A Journey That Changed The World.

Chapter 966: They Wonʼt Let You In

Archer stood atop the newly constructed fortress, its walls a defiant mark against the Allianceʼs constant probing. His violet eyes glinted excitedly as Elara appeared beside him, her smile conveying relief and satisfaction.

”The First Legion has returned,” she reported. ”The Vitalis and Moonwood families are safe.” His expression remained focused as he nodded. ”Excellent. Once we depart, weʼll escort all the families with us. Our priority is to decimate as many of the Allianceʼs forces as possible.” ”The Eighth and Ninth Legions had smashed the joint Avaloch and Novgorodian armies but had to pull back when enemy reinforcement appeared,” the Dragon Marshall informed him. Archer grinned, ”Good. Thatʼs the plan; we disrupt their invasion while pulling out all our allies and the girlʼs families before retreating to Draconia,ʼ he said with a smile.

Elara got a confused expression before asking in a curious tone, ”Why arenʼt we continuing the war, husband? Wouldnʼt it be best if we pushed our advantage?”

When Archer heard this, he laughed and revealed something that shocked the woman, ”You do know thereʼs a force behind the scenes? They have been manipulating things in a way that will turn the world against me.”ʼ

After speaking, he looked at the grasslands covered in a sea of corpses before continuing, ”Iʼve been trying to find them using the Tressymʼs but no luck. Brooke and Ari donʼt know, so Iʼm at a loss.”ʼ

”Whoʼs Ari?” Elara asked sharply, her curiosity tinged with a hint of jealousy.

Archer couldnʼt help but find her reaction endearing. He leaned in and gently kissed her forehead before responding, ”Ari is the name I use for the leader of the Fireheart Faith, and sheʼs also Agrippina, my bonded Elemental.”

As he sent a quick message, Ari materialized beside them, her sudden appearance startling Elara. The older woman greeted the redhead with a warm smile, ”Good evening, Lady Elara. How are you today?”

The Dragon Marshal looked at the blind woman before shaking her head and smiling, ”Hello, Agrippina. Iʼm fine, thank you; Iʼm just tired.”ʼ

”Call me Ari. We are sisters, after all,” the older woman commented.

Elara went red as she questioned, ”Are you with Archer now? We never knew this.”ʼ

Ari laughed before looking into his eyes, ”We are bonded but not a couple yet,” she said with a knowing smile.

Archer chuckled as he retorted, ”Not my fault youʼre my type, Ari. Everyone knows I love a curvy older woman just like you.”

When the two heard this, they laughed before Elara commented, ”Why do you go for women with children or grandchildren?”

He leaned against the fortress walls, thinking about his response for a few seconds. Soon, Archer started to talk, ”Blame Sia, Luce, Brooke, Liv, and my maid Edith. Ever since meeting those five women, my tastes have changed.”

”No, my lord. Youʼre just greedy for all kinds of women,” Ari commented, causing Elara to laugh as she continued. ”At this point, why not take a mother or daughter from every royal family? It would bring world peace.”

Archer turned to the elemental with narrowed eyes, ”Aint you meant to be on my Ari?” he said in a fake accusing voice, making the older woman laugh.

She stepped closer and leaned in to kiss his cheek softly. ”I am forever on your side, my lord. Never doubt that.”

Archer shivered slightly at the touch but nodded with a contented smile. He, Elara, and Ari then left the fortress walls and headed toward the tent the Imperial Knights had insisted they set up.

Despite his preference to sleep in the same tent as the Legionnaires, he had reluctantly agreed to the Knightsʼ request after the commanderʼs begging annoyed him with the pleading alongside the Dragon Marshals.

He was now standing outside the luxurious tent and was annoyed as Elara joined him with a smile as she explained, ”The soldiers want to respect you, Arch. They know you would sleep in their tents, so their officers have forbidden them from letting you in.”

Archer looked at the redhead before announcing, ”You watch me; the soldiers will love to have the king in their tent.”

Elara giggled, ”They wonʼt let you in; they are scared of their officers as they will be punished when youʼre gone,” she said with an amused tone.

When Archer heard that, he paused in his tracks. Not wanting to cause any trouble, he turned back and reentered their tent, with a chuckling Elara following behind. Inside, Maeve, Ella, Hecate, and Mary were lounging comfortably.

