"The Alcott Empire?!"

The ones who reacted most strongly to his words were those in leadership positions—Beatrix and Eve.

"The empire is moving again...?" Arianne frowned at this news. "But why now? Shouldn't they be preoccupied with the zombies themselves?"

Axel shook his head at her murmurs, dismissing her concerns.

"The empire doesn't seem troubled by zombies from my investigation," he sighed. "There are hundreds of thousands of people living peacefully in their capital city."

When did Axel conduct his investigation?

Technically, it wasn't him but rather Navi and Mimir who checked on the empire.

It was back when they were en route to the last major fortress that he sensed something was amiss and sent the two spirits to investigate. The time that they went missing for two whole days.

They didn't just check the empire; they also monitored every major force nearby. But other than the empire, the rest showed no signs of movement at all.

The Empire is the only one that has gathered a portion of its soldiers and begun marching toward the camp.

"Their march, consisting of 5,000 troops, started roughly two days ago. Given the distance between us—about 500 kilometers—it would take them around 20 days to arrive."

It wasn't a short time, but it wasn't particularly long either.

"Five thousand..." Eve muttered, her face turning pale.

Of course, Axel understood her feelings.

Against sheer numbers, individual strength sometimes holds less significance... but that's only true if the strength difference isn't too drastic.

"Don't worry, everyone," Axel smiled, attempting to reassure them. "Although the empire is coming, with Fenrir on our side, there's nothing to fear!"

Right.

With such a powerful ally as Fenrir in their ranks, 5,000 or even 10,000 soldiers wouldn't matter much.

"However," Axel continued, "do you really want to live being protected by just one individual? What would that make you if you relied solely on Fenrir for defense? Cowards! Those who abandon the idea of protecting themselves!"

It would be pointless to depend on her for defense all the time.

"Thus, within those 20 days... we'll ensure our camp of just over a hundred can face an army 50 times our size!"

Everyone stared at Axel in silence. Their emotions were a mixture of fear, anger, confusion, and excitement, but mostly despair. Becoming capable of fighting an army 50 times their size is simply impossible... normally thinking.

After saying all that, this is the part where he shows everyone hope!

"Look at these!" he exclaimed, pulling two small vials from his inventory.

"These two potions will be issued to all the active members of the Valkyrie Knight Order! Their effect increases all your stats by a combined total of 200! This means you'll be getting about 5 to 10 times stronger with these!"

"OOOH!"

This caused a wave of excitement to ripple through the crowd.

After all, some of them had already confirmed the effects earlier at the training grounds. They had seen how Arianne and the others began moving faster and getting stronger than before, proving that Axel's words were true.

Of course, that wasn't all.

He had also bought a new crafting recipe: Magical Armor.

This was the base version of the armor that Axel had given to the first batch of the Valkyrie Knight Order, complete with buffs and enhancements. However, since he would be crafting the recipe from scratch, he expected it to perform even better.

Not just the armor, but even the weapons and accessories had been meticulously handled, leaving no detail overlooked!

"Everyone, as long as we work hard, there's no need to fear!" Axel grinned, raising a glass in the air. "To the prosperity of our camp... No..."

Just as he was about to cheer, he paused. He turned to Eve and Teruria, realizing that simply calling their place "camp" wouldn't do justice to their image.

"... To the prosperity of our Axevaria Kingdom!" Thus, he decided on this arbitrary name for now.

"Axevaria..." Gasps echoed for a moment, creating an awkward pause after Axel's cheer.

Thankfully, before embarrassment could set in, more voices began to cheer.

"For the Axevaria Kingdom!"

"Long live the Axevaria Kingdom!"

Various cheers erupted, blending everyone's appreciation for the unexpected name with their desire to protect their land.

Watching this scene, where everyone seemed united, Axel smiled.

"Then, let's enjoy the feast tonight! Everyone, drink until the last drop!"

"OOOOH!"

Another wild cheer followed, and the festivities finally, truly began.

…

That night, Axel didn't hold back at all.

He bought barrels of alcohol, allowing everyone to drink to their heart's content. And it wasn't just one type; he provided wine, whisky, rum, beer—everything that was requested!

What began as a formal party quickly turned into a raucous affair, reminiscent of a rowdy dinner in a bar. But as he looked around and saw the smiles on everyone's faces, Axel concluded that it was all worth it.

After the excitement subsided and he was finally free from the endless greetings, Axel headed back to his room to take a shower and refresh himself.

He couldn't remember the last time he had the luxury of a long, relaxing bath—certainly not in Witcheria, where he could only manage a quick shower at best.

Determined to wash away his fatigue, he soaked in the tub until he felt thoroughly satisfied.

"Phew... That was a good bath..."

Being the only man in the castle, he enjoyed the entire bath for himself.

While it felt a bit lonely, it was still satisfying.

Dressed in nothing but his white long sleeves and pants, with steam rising from his damp hair and body, he made his way up the stairs to his room.

It was located on the third floor of the castle, deep within its walls, and protected by guard towers on all sides right outside—though those towers were empty at the moment.

As Axel opened the door to his room, he felt refreshed but still tired.

Rest was his goal... but of course, his plans were thwarted as easily as breathing.

"What are you doing here...?" he asked, surprised.

Inside, he found several figures waiting for him. Teruria sat at the foot of his large bed, with Fenrir on her left and Eve on her right.

That wasn't all, either. Maria and Cherry stood in the corner, also present.

"Husband... We're here to make things fair," Teruria announced, speaking as if representing everyone. "Fifty-six times... We're here to balance out that number."

And thus, she delivered the announcement of his impending doom.

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