A day earlier, throne room, royal castle.

A weary soldier was kneeling in front of the king. Contrary to the protocol, that man had both knees on the ground and was slumping rather lazily. Under normal circumstances, he would have only one knee on the ground, his back straight and his head bowed down to the king sitting on his throne.

But these were not normal circumstances.

Panting, the soldier delivered his report, “I was st-standing guard at the North-Est tower of the city of Ozen at the beginning of my night shift. First off, I spotted the light of a few torches. The visibility is rather low in that area because it is covered in a thick forest. Subsequently, these lights turned into a blazing inferno. Thousands of torches. Additionally, it looked like a few trees ignited.”

He took a few seconds to put his breathing under control and reorganize his thoughts.

He continued, “When they reached the gate, they-”

“They? Who are you talking about?” interrupted the king, all ears.

Even seated, the king had a powerful presence. Before ascending to the throne, he was the leader of mankind’s armies. His inborn charisma allowed him to wield his authority with ease. Reminiscent of his old days as a military officer, he wore a buzzcut, unfortunately accentuating his receding hairline. On top of his head was a modest circular golden crown, displaying a few motifs.

At the start of the soldier’s report, he was slouching nonchalantly on his throne. Now, he was leaning forward with his chin supported by his palm, attentive.

The king signaled the weary soldier to continue.

The soldier hesitated an instant, took a deep breath then resumed, “They… were lined up in a few thousand ranks, approximately a hundred thousand troops. The siege did not last very long, since they used a ram made of the trunk of a large conifer to breach the gate. We resisted for a bit, but the outcome of the battle was obvious. Before they breached, our captain ordered that we gather behind the gate to buy some time for the civilians to escape. As the door burst open, I saw them. They were as tall as human beings, heavily armored, and yet surprisingly swift and agile. But what surprised me the most was their heads. They looked like… well, goats.”

The king pressed him forward, “Goats?”

“Yes, your Majesty, I don’t quite know how to describe it, but they had horns and a bestial head on top of their humanoid body. A-an abomination covered in gruesome fur.”

I stepped forward, “Did you see who or what was leading them?”

“I did not, sir, they all looked the same to me.”

I gestured him to go on. In this kind of audience, he needed permission to speak. A worthless and inefficient formality if you ask me.

“We had them in a choke point, so even with only a few hundred troops, we should have managed to hold them back. But these things… They could jump. They had misshaped muscular legs, like those of a goat, ending in sharp hooves. Their kicks were lethal, on top of the heavy weaponry they were wielding like butter knives. Our advantage disappeared in the blink of an eye. They used the walls as steppingstones to flank us. It didn’t feel right, it was like they were defying gravity itself. We fell one after the other. At some point, my captain ordered me to report to the capital. I found a horse, grabbed my wife and daughter on the way, and rode here as fast as I could. Thankfully, these abominations didn’t surround the city, so the few civilians that found a horse managed to getaway. Those that were on foot… I doubt they could outrun these beasts.”

The king raised from his seat, “I see… Thank you for your report. That will be all. Find him a place in the castle with his family. Make sure he gets a good rest.”

“One last thing,” I said. “Did they seem to be coming from the dense mana zone up north?”

“I-I don’t know, sir, but it would make sense, I guess. They came from the north, after all. I’ve seen a lot of magic beasts in my career, but nothing like this.”

“Thank you for your service.”

I followed behind the king that was already exiting the throne room.

He turned to his side and told a military officer, “I want everyone to take refuge within our walls. Every single farmer, villager, and merchant you can find. You have until tomorrow at noon.”

“Without fail, your Majesty.”

The king then turned his gaze to his right-hand man, “Gather the leaders in the meeting room. Now.”

He nodded then left running in the opposite direction without saying anything. I liked that guy. He was efficient.

As we kept moving deeper into the castle, a maid pulled to the side of the corridor to accommodate us and bowed deeply to the king.

The king put a hand on her shoulder. She yelped cutely, surprised at this unnatural behavior from the king.

Well, to be completely honest, the king had a certain reputation of soliciting every woman that caught his eye. Fortunately, his efforts never bore fruits because his queen kept a tight leash on him.

Once, I spotted him trying his charms on my wife. She slapped his cheek as hard as she could and he withdrew, the tail between his legs.

Under different circumstances, that could have earned her an execution, but not under my watch.

Since the incident, his attempts at courting women decreased.

That maid was not as bold as my wife, so she stayed submissive to her ruler. She looked at him with teary eyes.

The king had something else in mind, however, “Make as much room as possible in the castle, the citizens will evacuate the city and take refuge here shortly. Throw away some furnishings if you need to. Also, I want an inventory of our food supplies.”

Apparent relief washed over her face, and she exhibited a bright smile, “Certainly, your Majesty!”

She bowed once again. I followed behind the king as he continued his march. His hurried stride was reminiscent of a military man, which he was.

These back-to-back orders impressed me. He made his decisions quickly, exactly what we needed at the moment. Time was against us.

He was an excellent ruler.

We were going to need his leadership skills if we wanted to pull through.

We were at war.