Chapter 249: Triumphant Return +8 Pearls
The Queen Dowager spoke firmly. “Your Majesty, I can only tell you this: Trust the Langley siblings. One excels in strategy, the other in combat. You can rely on them without hesitation. They are loyal and exceptionally talented. In time, together, they will surpass General Garrett and become the strongest shield of the Eryndral Empire. No one will dare challenge us.”
“The two of them together? You mean the siblings?” the King asked.
“No, I mean Oliver and his wife,” the Queen Dowager replied.
The King was well aware of the spirit marriage. He had seen it, when it happened, as nothing more than a dramatic gesture meant to attract attention. However, as the situation changed, so did the King’s perspective. As a King, nothing brought greater joy than having capable people in his court. He was filled with excitement and determination. “When the Great Marshal returns, I will personally grant them marriage and hold a grand wedding.”
The Queen Dowager smiled. “Good!”
Because of Isolde’s great victory, Clark was not stripped of his position and continued to serve in the palace. The King still held some resentment over Clark’s previous insolence, but the Queen Dowager said, “The court is full of flatterers and those who follow the tide, but how many are willing to forsake their future rather than betray their principles?”
With that one sentence, Clark, originally only an Imperial Scholar-Apprentice, was admitted into the cabinet to participate in state affairs. His future seemed boundless—something that had never happened before in the Eryndral Empire. Clark quickly became an important figure in the King’s court, while Isolde and Oliver, soon to return, rose to fame.
When the historian recorded this matter, his hands were trembling. Isolde led 3,000 soldiers and defeated 50,000 troops from Zloimond. It was an unprecedented victory. After the official finished recording the events, he arrogantly wrote, “Unprecedented in history, Isolde Langley, the general, showed that a woman can be as capable as any man. She is a true hero of the Eryndral Empire!”
With the situation in Zloimond settled, Lord Hector Maximus of the local government cooperated fully. After the situation was secured, Doug sent 10,000 soldiers from the Eastern military base to stabilize the area and help Zloimond through its crisis. He assisted the government in opening the granary, waiting for Isolde to return to report to the King and send a decree to use some of the money obtained from the confiscations to rebuild and reinforce the dam. Everything was arranged swiftly and efficiently.
After the disaster, Isolde’s army began their return to the capital. Ashley, as the hero who executed the traitor king, naturally returned with the army. Kolton, Lucas, and Dong stayed temporarily in Zloimond to assist Hector.
Harlan had not yet returned, and Geoffrey’s injuries were still severe. Although he had passed the danger, he wouldn’t be able to return to the capital without at least one or two months of rest. In this difficult battle, the North Campth Army lost 737 soldiers. Since they were comrades who had been together day and night, the soldiers felt quite sad on the way back to the capital. Fortunately, they had won the battle, so their downcast mood didn’t last long. As they journeyed back, Isolde and Oliver adjusted the atmosphere, and gradually, everyone started to feel the pride of a victorious army. Many of the soldiers were still injured, so the pace was slower.
That night, they camped outside Harmonvale. Isolde ordered people to buy meat and grain from the local government, as the journey had been tough for everyone, and she wanted to reward the soldiers in advance. Anthony and Vincenzo also went to buy some wine. At dusk, they lit a bonfire. Oliver and Isolde raised their glasses for a toast. They said nothing dramatic but simply honored their fallen comrades and celebrated their victory. Everyone drank their fill, and the tension in the air eased. They began to enjoy the moment of victory.
Oliver and Isolde were sitting together, with Hattie and Hazel sitting on either side. Ashley sat opposite them, following them into the capital, appearing calm and collected. She didn’t drink much; if no one spoke to her, she remained silent. When someone did engage her, she would only offer a small smile in return. She quietly sipped her drink, and after a long half-hour, her glass had barely emptied. She occasionally glanced at the campfire, sometimes observing the soldiers drinking and laughing, and at times, intentionally or not, her gaze would linger on Oliver.
Anthony, having had a bit too much to drink, stumbled over to offer a toast to Isolde. “That was really dangerous,” Anthony said with a grin. “I honestly thought I’d die in Kamari’s manor. Here’s to being alive!”
Isolde’s injury hadn’t fully healed, and Oliver had initially forbidden her from drinking. However, seeing Anthony sit down and look at Isolde with such eager relief, as if he truly felt he had escaped death, Oliver relented.
Anthony smiled at Isolde and said, “Just a small sip.” Isolde raised her glass and clinked it with Anthony’s, smiling. “Were you scared?”
Anthony drank it all in one go, clicking his tongue. “Scared? Of course, I was. Before the Great Marshal arrived, we were losing. If reinforcements had come, we would’ve been slaughtered. I’ll tell you, I wanted to run, but I didn’t even think of escaping when I saw how badly injured you were. If you weren’t running, then I can’t be any worse than a woman, right?”
Before, Isolde had asked him about war tactics, and he had given a lot of lofty, well-phrased answers. But some of the truths were only things he could bring himself to say when he was drunk. At this moment, Anthony was indeed a bit tipsy, around seven or eight parts drunk. He definitely couldn’t say these words in front of everyone. For other generals, speaking like this would not have been appropriate. But Isolde merely smiled faintly. “You did well for your first time on the battlefield.”
“You too, wasn’t it your first time?” Anthony, drunk and affectionate, looked at her with a gaze full of unfiltered admiration. Actually, he had long admired this woman who had, since he was young, seemed to always be one step ahead.
Isolde said, “I’m different. I treat every tribulation in my life as a war. Therefore, this is definitely not my first war.”
Oliver looked at her. Under the light of the fire, her face was shining brightly. She was especially beautiful.
Anthony widened his eyes and asked, “If the Great Marshal didn’t come, would we lose for sure?”
Isolde nodded. “Yes.”
Ashley finished the rest of the wine and glanced at Isolde’s face with a flash of viciousness. Indeed, the overall situation was almost set. However, when Oliver arrived, several of the commanders were able to shift their focus to leading the battle, and the situation quickly reversed. Ashley sighed inwardly. We were so close… so close! What a pity!
Vincenzo, holding the wine jug, came over and pushed Anthony. “Are you drunk? If you’re drunk, go lie down and rest!” He had been drinking with the soldiers, but heard Anthony’s loud voice, almost shouting his fear of wanting to escape.
Anthony chuckled, looking at Vincenzo. “Drunk? I could drink another two pounds!”
“Cut it out, if you drink two more pounds, what will the rest of us drink?” Vincenzo laughed.
Hattie chimed in, “Let him drink, this kid was scared out of his mind!”
“Who… who’s scared? Isn’t escaping normal? Who wouldn’t want to escape if they’re about to be killed? Ask Isolde, back in Windermount, when she called for my dad—didn’t she escape then?”