Chapter 731: 731

The remnants of the Baroque Imperial army, led by Marquis Maghreb, headed to the east .

They had lost more troops than they expected in Nemesis .

All because of the command and the control not working and the confusion that they were in .

Nevertheless, they still had around 40,000 troops and 200 Gigants with them .

‘With this power, even though we might not be able to face the Continental Alliance head-on, we might have a chance . But first of all, we need to secure a camp and get supplies . ’

An army had to eat to battle .

An army that runs out of food and military supplies could no longer be considered as an army .

Marquis Maghreb and the commanders headed to Veteren, a city to the east of Nemesis to secure troops and supplies .

Veteren, was a city which was advanced in iron making industries and magic engineering, and had good food because of the fertile plains around it .

Above all, it was directly under the management of the Imperial family, which meant, it was a land managed by the Emperor himself .

Although it too was a place which was exploited, it wasn’t badly exploited as the other regions as the Emperor managed it .

And that meant that the loyalty to the Imperial family was stronger than other estates .

‘For now, we need to head over to Veteren and camp . When the ones in the capital are enjoying their victory, we’ll take advantage of that gap and…’

A small hope rose in the mind of Marquis Maghreb .

However, the hope didn’t even last for two days .

“What was that? Veteren got captured?”

“Yes, sire! The 2nd squad of the Continental Alliance had approached it first, and the people in there too had been agitated . ”

At Maghreb’s question, an official who had escaped from Veteren answered with tears .

It was just the nobles and officials who had strong loyalty to the Imperial Palace .

Even if the place was relatively led exploited, the people wouldn’t like the Mad Emperor who had invaded their lands and tombs .

And the Republicans, who were always active in the dark began to rise and agitate the people, it didn’t take much time for the city to be thrown over .

“Sire, what should we do?”

“Give up Veteran . The advance to the border needs to be pushed too . If we can’t leave this place before the siege begins…”

“But we are short on food and supplies . In such long-distance marches, it will be terrible for the soldiers, and the march would end up turning impossible . ”

“So? You want us to attack Veteren? With our troops it will be difficult to even defend ourselves against the 2nd squad of the enemy . ”

As the commanders quarreled loudly, Maghreb closed his eyes and sighed .

The capital was stolen by the enemy, and there was no way of knowing if their Emperor was alive or dead .

It was extremely sad to see how the Great Baroque Empire, which ruled the continent for ten years back, turned out .

A messenger came over and delivered a new report .

“Sire! The enemy has sent a messenger . ”

“Those damned men, are they asking us to surrender?”

“Let’s cut down the neck of that one right away!”

The commanders began to raise their voices and yell .

They were already pushed to the corner, which was why Marquis Maghreb intervened .

“We can’t just kill a messenger . Let’s hear what they have to say . ”

And the messenger from the Continental Alliance army was brought into their barracks .

“No, you are!”

Marquis Maghreb and the other commanders in the barracks seemed shocked when they saw the messenger coming in with the lieutenant .

It was a person they were very well aware of .

Spear Master, Shirley de Kayle, who had run away with Count Ferrero while she was still serving as the captain of the Iron Guards of the Imperial Palace .

She was there .

Unlike the commanders of the Imperial army, who went stiff, she had a rather happy smile on her lips .

“Hello! Hello! It has been such a long time . ”

Grunt!

Marquis Maghreb, held onto the chair’s armrest and grinded his teeth looking at her .

“Why has the traitor come here? If you intend to persuade us to surrender, you can give up on those thoughts . ”

“Oh my, did you think I was here to convince you to surrender?”

“Who thought so?! Don’t go spewing nonsense and say Luke’s message, and then get out!”

“Oh my, so scary . Well, the man leading the remnants of the Imperial army is surely unique . ”

Shirley pretended to be scared and stopped playing around, which made Marquis Maghreb and the other commanders wait for her words .

“Tch, no fun . Let me relay the words of His Majesty Luke . Decide what you want to do in the future… that is all . ”

“Huh? What, is that all?”

The message from that guy was so short?

They thought that it would be a threat or option to surrender .

When Marquis Maghreb couldn’t understand, Shirley shrugged her shoulders and replied .

“Our Majesty respects the free will of the people . Unlike some crazy emperor who would kill someone when they don’t act as his loyal dog . ”

“This girl…!”

When Shirley openly cursed Rudolf, the commanders and the knights drew their swords at once .

Swords all around here, but she, who was a Spear Master, wasn’t scared .

Shirley walked close to Marquis Maghreb—who was still staring at her and handed out a box she carried .

“What is this?”

“Open it yourself . I have done my side of the work, so I will head out . ”

Waving her hand, Shirley left the barracks .

Until she left, Maghreb didn’t open the box .

It was because he felt something ominous from the box .

And it wasn’t just him who felt that was .

The other Commanders such as Jemo, and Count Sochi too felt it .

“No… it can’t be, right?”

“Of course it can’t be that! It can’t…!”

Maghreb tried to suppress his anxiety and opened the lid of the box .

As soon as he checked the contents, the commanders and his eyes went wide .

The box contained the severed head of Rudolf, which they had been searching for .

And the head which was preserved with magic was smiling .

No one knew, but Rudolf was convinced that Luke would die by the self-destruct magic he triggered at the last minute .

Maybe that was why there was a smile on his lips .

“Ah, Your Majesty is!”

Maghreb and the other commanders who confirmed the death of their Emperor were shocked .

The unwanted thing had turned into a reality, they sensed their hope and energy drained from their bodies .

Although he was a tyrant, Rudolf was the strongest knight on the continent and was the only hope for them .

Even that hope was robbed from them!

“Decide what you want to do in the future . ”

Luke’s message kept on going around their heads .

Now they realized why that man was so confident, the Imperial commanders were now forced into anxiety and pushed to make difficult choices .

Whether to surrender or to continue the fight .

But fighting wasn’t an easy option for them .

The power was already out of their hands, and once Rudolf’s death spread among the troops, the morale of the soldiers and knight would plummet .

Eventually, the troops would divide into two sides of surrendering and those who want to continue fighting .