Chapter 42.2

"Yes!" Theodore nodded. "The only good news is that what we encountered was not the entire army of sand ghosts in ambush, but the stragglers left behind when they attacked other countries. They were lagging behind the large army and were still scouting ahead. However, even the stragglers were enough for us to drink a pot, as you can see, Your Majesty."

He spread his arms, revealing his bloodstained rags, and pointed to the four personal guards waiting outside the hall. "If they had not fought to the last to protect me and flee, I might not be able to sit here. There were approximately one hundred guards around me, and now only these four remain. The rest have been almost wiped out. These were the same people who I brought back..."

Theodore's throat was raspy, and he could not speak any further.

Oswald listened with a furrowed brow, his eyes heavy. his peripheral vision happened to fall on the entrance of the hall. After Theodore finished speaking, Oswald's face became gloomy, as if he was immersed in the catastrophe that had just befallen him.

"You..." Oswald raised his head to speak, but then felt his vision darken, his heart skip a beat, and his ears ring.

"How do you want me to help?" He forcibly endured the discomfort, finished the second half of the sentence in the same calm tone as usual, and then held himself still and waited for the discomfort to pass. It sounded as if he had simply interrupted the sentence naturally.

Kevin, who was sitting at the bottom of the hall, was acutely aware of the strangeness. This was probably because he had too much contact with Oswald daily, and was too familiar with the emperor's tone and way of speaking.

He did not immediately turn his head to look at Oswald but peered at him from the corner of his eye with a calm expression.

It was not until Oswald finished speaking that he naturally cast his gaze at him.

Taking advantage of Theodore's inattention, he frowned slightly at Oswald and asked with his eyes. However, Oswald still squinted his eyes half-closed and cast his eyes heavily in Theodore's direction.

Kevin suddenly understood: Oswald's eyes were dark again.

This situation had already happened three times in the afternoon, and the medical officer had been invited to see him halfway through. Apart from staying up all night the previous night, the medical officer could not find any other explanation, other than the fact that Oswald's energy was too concentrated and he was experiencing a temporary depletion caused by exhaustion.

It would be understandable if this happened to other people, but when it happened to Oswald, both he and Kevin felt that something was wrong. After all, Oswald had also remained awake throughout the night, and several elderly ministers had not responded in the same way. How could it be that Oswald, who was in his prime, was actually at a disadvantage?

The day was so complicated that they did not have time to think about it. However, Kevin had a faint feeling that a storm was about to come. Oswald probably thought the same, so when Theodore entered the hall, he and Ben stayed. Ten Wujin iron cavalry also remained in the hall, standing on both sides of the hall.

After Oswald asked his question, Theodore responded, "The sand ghosts are too rampant, and their special physique makes them difficult to deal with and too dangerous. I respectfully request that you send troops to support Leiyin City. It would be too shameless of me to ask you to rescue the people myself. I simply hope that Your Majesty would grant me the convenience of using the secret road of the Golden Lion Kingdom, so that I may return to Leiyin City by another route."

"Secret route?" Oswald looked puzzled.

"I am aware that this is a most unorthodox request, but it is my last resort," Theodore said with a palpable sense of shame. "There are some say about the secret routes of your kingdom, and some say that they can bypass the few roads that lead to the desert. In the shortest time, cross the Kela River, and even lead to the direction of the ice field."

Oswald scoffed and interjected, "When will such rumors be taken seriously? If there is a secret passage leading to the ice field, I can send troops directly to outflank that old Sapir. Is that even possible?"

Theodore's expression was stubborn, and he seemed to want to argue again, but he glanced at Oswald and sighed, "Very well, then. Can Your Majesty do me a small favor?"

"What is it?" Oswald inquired, just as a white eagle burst into the hall from the entrance and landed on his hand, its speed evident.

Oswald raised his hand to signal for the eagle to wait a moment, then removed the note from the roll attached to its foot. Most of the news that the Imperial City Patrol Army had provided him with previously had been gathered within and around the Imperial City. However, he had always felt that something was amiss, so he had sent an urgent letter to the Red Iron Army, which was farther away, in the morning to confirm.

He unfurled the small scroll and saw a sentence written in cursive script: Peida City, Leiyin City, Kaman City, and a thousand other small city-states had all been attacked, and the kings had not been spared. Oswald's fingers tightened abruptly as he held the scroll.

As soon as he saw the contents of the scroll, Theodore followed up with his previous words, "I hope, Your Majesty, that your life as a captive will be most agreeable in the future!"

His tone changed several times in the blink of an eye, becoming hoarse and unpleasant. The four guards waiting outside the hall instantly shed their skin and transformed into wild sand, sweeping into the hall.