They greeted him with warm smiles as he sank into a chair, sighing in relief and removing his boots. Ella quickly brought him a roll stuffed with juicy meat, which made his stomach growl. ”Thanks, El. Your sandwiches are always delicious and hit the spot,” Archer said, taking a hearty bite.

The half-elf beamed at him while replying, ”No problem, Arch. We all understand youʼve been busy the last couple of weeks.”

Afterward, everyone settled into their activities. Mary was engrossed in teaching Hecate a new potion recipe, which captured the moon elfʼs interest. Meanwhile, Maeve and Ari exchanged insights into Draconiaʼs benefits to its common people.

His glance landed on the last two women chatting while drinking tea. All this made Archer smile before he nodded off. Explosions in the distance could be heard, which lulled him to

sleep.

The following morning, Archer woke up to blaring alarms and soldiers rushing outside. Most of the women were gone, but he noticed Maeve staring at him with her beautiful grey eyes that nearly charmed him.

”Morning gorgeous,” he said with a charming smile. ”Whatʼs going on outside?”

”Father and the Novgorod King have sent the cannon fodder into battle. They are soaking up the Dragonfire Companyʼs mana shells,” she replied while getting up and sitting on his lap. Archer smiled when seeing this before asking, ”Have we used the Death Launchers yet?” Maeve woman shook her head with an amused smile, ”Not yet, but the Legions have set them up. Elara said there is one massive Alliance army marching this way, and she thinks after dealing with them, we should leave.”ʼ

He nodded in agreement and then wrapped his arms around Maeveʼs waist, drawing her close. As he kissed her slender neck, she shivered with a smile. Archerʼs kisses moved from her neck to her lips as Maeve turned to face him, settling comfortably in his lap.

”Do you want to be with me even though all my family is against you?” Maeve questioned in

a quiet voice.

”I bet your mother doesnʼt hate me,” Archer replied with a grin.

Maeveʼs grey eyes narrowed as she asked, in an unknown voice, ”Do you fancy my motherʼs husband? You do know sheʼs the Queen of the Avaloch Kingdom.”

Archer nodded with a smile. The orange-haired warrior commented, ”Iʼd much prefer her to be with you than with my father, who neglects her for his many mistresses-many of whom are old friends of mine.”

”Your father is a fool,” Archer replied with a smirk. ”Noamh is a beautiful woman, and his disregard for her only highlights his foolishness.”

Maeve agreed with a giggle before the couple continued chatting about the upcoming war and

her role in it. Archer looked at her and asked, ”Would you like a legion or cohort of soldiers you can train? Youʼre a skilled warrior and mage.”ʼ

The orange-haired woman thought briefly, ”Can I train a cohort, please? I donʼt want a legion; Sia is always busy with her one.”

Archer chuckled when remembering his aunt, who attacked him before she left for training. The older woman jumped him as he was eating, and they ended up making love for hours until she was out cold due to the overwhelming pleasure that washed over her body. Snapping out of his thoughts about Sia, Archer focused on Maeve and replied, ”Of course you can. Iʼll pull one from the recruits, and when we return to Draconia, head to the Bastion and find out which fortress theyʼre stationed in.”

Maeve beamed with excitement before spotting Elara in the distance. With a happy tone, she said, ”Iʼm going to talk to Lara about it. Iʼll see you later, Arch.”

She quickly kissed him on the cheek before rushing off. Archer watched her disappear into the bustling streets of the fortress, a fond smile playing on his lips as she vanished into the

crowd.

After that, Archer walked around the place, inspecting the many temporary buildings, including blacksmiths, general stores, and barracks, which impressed him. While doing that, he bumped into Mary, who was tending to the refugees pouring into the fortress. ”The Alliance invasion must be brutal. I lost count of the people weʼve shipped back to Draconia,ʼ he pondered while watching the grey-haired woman hand out food to the scared people. Archer approached Mary with a warm smile. ”Hello, Mary. How are things going with the

people?”

She looked up at him, her expression weighed down with sorrow. ”Itʼs chaos, Arch. The Alliance is executing people across Pluoria.” Her voice trembled as she continued, ”Starfall City is on the brink of falling. It wonʼt last more than a few hours. We need to act.”

Seeing the pain in her eyes, Archerʼs smile faded. Without hesitation, he summoned his wings, a gust of wind swirling around him as he shot into the sky. As he ascended, he sent a message to the women, alerting them to the situation.

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