Hail the King

When the troop got close to the city, it was already sunset. The sunlight dyed everything into gold.

Standing on [The Throne of Chaos] that was placed on Blacky’s back, Fei looked at the newly renovated and upgraded Chambord Castle as the chilly night wind fluttered his hair.

The first thing that came into his field of vision was the wide river.

The Zuli River didn’t change as it blocked off the outside world from the Chambord Castle, and water vapor could be seen above the surface of the 1,000 meters wide, fast-current river.

The stone bridge that had been there for thousands of years was now replaced.

It was the only way for the Chambordians to come and go from the city, but Fei broke it apart when the black-armored enemies tried to siege the city. After that war, an iron suspension bridge was put in place to connect the two sides of the broken stone bridge, and it was easy to use.

Now, this stone bridge was completely replaced.

Fei only broke about 20 meters of the bridge, and that gap was now extended to almost 1,000 meters. Only two small portions of the stone bridge were kept on the two banks of the river, symbolizing the once existed stone bridge.

A massive warship replaced the stone bridge.

This ship was about 100 meters long, 20 meters wide, and the portion of the ship that was out of the water was about ten meters tall. Like a building on the river, it floated on the fast-current river steadily.

This ship’s style was completely different from the ships that were seen on this continent. There were no sails on it, and there was no center wooden beam as well. All the fancy decorations and engravings were omitted.

Except for the ram of the ship which was shaped like a unicorn, nothing else on the ship was sharp or pointing outward. Its surface was very smooth, making it look like a whale that was resting on an ocean.

To outsiders, this ship looked weird and couldn’t go far; it was more like the creation of an inexperienced ship maker.

However, Fei knew what this ship was capable of.

It was based on the blueprint of a demon ship from the Mythical Era where the gods and the demons were at war, and this blueprint was recorded in [Demon King’s Wisdom].

This ship in the Zuli River was almost a complete replica of that ancient ship, and it had all the bells and whistles from the ancient magic technology. Instead of wind, it was powered by pure magic energy. It had insane combat ability and could submerge into the water and become a submarine.

In the Mythical Era, this type of ships that were known as ‘Reserve Whale Warships’ dominated the waterways on the continent. Although these ships weren’t ranked in the top-ten warships during their times, they were still the main ships that made up the mid-tier fleets of the demons’ navy forces.

Fei didn’t expect that Cain and Akara were able to create such a ship in just half a year.

With this ship guarding the Zuli River, that stone bridge was no longer necessary. This ship’s transportation ability was enough to move people and things from Chambord to the outside world and vice versa.

The troop was getting closer and closer to the city.

Soon, the soldiers and warriors all saw the city’s defense wall.

Under the sunshine, the bylaw enforcement officers and saint seiyas were shocked to find that the city had changed drastically, no longer fitting the images in their memories.

First of all, although the shape of the black defense wall didn’t change, the surface was cleaned. After years of getting rained on and blown on, there were a ton of mosses and fungus growing on the defense wall. Now, the defense wall was in a shiny silver color, corresponding to the golden sunshine. It felt like someone plated a layer of silver on top, and it looked brand-new.

Then, the soldiers realized that the city gate was completely gone!

This city was now a city without an entrance.

“Huh? No gate? Does everyone need to go in and out of the city using ropes?” the soldiers and warriors were surprised, and they thought back to the scene where the king and 23 strongmen got off the defense wall using ropes before charging at the black-armored enemies.

The closer they got to the castle, the more changes they saw.

Suddenly, loud cheers and clapping sounded from the other side of the river; it was so loud that the noises made by the fast-current Zuli River couldn’t even be heard.

Outside of the defense wall, there was a big crowd of excited people standing there and waiting. Despite their various backgrounds and social statuses, they were all citizens of Chambord, and they all came out of the city to welcome their king and their military’s return voluntarily.

When Blacky’s mountain-like body appeared on the horizon, the citizens of Chambord couldn’t hold back their excitement, and they all started to cheer. Some of them soon lost their voices, but they didn’t care; they continued to make noises.

Through the thin clouds of water vapor, a lot of women and elders who had tears in their eyes saw familiar faces and figures.

“Mommy, why are you crying?” a boy who was about three years old looked at his mother with his big eyes and asked, “Oh, I know! Daddy is coming home, right?”

“Yes, my child. Look! Your daddy is next to those uncles of yours! Remember! Your daddy is strong and is a hero! A hero of Chambord! He followed our great king, Alexander His Majesty, and he brought back great honor for our king, our kingdom, and our family……” the mother pointed at the troop that was on the other side of the river, kissed this boy’s cheek, and said proudly; her face was full of tears.

“Oh, I will remember. Mommy, who is King Alexander? Is he also a great hero like Daddy?”

“Eh, my child. Remember, Alexander His Majesty is the greatest king in the world! He is a true lord! When you grow up, you need to grab a weapon and protect His Majesty and our home just like you daddy! It will be an honor for every child at Chambord!”

……

After stepped on this reserve whale warship named [King Alexander], Fei was showered in the loud cheers coming from the other side.

Strategist Old Aryang dismissed the formation, and the soldiers and warriors could no longer suppress their excitement. They all rushed to the edges of the deck, waved their weapons at the crowd on the other side of the river, and tried to spot their family members and loved ones!

Even a real man would cry in this atmosphere.

When they left their homes, most of them were low farmers of a level 6 affiliated kingdom. They weren’t experienced in battle, and they were looked down upon by others. At the time, they were hopeful toward the future of Chambord, and they were also a little fearful of the unknown. In the long nights, all of them had prayed again and again, hoping that the gods would favor Chambord. Even if they had to die, they wanted to die in front of Chambord so that they could kiss the land that raised them and see their loved ones one last time.

Now, they were warriors and heroes of a level 1 affiliated kingdom, and they had been through many battles. Wherever they went, they were greeted with cheers, applause, and flowers.

These righteous and brave men couldn’t wait to share this honor with their families. After all, they were a part of Chambord’s rise.

[King Alexander] was powered by magic energy, so its traveling speed wasn’t slow. It went from one side of the river to the other side in less than five minutes.

When the ship reached the other side, several wide wooden boards were extended from the deck and connected with the river bank automatically, forming a pathway.

At this moment, the citizens of Chambord rushed by the bylaw enforcement officers who were trying to keep order, and the soldiers and warriors on the ship jumped over the railings. The two large crowds of people merged like a flood.

“Oh, dear! You came back! You are back alive! Thank god! I’m not dreaming, right?”

“My child, say daddy! He is your daddy! When he left, you couldn’t even speak yet……”

“Waah…… dad, you are finally back! I missed you……”

“Hahahah! Kid, you grew taller, stronger, and darker. How was it following Alexander His Majesty? You didn’t bring shame to me, Old Nick, right? If I hear from your comrades that you had slacked off in battle, I will break your legs!”

“Sister, don’t worry; this wound healed a long time ago. Hehehe, it is the proof of your brother’s bravery and honor! Alexander His Majesty personally praised me! See this? This is the badge of bravery that His Majesty gave me! I’m one of the few who got it! Hehe, a lot of my comrades are jealous of me!”

Hugs, cheers, tears, kisses……

This area in front of the city turned into a boiling sea of people; the atmosphere was so bright that it felt like a volcano had erupted.

P.S. A big shout out to Sam W. Thanks for the support on Patreon!