The Duchess's Dangerous Love Life

Chapter 118

The commander of the Imperial Knights shouted, "Your Majesty! We can't—"

"This is an order!" he gritted his teeth.

Ahhhhh!

A scream was heard from afar.

The emperor glanced downwards and saw that hundreds of monsters of differing race and size had already joined the fray and had locked their knights in battle, making them unable to leave unless they've defeated their opponents.

The commander's complexion paled and urgently divulged to his lord. "Your Majesty! The remaining forces that we have are insufficient to deal with those beasts!"

Rayence tightened his fists because he knew it was true.

After the civil war with Duke Maktus had ended, other nations wanted to take this prime chance when the country was at its weakest to get some benefits. War naturally broke out again among the borders, so it was imperative they send more men as troop reinforcements.

However, this left the imperial palace with men that are only capable of protecting against a number of humans within an acceptable range.

But it wasn't enough to fend off an invasion of ferocious beasts.

They are currently facing a crisis that would definitely lead to the destruction of Astria if they don't act fast enough.

It was just that... The only remaining army he could mobilize was the Black Knights, who were imprisoned in the palace dungeons. The emperor thought hard of an alternative for the welfare of the country, but nothing else good came out. But all of a sudden, ten gigantic birds flew up the sky and attacked the pterosaur.

Whoooosh!

The pterosaur counterattacked and swung its wings harshly, but the birds pierced the monster's stomach by sticking out their tentacle-like tongues.

The nobles saw a ray of hope for their predicament and stared intensely at the sky. One of them pointed his finger at the man holding the reins of a bird.

"H-he is the battalion commander of the Black Knights!"

"Huh? But weren't all the Black Knights captured?"

"No! Some of them ran away and had a bounty attached to their heads."

Philip was unaware that, at this moment, he was the most charming person in the eyes of the desperate nobles. He was too busy holding onto the reins and trying to calm this damnable bird beast.

"Stupid bird, listen to me or I'll eat you for dinner!"

Then he felt something wasn't right and glanced behind his fellow riders. "Oi, what're you staring dumbly for? Attack!"

At Philip's command, the other knights also pulled the strings on their mounts taut. Then, they began to attack more violently.

The knights surrounded the monster on all sides and took turns in dealing short yet effective blows in critical areas, slowly wearing out the pterosaur. Confused and infuriated, the monster attacked with wild abandon in an attempt to kill them all at once using an area of effect attack.

But this reckless action only hastened its impending doom. The Black Knights deftly maneuvered the birds and successfully evaded its fearsome attacks.

After losing the majority of its strength and stamina, the monster was severely weakened, and the mounted knights used this opportunity to deal a killing strike.

The pterosaur groaned in despair, then it began to descend from the air.

Bang!

The pterosaur fell straight down into the wedding hall, spiderweb cracks forming beneath its humongous body. A few more columns collapsed and the near-devastated walls near the monster completely broke in shambles.

A slightly emboldened knight went a little closer, but then he quickly retreated and yelled in fear.

The pterosaur was still alive.

The Imperial Knights drew their swords and immediately raised their wariness to the extreme. But as the monsters writhed and indiscriminately attacked people, Noah stood by the sidelines, unperturbed. He grabbed his sword and swiveled his gaze to meet eye to eye with the ruler of the empire.

"Your Majesty."

"..."

"Astria is in crisis."

"..."

"It just so happens that my knights have encountered such monsters before." the corners of Noah's lips curved into a languid smile, "What a coincidence."

Shing!

Noah cut off the pterosaur's tongue which was about to emit another deadly ray of white light.

Screeech!

Hearing the sound of pain, he struck the monster's neck.

Thud!

The pterosaur's corpse fell limply to the ground. Covered in its blood, Noah released a chilling smile as he licked his lips.

"As a sworn protector of Astria, it is my duty to ensure the security of the empire and the safety of its citizens—"

"Ha!"

A sardonic laugh emanated from the emperor's throat. Unbothered, Noah continued, "I hereby request permission from His Majesty, the Emperor, to allow this subject to carry out the mission to eradicate these unwelcome elements."

Even though he mentioned those words, not once did he kneel, nor did he speak in a respectful tone.

The emperor clenched his fist at Noah's shameless declarations. But from the painful screams of his men and the ravenous beasts continuing their incessant assaults, he knew time was of essence.

Frowning, he glanced at Noah with a skeptical look. "Have you learned how to control beasts during your expeditions in the northwest region?"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

Slash!

Noah slashed the giant insect monster that creeped towards him with his sword. The emperor narrowed his eyes, feeling as if something was familiar.

"Pretending to be a savior to clear your name of treason..." he laughed scornfully, "Am I correct?"

Noah effortlessly decapitated another beast. "The emperor misunderstands, I only want to serve for the good of the country."

Rayence was unconvinced, "When did you plan all this?"

Since the moment I was sent to the northwest region, as per your royal order.

Noah answered inside his heart and brushed off the blood staining his sword. The northwest region was a place where there were many beasts of varying origins and classifications ran amok.

Thanks to the emperor who kept sending him there to die, he was able to tame monsters and even managed to build a castle. Killing two birds with one stone.