“Is it you?”
Elise’s body trembled slightly. She could feel it from his gaze.
Robin put his hand on the mask, ready to take it off. He had been hiding for so long, and today he was finally going to reveal himself to the world. He could finally tell Elise that her husband was a great hero.
However, he only managed to remove half of the mask.
Jeff Reczek came to Robin’s side and knelt down, “My lord, urgent situation, the southern defense line has been broken.”
It was the southern border of the country.
“So, they have finally launched their attack.”
The half-removed mask was put back on by Robin. In the next second, Robin turned around and issued an order, “All soldiers, head to the south, we must arrive within a day.”
After saying this, Robin left.
He didn’t hesitate for even a second.
He returned to the barracks.
“No!”
Elise watched Robin leave, the tears that she couldn’t hold back rolling down her cheek. She immediately took out her phone and furiously dialed a number, “Tell me, is it you? Don’t try to deceive me. Only you would look at me with such gentle eyes.”
Silence on the other end.
One or two seconds later, a determined voice finally sounded, “Wait for me!”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you!”
The phone call ended, and Elise collapsed to the ground, sobbing and holding her head: “You scoundrel, you’ve done so much for me. Why didn’t you ever tell me? You promised you’d never leave us! You liar, a big liar, a super liar!” Her crying turned hoarse.
But then, Elise stood up, facing the receding torrent, and with all her strength, she yelled through her tears: “You must come back alive! I’m waiting for you! If you don’t come back, I’ll hate you for the rest of my life!”
The ground trembled as a hundred thousand troops marched. Robin, at the front, heard her words. He looked back at Elise, his eyes tender: “My love, wait for me. I’ll give you a wedding that will shake the world.”
They hadn’t had a wedding when they first got together. Elise had never mentioned it, but Robin knew that whenever she saw another couple’s wedding, there was always a hint of envy in her eyes. This was something Robin owed her. Upon his return, he would give her a grand wedding and formally bestow upon her the title of Lady Primus.
Afterward, the tenderness vanished from his eyes, replaced by a chilling ferocity. “Southward, stop the enemy!” First, they must protect their country and people, then their family. This was his duty as Primus of Kisia. “Wait for me, and I’ll give you the most dazzling wedding.”
…
A day later, at Hill Middleton, after a day of travel, they finally entered the South Border. “According to the intelligence, the Harding family has betrayed us. They’ve joined forces with the people from the Temple, weakening the South Border’s defenses. The enemy ambushed us, causing massive casualties. Almost nine out of ten soldiers perished, and the remaining forces were scattered.”
“The South Border has been breached. The commander of the South Border defense died in battle at the city gates. His body was hung by the enemy to intimidate the people of the South Border.”
“The invaders are from South Land. They’ve recently established the South Land Empire after unifying the region through warfare. Their leader, Lord Whiteford, has deployed six hundred thousand troops, breaking through the South Border and occupying most of its territory.”
“Behind this assault, we believe the Milia Empire is supporting South Land.”
“In this scheme, the Harding family has taken control of seventeen cities. According to the plan, Stillwater should have been the eighteenth city. Once occupied, this would form a battle line, enabling a coordinated defense using the natural terrain to block any reinforcements from the upper part of the country. This would leave the South Border isolated and vulnerable, giving the South Land Empire time to fully occupy the South Border.”
“Finnbar Harding was in charge of Stillwater. However, he was killed by a military officer, and our forces took control of Stillwater. This turn of events has given us a glimmer of hope.”
On the road, the aide was reporting the gathered intelligence. “The Harding family! You traitors who dared to betray us and let invaders in, you deserve to die!” Jeff Reczek roared, punching a waist-high poplar tree. With a loud crack, the tree broke in half and fell to the ground, but this did nothing to alleviate his hatred.
He had been in Stillwater, witnessing the military officer reveal his wife’s true identity. That moment should have been beautiful, but the news of the Harding family’s betrayal and the invasion of the South Border shattered everything.
Worse still, the South Border had been invaded! The Harding family and the Temple deserved to die! “The Harding family, your luck is truly terrible. In the end, you encountered me returning to Stillwater. The three thousand Red Flame Army was a formidable force within the Harding family, but now it’s completely wiped out,” Robin said, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
This secret had been hidden in Stillwater. The Harding family had plotted for thirty years just for this moment. Unfortunately for them, they encountered a returning Robin at the most crucial point.
“Sir, the enemy has six hundred thousand troops. Should we request reinforcements from Eastern Kisia?” An aide asked for instructions. “Reinforcements? We don’t need them,” Robin shook his head. The situation was still unclear. The South Land Empire dared to attack their country, surely backed by other nations. If they hastily withdrew troops from other borders, it might lead to the fall of another city.
Once the two borders were breached, the nation was not far from demise.
“Pass my token down and order the remaining three major borders not to allow any troops to leave. Defend the borders with your lives! If there are any more breaches, I will show no mercy!” Robin swept his gaze over the room and issued his command.
This token was rarely used by Robin, but now at this critical moment, it was the last straw. Robin had already been promoted to the highest commander of the nation.
“Yes, sir,” replied a deputy, immediately following the order.
“But, General, with 100, 000 against 600, 000, are we not at a disadvantage?” the deputy asked.
“Maclean Lyons,” Robin suddenly called out his deputy’s name.
“Sir!” Maclean Lyons responded immediately. He was wearing a suit of black armor, and the wolf-shaped mask on his face had been removed, revealing a young man in his twenties, even with some childish features.
“Do you know why, among countless soldiers, I chose you as my deputy?” Robin turned his head to look at him.
“My ability,” Maclean Lyons responded.
“That’s right. Your command talent is excellent, and I’ve checked your record; every battle you’ve fought has been impressive. However, you have a flaw – you’re too conservative, focusing on defense. You only dare to attack when you have a 70% chance of success. But in this world, they won’t give you that 70% chance, maybe just 1%, but you must go on.”
“Take this battle, for example. Behind us are tens of millions of our nation’s citizens. If we don’t fight, our relatives, friends, and everything we know will vanish. So, we must fight this battle, and we must win. If we lose, our deaths will be insignificant, but if our nation perishes, we will die with our eyes wide open.”
“What’s more!” Robin’s eyes flashed a cold light as he waved his hand, conjuring an air of dominance that seemed to disdain the world. “If my Ghost Wolf Iron Cavalry can’t trample these 600, 000 enemy troops, what is the point of being called the world’s number one cavalry? This insignificant South Land dares to invade our nation. This time, I want them to return with true despair.”