Chapter 43: Deviation of the Journey

The council at the Temple of Artemis concluded.

The great Conqueror King ordered her army to spare no cost to stage a banquet fit for a sovereign.

Although the king did not mind,

However, as the council ended, the usually reticent General Pamanew volunteered to the Conqueror King, relinquishing his son Hector's position as commander of the third brigade of the Companion Cavalry, and serving as an ordinary soldier under General Seleucus to atone for his deeds.

#

Hector stepped out of the temple and lifted his head slightly,

The dark sky that shrouded the entire wasteland mirrored his mood at that moment.

He could understand his father's good intentions, and also grasp the current situation in Macedon—

The brilliant Conqueror King worked to overhaul Macedon's military system, establishing her sovereignty through successive conquest wars; father Pamanew, an elder minister of Philip II and the actual controller of the Companion Cavalry, was vigorously cooperating with the king's reforms,

After all, this king was entirely different from the old monarch,

In her fury, not only an old minister like his father, but the whole world would have to lie dead at her feet!

He also understood what a foolish act he had committed—

To become a "hero",

He acknowledged Ai Duo A Duo's achievements, ushered the arrival of a miracle, and also swore a rebellious oath over Ai Duo A Duo's corpse.

【I shall pass on your heroic spirit, recount your deeds, and grant you honor!】

【I shall honor your unfulfilled wish, collect your remains, and return them to your homeland!】

The oath itself was fine, but the crucial point was that the miracle was aimed not at the dead Ai Duo A Duo, but at that Britannian sovereign.

The most critical issue was,

That fellow hadn't died!

It can be understood in a very abstract way as,

Hector now placed himself in the role of the "Bedewell" knight who, after the Battle of Camlan in Arthurian legend, returned the lake sword to King Arthur and saw him off, becoming a nonexistent third "Burial King".

Before Su Ya's death, he must fulfill the first half of the oath; as Ka Li Si Ti Ni said, this is almost no different from pledging loyalty to Su Ya.

Thus, Ka Li Si Ti Ni mocked him as a "Britannian Knight".

But,

But,

Even though he understood all this,

Hector still could not let it go,

As a half‑hero, if he could not become a true "hero" in the looming dreadful war, then even if his father were Macedon's foremost minister, even if he himself possessed countless advantages unattainable by ordinary people from birth,

When the Conqueror King's wheel truly set toward its final direction,

Facing the successive terrifying battles, such a "weak" self,

had only the path of being ground to powder!

Thinking of this, Hector exhaled heavily, his face darkening as he descended the temple steps.

"Commander!"

"Commander!"

As soon as they stepped out, Knights Woven and Lars moved forward, their faces full of worry as they looked at Hector.

Hector lowered his head and, with a despondent wave, said, "Stop calling me that; now I am merely an ordinary Macedonian soldier."

Seeing this, Woven and Lars exchanged glances for a moment, then half‑knelt, bowed their heads, and shouted:

"Knight Commander Hector, even though you are no longer the leader of the Companion Cavalry, you remain the master to whom we have sworn loyalty!"

Hector nodded, exhaled heavily, and asked gravely:

"What is the direction the group you investigated has taken?"

Woven replied immediately, "We have already sent scout Chi to confirm their direction, dispatched troops to sabotage one of the main routes, and, per your orders, informed Lu Ke Ang's magician."

"If their itinerary proceeds without error, within three days they will inevitably encounter the magician squad we have stationed at Pan Deng Bao, just before Sol City, where we have set up a workshop!"

At this point, Knight Woven's face showed a hint of worry as he said,

"However, with Sir Ecto's protection, that group may still be unstoppable."

Hector finally heard good news; his furrowed brows eased slightly, revealing a cold smile,

"Very well, then there is no problem!"

It was originally just a casual move, but who knew the king had learned that Sir Ecto was actually a counterfeit?

Thus, given Hector's knowledge of that squad specialized in hunting hidden professionals within the army,

once the two sides clash,

that damned brat who deceived him, causing his current plight and forcing him to swear loyalty—

is certain to die!

#

In theory, following the normal trajectory, Su Ya and his party would indeed run into the trap Hector set after three days.

However,

Back on Su Ya's side, a weary band of knights, eight hours after departing from Ecto Sir Manor, encountered an issue that required immediate resolution—

"What did you say?"

"There's no food left?"

"And that brat—our king is hungry again?!"

In the hastily erected camp,

Lu Kan stared at Mei Li, who had shown up at the gate, and asked in disbelief:

We didn't find two warehouses' worth of stored food at the knight's manor, did we? Moreover, there's water all along the way; even if we can only bring one warehouse's worth of food on the road, these supplies should logically last us half a month, right?

Mei Li shook her head, pointed out: "In fact, an entire warehouse's worth of food had already been consumed while we were at the manor."

The food we're carrying now is indeed enough for the knights to last half a month, but—

Mei Li reached out and pointed to the not‑far‑off cavalrymen, who had turned from the Knight Order into a bustling chef team, and to Su Ya, who sat obediently at the small round table waiting to be fed.

He had even elegantly tied a napkin.

Mei Li's face sank, she said heavily: "But that's just his meal for one sitting!"

If this continues, we'll all be starving for six full days before we even reach Sor City!

Saying this, Mei Li glared furiously at Lu Kan, extending her index finger to point at his nose and demanding:

"Lu Kan, what exactly did you teach him this morning?"

"Why did you have to open Pandora's magic box!"

Hearing this, Lu Kan froze, his mouth slightly open,

"You're saying he alone ate half a month's worth of food for a cavalry regiment in one sitting!?"

He had thought that morning's frightening scene would consume a lot of food, but he never imagined the number would be so exaggerated,

What the hell, what kind of absolute rice bucket is this!?

"No matter what, Lu Kan, this is all your doing; don't count on me to help you—I'll at most train these cavalrymen into cooks, but as for feeding the king, you have to take responsibility!"

Mei Li let out a cold huff and walked away,

"Want me to work overtime? Absolutely impossible!"

Hearing this,

Lu Kan's forehead involuntarily broke out in a cold sweat.

Steps to support the author during the new book period:

1. Vote for recommendation

2. Keep reading until the last page

3. Join the group, then accept the author's kowtow—

Bang bang bang!



(End of chapter)