Chapter 561: Chapter 31: Lumian Knight Commander

「The Central Front」

The army had been at a standstill for two days since Marshal Grantham’s attack.

Prince Noah’s death cast a pall over the recently victorious army.

Everyone had witnessed Prince Noah’s performance during this time. Many had come to approve of the Crown Prince, so no one expected him to die so suddenly.

Then again, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, his opponent was Marshal Grantham.

After Prince Noah died, Princess Yifulei had briefly woken up, only to faint again upon hearing the news of the Prince’s passing.

Marquis Oscillate wasn’t much better off.

The Marquis had been in an area hit hard by the Magic Crystal Cannons, and afterward, Grantham had kicked him around like a ball.

His already aged body simply couldn’t take the abuse. After Prince Noah’s death, the Marquis left, saying he was going to get some sleep. He hadn’t woken up since.

Suddenly, the immense task of managing the army fell upon the shoulders of Robson and Earl Lu Wen.

After all, they were the only ones left with enough prestige to command the entire army.

One was a veteran general who could get along with anyone, the other a new commander with a proven track record.

...

After handling military affairs, Robson and Valentino walked out of the command tent.

To be honest, this was the first time Robson had ever truly commanded such a massive army.

An army of over three hundred thousand men. Managing three hundred thousand soldiers was a world away from managing thirty thousand.

Fortunately, whether it was thanks to Valentino’s help or ’Lord Robson’s’ own exceptional talent, he had managed the army during this period without any major disasters.

The grand army was slowly withdrawing from the central front.

With such a major incident having occurred, any talk of counter-attacking the Beastman Grassland was out of the question for the time being.

As Robson and Valentino walked, they suddenly noticed a group of nobles whipping another group of Frankish Nobles.

"What’s going on? What happened here?"

Robson was confused.

’Is there really such undignified bullying among the nobility?’

The nobles doing the whipping heard his voice and were about to react with irritation, but when they turned and saw it was Robson and Valentino, their attitude immediately became respectful.

The opportunity to command the army was rare, so Robson naturally made frequent appearances to build his prestige.

"General."

"These men are heretics, bewitched by an evil cult! They’re supposed to stay in their tents, yet they dare to come out and parade around..."

"General... We’ve been wronged, General! No one brought water to our tent, and we were dying of thirst.

Besides, we’ve never had any contact with an evil cult! The Kingdom Council hasn’t even investigated us yet..."

"General, we are heroes of the kingdom! Why are they treating us like this? We are innocent!"

Hearing this, Robson understood the gist of the situation.

The military merit faction had never been popular within the kingdom due to their rapid promotions.

Now that their leader, Grantham, was dead, these men had been branded as heretics and their troops purged. It was only natural that they were now being bullied.

This bit of humiliation was nothing. In the future, they might even face the gallows or the guillotine.

Normally, Robson shouldn’t have gotten involved in such matters. But then he thought of the seal and the military book Marshal Grantham had given him...

Robson sighed.

’I can’t save them, but I can at least make their last days a little better.’

’Consider it a way of repaying the Marshal’s kindness.’

"These men have not yet been convicted, nor has the Kingdom Council stripped them of their noble status.

For now, they are still nobles of the kingdom."

"Let this be the last time. Do not do this again."

"As you command..."

The nobles from the northern faction didn’t understand why, but Robson had spoken, and small fry like them had no way of refusing.

Hearing this, the nobles of the military merit faction looked as if they had seen their savior.

"As for food and so on, I’ll have someone bring it to you.

Your status is sensitive right now, so you should not come out for the time being."

Without giving them a chance to thank him, Robson turned and walked away.

’Heroes one day, prisoners the next...’ Robson couldn’t help but reflect on how much more intense the political struggles of this world were compared to his previous life.

As he thought this, he subconsciously tightened his grip on Valentino’s hand. ’Lord Robson has well and truly established a family and a career in this world,’ he thought. ’From now on, I must be extremely careful in everything I do.’

Valentino was taken aback for a moment. Seeing the mix of solemnity and melancholy on his face, she instantly understood what he was thinking and squeezed his large hand in return.

...

"Lumian Knight Commander is here?"

Robson and Valentino had just returned to their tent when Earl Uman hit them with a big surprise.

After winning the battle at Riliman Fortress, Lumian Knight Commander had been preparing to return to the Royal Capital.

But halfway there, he heard that Prince Noah had died and rushed to join the army.

"Where is Lumian Knight Commander?" Robson asked.

"He went to see Princess Yifulei," said Earl Uman.

Honestly, Robson didn’t really want to face him right now.

Prince Noah was someone the Algeria Kingdom had invested heavily in. His marriage to Princess Yifulei was a matter of national policy.

Now, the Prince was suddenly dead...

At such a critical juncture, one misstep could lead to a massive political incident.

Unfortunately, Robson had no choice but to meet him, especially with Marquis Oscillate also unconscious.

"Let’s go see him," said Valentino.

"Alright. Has anyone notified Earl Lu Wen?" Robson asked.

"Someone’s already been sent..."

"Good."

...

Upon receiving the news, Robson and Valentino went immediately to Princess Yifulei’s tent.

Several Knights were inside the tent, and Lumian Knight Commander was at the princess’s bedside.

Princess Yifulei was awake again.

"Lord Knight Commander, General Robson is here."

Lumian Knight Commander turned around. His face was haggard, and his expression remained dull upon seeing Robson.

"Lord Lumian..."

"My apologies. We failed to protect Her Highness the Princess. It was our dereliction of duty," Robson said.

He didn’t mention Prince Noah, as that was a domestic affair of the Frankish.

Lumian Knight Commander nodded. He didn’t offer any words of blame, but he didn’t give Robson a pleasant look either.

"I know what happened. Oscillate made a bad move. That old fool always thinks he has everything under control...

I will report what happened here to His Majesty.

It has nothing to do with you."

Lumian Knight Commander cracked a smile and patted Robson’s shoulder.

"When you have time, come visit Algeria. The students there will worship you as a hero."

With that, Lumian Knight Commander turned and left.

This took Robson quite by surprise.

’He’d thought the Knight Commander would have held some grudge.’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’Lumian Knight Commander is a veteran of politics. He has at least that much self-control.’

However, as Robson turned back, he wondered, ’Why didn’t Lumian Knight Commander say anything about Princess Yifulei?’

At that moment, Princess Yifulei, her face deathly pale, looked at Robson and offered a smile.

Robson’s left eyebrow twitched as he suddenly recalled the wound on Prince Noah’s back.

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