Strongest Kingdom: My Op Kingdom Got Transported Along With Me-Chapter 352 - 351: The Storm Is Coming

Alden's smile lingers—thin, tired, but warm.

But then his gaze sharpens, shifting toward the others.

"Alright," he murmurs, "enough nostalgia. Charles… Virtil wouldn't follow you all the way here unless something serious happened."

Charles and Virtil exchange a brief, silent look.

Charles nods once.

"Ashan," he says gently, "take Mili outside first. I need to discuss something with your father."

Ashan doesn't even question it.

He touches Mili's shoulder. "Come. Let them talk."

"But—" Mili starts.

"No arguing," Ashan says softly. "We'll be right outside."

Ashan guides Mili out of the chamber. She looks back twice, worry written all over her face, but she doesn't protest again. The doors close softly behind them.

Silence settles in the chamber.

Only the faint rustle of curtains and Alden's shallow breathing fill the air.

Alden shifts slightly, trying to sit straighter. "So then… tell me. What storm brings my little brother running to the capital with Virtil at his side?"

Charles doesn't smile. Instead, he sits down beside the bed, shoulders heavy.

Alden's brows draw together. "That face… I haven't seen it since the Northern Rebellion. Speak."

Charles inhales slowly.

"Did the three Marshals finally lose it?" Alden asks first, forcing a bitter laugh. "Are they coming to dethrone me early?"

Charles shakes his head. "Not yet. But they're not far from losing their minds… or forcing the crown onto one of their puppet."

Alden scoffs, but the bitterness in his voice is edged with exhaustion.

"I figured as much."

Charles leans forward.

"But that's not why I'm here."

Alden's eyes narrow. "Oh? Then what is it?"

Charles meets his brother's gaze.

"You remember Nam City?"

Alden nods. "Of course. That was the territory Marshal Stegran claim and sealed off. He forbade anyone from meddling." He pauses. "Why? Didn't we already send spies there? They found nothing."

Charles lets out a slow, heavy sigh.

"There's an invasion of the monster race in my territory right now."

Alden freezes.

The air itself seems to stop moving.

Charles continues, voice low and tight.

"They came from Nam City."

Virtil steps forward, expression carved from stone. His presence thickens the air like a storm about to break.

"These monsters," Charles says, "are unusually strong. Far too organized. Far too fast. Even with General Jared and the three high-ranked generals I sent… they can't stop the advance."

Alden coughs violently—not from sickness this time, but pure shock.

Virtil moves quickly, steadying the king's back.

Alden raises a trembling hand. "W–Wait… what are you saying?"

Charles clenches his jaw.

"I've suspected for a long time that Stegran was up to something in Nam City. Now I'm certain, those monsters were deliberately left alone to grow… and they've become even stronger because of it."

Alden stares at his brother, face paling further. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"How is that even possible…? Generals of that caliber, Jared included should easily handle a monster outbreak."

Charles shakes his head slowly.

"They're not normal monsters."

His voice grows even quieter.

"They're fighting like soldiers. They strategize. They coordinate their attacks."

Alden's breath stutters.

"And their strength…?"

"Four tier 6 monsters, and tier 5's" Charles says. "Many. Too many. And something stronger is commanding them."

Alden grips the blanket tightly, knuckles whitening.

The room feels colder.

Virtil's eyes sharpen like blades.

Alden forces his voice to steady. "Charles… how many cities they conquered?"

Charles hesitates.

Alden immediately understands.

"…Don't lie to me."

Charles meets his gaze.

"They've already taken two cities. And the third will fall soon."

Alden's lips tremble. He swallows hard, then whispers the question he's terrified to ask.

"What about the citizens… of those two cities?"

Charles closes his eyes for a moment.

Virtil turns his face slightly away, jaw tightening.

When Charles speaks again, his voice is low, heavy with guilt he cannot hide.

"Given the hatred the monster race holds toward humans…"

He exhales shakily.

"They probably massacred all of them."

Alden's breath stops.

Then—

Khff—!

He coughs—hard.

A violent, tearing cough that shakes his frail body.

Virtil instantly supports him, but a splatter of dark blood stains the white cloth on Alden's lap.

"Brother!" Charles rises halfway from his seat.

Alden wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing blood across his fingers. His voice is hoarse, trembling with rage and despair.

"How did the Marshals become like this…?"

His hands shake.

"Those three were supposed to be the guardians of our kingdom. The pillars that kept us safe. The shield that stood between our people and destruction."

His voice cracks—not from weakness, but betrayal.

"But now…"

His eyes dim, filled with bitterness older than his sickness.

"Because their lifespans are nearing their end… because they fear death more than they love this kingdom… they're willing to let our people die so they can find a way—any way, to breakthrough to Tier 7."

Charles remains silent, guilt tightening his throat.

Alden laughs—a quiet, broken sound.

"How ironic… The guardians who swore to protect this kingdom… are now the ones feeding us to monsters."

Virtil's expression hardens, a cold storm behind his eyes.

Virtil steps closer to the bed, his presence steady, grounding.

"I don't know what their full plan is," he says quietly. "But whatever they're doing… it's no longer something we can allow to continue."

Alden presses a trembling hand to his forehead, his breath shallow and uneven.

"We need to stop those monsters," he murmurs, voice raw with anger and grief. "Before they destroy another city… before more innocent civilians die."

Charles leans forward, "I have a plan," he says slowly.

Alden looks up, weak but focused.

"A plan?"

"Yes." Charles meets his brother's gaze head-on. "A plan that will force the three Marshals to move. A plan that will make them personally take action against these monsters."

Charles immediately told them his plans in detailed.

Alden closes his eyes briefly, absorbing the weight of the strategy. When he opens them again, they're clearer—like a spark of the king he used to be flickers back to life.

"It might work," he says softly.

For the first time in the conversation, he lifts his head high, like the weight of the crown sits properly again on his shoulders.

"By my authority as King Alden of Alnera Kingdom," he declares, voice trembling but filled with command,

"I will issue a royal summons."

Virtil bows deeply, and Charles lowers his head in respect as Alden continues.

"Tomorrow at dawn, all high nobles, Counts and above, are to gather in the capital. None are exempt."

His voice grows firmer.

"We will hold a kingdom-wide council. The nobles will learn the truth of the monster invasion. And they will hear my decree…"

He pauses, breath catching, hand gripping the sheets.

"…that the three Marshals are ordered to mobilize immediately."

Charles doesn't smile, but a quiet determination settles in his eyes.

"Brother… this might ignite a storm."

Alden gives a thin, tired smile.

"The kingdom is already in a storm. Better we face it standing… than let it drown us."

Virtil steps forward, kneeling on one knee.

"Your Majesty," he says, "I will personally ensure the summons is carried out without obstruction."

"Thank you, old friend."

The room falls silent once more, but this time—

It isn't the silence of fear.

It is the silence of a kingdom preparing to wake up.