington Faction held immense respect and loyalty toward him.

However, after Harrington retired and his nephew inherited the position of Duke, things changed slightly. More authority was gradually handed over to Harrington’s right-hand man. Over the course of more than two thousand years of loyal service, he had completely proven himself to be trustworthy and dependable. During all those years, there was never a single incident where he was accused of abusing his authority or misusing his power. Because of that, the Harrington family trusted him enough to give him greater control over the military affairs of the region.

This man’s name was Vardy Spectre. He was a Dark Elf who had been abandoned at the age of six and later cast out from his own tribe. The reason was simple. Among his kind, he was considered abnormal.

Despite both of his parents being pure Dark Elves, Vardy was born with shorter ears than the rest of his race. Because of this, many people within the tribe wrongly believed that he was half-human. To the proud and traditional Dark Elves, such a thing was viewed as shameful and unacceptable.

However, the truth was very different. It was entirely possible that Vardy’s appearance was simply the result of a rare genetic variation. Even in races with strong bloodlines, unusual traits could occasionally appear without any outside influence. But the tribe neither cared to understand nor investigate the truth. Instead, they chose the easier option, which was to reject him and cast him out.

And without parents or any relatives, he was already alone in his own tribe. So he was already nothing but a burden. And his slightly short ears gave everyone a purpose excuse to just kick him out of the village.

As a result, Vardy grew up abandoned by his own people long before he ever understood what he had done wrong.

....

Today was a really shocking day for the right hand man of Harrington. Vardy learned many shocking things that happened. But the most shocking, and also the most exciting thing that he learned today is that the exile crown prince who was wrongfully exiled from his own homeland and sent to a far away place had finally returned and had declared his intention to take back what was his rightfully.

This exciting news put him in a really good mood. He could hardly control himself from going to the palace to meet the grandson of his master.

But he held himself back. Even after serving us Harrington’s right hand man for over 2000 years and being the commander of the entire Harrington family’s troops, he still felt that he was not worthy of going to the palace just to see Harrington’s grandson.

Today had been an extremely shocking day for Vardy. Throughout the day, he learned one unbelievable piece of news after another. But among all the things he heard, the most shocking and exciting news for him was the return of the exiled Crown Prince.

The prince who had been wrongfully banished from his own homeland and sent far away from the Main Continent had finally returned. Not only that, he had openly declared his intention to reclaim what rightfully belonged to him.

Just hearing this news alone was enough to put Vardy in an unusually good mood. For a moment, he could hardly stop himself from directly heading toward the palace just to meet the grandson of his master. The thought of finally seeing the person Harrington cared about so deeply filled him with excitement and curiosity.

But in the end, he restrained himself. Even after serving as Harrington’s right-hand man for more than two thousand years and becoming the commander of the entire Harrington military force, Vardy still felt deep respect and humility toward the Harrington family. In his eyes, he was merely a loyal subordinate. He did not believe he possessed the qualifications to casually enter the palace just to meet Harrington’s grandson.

Unfortunately, that excitement did not last for long.

Just before darkness fully descended outside, one of his men suddenly came running into his office while Vardy was still busy working through military reports and defense matters. The hurried footsteps alone were enough to tell him that something serious had happened.

"What happened?" Vardy frowned.

"Sir, a large horde of easily over 5,000 magic animals, including multiple really powerful magic animals, is charging towards the city from the southern mountain." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The moment he heard those words, Vardy immediately stood up without wasting even a single second.

As the commander of the entire Harrington military force and someone who had dealt with situations like this for over two thousand years, he possessed immense experience in handling magic animal attacks. Panic was the last thing he felt. Instead, his mind instantly began organising plans and countermeasures.

Without hesitation, he immediately started issuing orders.

He instructed the same soldier who entered his office to mobilise the entire military force of the city and prepare everyone for a large-scale battle.

The news did not even reach the current head of the Harrington family. At that moment, the Duke and the other important members of the family were busy spending time with their grandson, talking, laughing, and catching up after such a long separation.

Vardy felt that there was no need to disturb them over this matter.

To him, this was simply another magical beast attack, something he had already dealt with countless times over the last two thousand years. He trusted both his own experience and the strength of the troops under his command. As long as he personally led the defence, he saw no reason why they would lose against a mere beast horde.

"Let’s go."

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