Chapter 378 - 376: The King’s Promise

Chapter 378: Chapter 376: The King’s Promise

If the King wanted to launch a war, he would have to mobilize the nobility under his command. This was precisely what King Eric was doing.

He had already conferred with Duke Kelvin and Count Kudro and secured their support. Among the remaining nobility, the most influential were Marquis Sean and Count Kais.

Marquis Sean had used an excuse to avoid attending the Crown Prince’s wedding, so the first person King Eric summoned was Count Kais.

As for Duane, he had been summoned alongside the count due to his personal power and his relationship with Count Kais.

Neither man showed any surprise upon hearing the King’s words.

They had already discussed the possibility of this exact situation on their way to the Royal Capital.

"The Akutas Kingdom’s current situation is indeed dire, which makes this an opportune time to avenge the late King. But the Silent Shore has only recently been through a great war. Although we taught Viscount Ugo a lesson, we also suffered significant losses and have yet to fully recover."

Count Kais feigned agreement, but he was more concerned with His Majesty’s specific plans.

"I wonder, Your Majesty, if you already have a detailed battle plan in place for this war?"

Duane couldn’t help but glance at the Count. The man could lie without even blinking.

’It was true, the Silent Shore had suffered losses, but it had recovered long ago. For one thing, the Silent Shore now had nine Celestial Tier Warriors, and the number of Earth and Human Tier Warriors under them was well over fifty.’

’Combined with powerful weapons like the Siege Crossbows and Fel Energy Bombs, the Silent Shore’s current fighting strength was formidable!’

King Eric naturally knew this was just an excuse from Count Kais. The Count was simply probing him, angling for a better position in the negotiations to come.

"Rest assured. I would not rashly launch a large-scale war without thorough preparations."

King Eric said, "I have already contacted the Kasa Kingdom, the Asando Kingdom, and the Fidun Kingdom. Their crown princes and envoys will soon arrive at Pruck Fortress to sign an alliance treaty with me on behalf of their respective kings!"

Forging an alliance between four nations was something no kingdom or king had ever accomplished before. Eric considered it his greatest achievement since taking the throne.

"In this war, the Four Nations Alliance will dispatch troops against Akutas together. We are determined to carve it up completely and make Tyron a king without a kingdom!"

Duane and Kais exchanged a glance. The intelligence Lloyd had acquired was correct.

Getting Asando and Fidun to join wasn’t a huge issue, given that the Holy Radiance Court was brokering it, but convincing the Kasa Kingdom to participate must have taken quite some effort.

Count Kais chimed in with praise at the opportune moment. "Your Majesty, to have forged the Four Nations Alliance is truly admirable. It not only demonstrates the prestige of the Pruck Kingdom but also showcases your foresight and diplomatic prowess!"

Duane added, "The Count is right. Across the entire Shadow Mist Continent, only you could have accomplished such a feat!"

King Eric couldn’t help but laugh heartily, a flash of smugness in his eyes. Anyone enjoys hearing flattery, especially a king so intent on keeping his vassals in check.

"The preparatory work is nearly complete; now we only need to discuss the details. Once the treaty is signed, I estimate we can launch the offensive in the first half of next year!"

A mobilization of this scale could never be hidden from the Akutas Kingdom, so King Eric had no intention of launching a surprise attack.

Furthermore, after signing the treaty, the four nations would still need to inform all their respective nobility and begin mobilizing for war, all of which would take a considerable amount of time.

"Although the specific battle plans haven’t been decided, I have already set an objective for you, Kais, and for you, Duane!"

King Eric looked at them. "This is why I summoned you both here together."

Count Kais and Duane exchanged a glance, waiting for the King to continue.

The King declared, "The Starfall Islands. That will be your battlefield!"

Duane’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected the King to give them the task of capturing the Starfall Islands directly.

’Doesn’t this play right into our hands?’

Duane wondered, ’Is this a normal deployment, or is he doing this deliberately for some other reason?’

The Count mused, "Besides Viscount Freddy and Duke Star Sea, there are several other vassals of the Akutas Kingdom in the Starfall Islands. Is Your Majesty planning to have only Duane and me deal with them?"

His brow furrowed as he added with some hesitation, "That might prove to be a bit difficult, wouldn’t it?"

"The Star Sea Clan is long-established, but they were severely weakened when their nation was destroyed. Though they still hold the title of Duke, their strength probably doesn’t even match that of the Silent Shore. As for Freddy, I believe Duane is more than capable of dealing with him!"

Eric paused, then said, "As a precaution, I can arrange for Baron Uriel to assist you."

Both Kais and Duane were confident they could take the Starfall Islands, but that confidence was based on knowing their own advantages and assets.

If they didn’t have their new weapons, however, capturing the Starfall Islands would not be as simple as King Eric made it sound.

"Your Majesty," Duane asked, "I wonder if you could reveal the attack routes for the other nobles? If Count Kais and I attack the Starfall Islands, and a Lord from the Akutas Kingdom crosses the strait to reinforce them, we would be at a great disadvantage."

King Eric smiled faintly. "I understand your concern, but I can assure you, the nobles of the Akutas Kingdom will be in no position to reinforce anyone."

"While you are attacking the Starfall Islands, the Kasa Kingdom’s army will invade the Golden Plain from the far north, while the west of Akutas will be invaded by the Asando and Fidun Kingdoms. As for the east, Duke Calvin will lead the forces of several nobles across the Flowing Silver Fjord to land along the Golden Coast. Meanwhile, Kudro, Sean, and the others will enter the Akutas Kingdom from the south side of Three Realms Lake in the northeast!"