Chapter 24.1

Oswald emitted a sullen sound and instructed, "Please enter and inform me."

Due to his lack of sleep, his voice was slightly throaty, but it was composed and authoritative, devoid of any apprehension, and facile for others to mimic. So much so, that in the few days of their interaction, Peter frequently forgot that His Majesty the Emperor was actually much younger than himself.

Of course, inwardly Oswald was somewhat flabbergasted, as he yearned to receive this type of urgent report eight times a day. It was challenging for him not to become desensitized by it.

On occasion, he nearly pondered whether his own fate and fortune were askew. It wasn't that the Golden Lion Kingdom hadn't had rulers who reigned over heaven and earth previously, and there were even quite a few, maybe because their glamour faded away, they merely gave up or even became more formidable when they performed inadequately.

Nevertheless, the former mirthful emperors spent the day consuming and dying without any significant events. Why did he, who was placed on the throne, encounter such trouble so shortly after he assumed power?

Peter stood near the entrance and spoke in the most composed tone feasible, "Giant orcs are entering the territory from the southeast. Due to their rapid flight, they have already passed four cities and arrived at St. Antis."

Oswald had just divested himself of his sweat-soaked clothes and was substituting them with new ones. Upon hearing this, he paused, "The giant beastmen have arrived at St. Antis? What's their number?"

With a sullen expression on his face, Peter replied, "It's around a hundred, and it's just enough for one of their raid teams."

Oswald responded, "Have they lost their minds?"

Peter was at a loss for words.

When the previous emperors of the Golden Lion Kingdom were in power, their connection with the Giant Beastmen had been quite bad. They greatly rejected the "barbaric and uncivilized" race of the Giant Beastmen, deeming them to be boorish and unthinking. Outside of their circle, they were powerless.

As a matter of fact, not just the Golden Lion Country, but several countries, both large and small, held this view.

However, it was not strange that those in authority harbored such thoughts. Sitting in that position, even if they were not functioning and waiting to die, they would not be fond of those groups that seemed to pose a threat.

As a result, Oswald was likely the only monarch in the Golden Lion Kingdom who did not harbor ill will towards the giant beasts in the past one hundred years.

Initially, he had not been poisoned by the proverbs of his elders when he was a child, and secondly, coordinating with the giant beast clan in the previous Kela River battle had not been terrible. Moreover, if Mai had not stood there steadfastly during the critical moment, the number of Wujin cavalry casualties would have at least doubled.

By recognizing this type of sentiment, he not only held no hostility towards the giant beast clan, but he supported them significantly.

Of course, the majority of people were unable to perceive what he saw with the naked eye.

Just like now, he responded to Peter, "The raid is inadequate. Those individuals who concentrate on being foolish and lovable, their intellect should not be capable of planning a raid."

Peter wanted to respond, but was at a loss for words.

Oswald adjusted his collar, contemplated briefly and added, "Not necessarily. After all, a daytime raid is not similar to the strategies of an intelligent individual. Perhaps they can really do it."

Peter was speechless; His Majesty's words!

"Did you halt them?" Oswald asked.

This should have been completed previously, when military forces from other countries or tribes entered the Golden Lion Kingdom without justification, they would usually initiate battle near the borders. Even if the current situation was exceptional, the measures taken should not lag too far behind.

Otherwise, the reports would ascend to the emperor layer by layer, and when the emperor cogitated and gave orders, the situation would already have advanced to the entrance of the palace.

Peter finally had a response and nodded seriously, "We halted them. They turned back and landed in the ash forest to the north of the city. The bow barracks have surrounded the entire forest, and now the two leading giant orcs want to see you."

Oswald reflected for a moment, "I see, are they still in the wax forest?"

Peter replied, "Yes."

Since the behemoths were so large, who dared to bring them to the palace so casually? If they went berserk, they would be uncontainable.