Just as they finished chatting, they reached the camp of the Araknis Kingdom''s troops, where millions of soldiers were stationed.
"Whoosh..."
Aengusmanded the Wyvern tond, but suddenly, a volley of deadly arrows was fired at them from the troops below.
The arrows didn''te close to reaching the Wyvern, stopped mid-air by an invisible force controlled by Aengus.
Theynded without issue, drawing the attention of the surrounding troops.
"Hey, who are you? What business do you have here?" a burly-looking man asked, smoke curling from the cigar in his hand.
As soon as Aengus and Aria dismounted, several weapons were aimed at them.
Aengus wasn''t offended by the guards'' caution, understanding it was their duty. He replied calmly, "We''re here to join the war, soldiers. Be at ease, we know General Leon. Can you show me the way to him, Captain Bill?" He addressed the Burly man, acting natural.
The burly man looked slightly stunned. "You know me?" he asked, pausing his smoking.
"Well, yes. But that''s not important, Captain. Do you know where General Leon is? Can you take us to him?" Aengus pressed on.
He had already scanned the area with his All-Seeing Eyes but still couldn''t locate certain individuals protected by high-level security measures. And he didn''t want to take the risk of prying either.
"Oh, you want to join our army? Haha... wee, wee!" Captain Bill smiled broadly, weing the duo with open arms.
"Let me guide you there, but I can''t guarantee they''ll meet with you,rades. Don''t be disappointed if they don''t," he said, thinking they wanted to meet General Leon like many other admirers.
Aengus and Aria didn''t argue. They silently followed Captain Bill''s bulky frame, observing the vast military camps spread out around them.
"Captain Bill, what are your chances of winning against the Imperial forces?" Aengus asked, maintaining hisposure.
Captain Billughed confidently. "Of course we''ll win. We have our three Guardians with us,rades. There''s no need to worry—victory will be ours."
Though Captain Bill said this for assurance, Aengus could detect a mix of helplessness and uncertainty beneath his bravado.
"Ehh! Aria, Ethan, you''re here to join the war as well?"
Their pace was suddenly interrupted by a female warrior in shining white armor, looking valiant and full of energy.
"Hehe, Princess Delh, you seem quite energetic yourself," Ariamented with a smile.
"Your Highness!" Captain Bill, slightly stunned, bowed respectfully.
It was indeed Princess Delh, apanied by a few of her guards.
She acknowledged Capital Bill with a nod, and smiled at Aria.
"Haha, don''t tease me now, Aria. My father didn''t want me joining the war, but I was insistent. So, he gave me his best armor. It''s an S+ Rank—really expensive," Delh added with a grin.
"By the way, when did you two get back? I went looking for you, but the General told me you were on a special mission. Did youplete it sessfully? Ethan, why are you so quiet?" she asked, turning to Aengus.
Aengus furrowed his brows at the sudden closeness with the Royal Princess. Either way, he didn''t enjoy engaging in long conversations and preferred to keep things short and precise.
"Yes, wepleted it. Now we would like to meet with General Leon. Is he nearby?" he inquired.
Princess Delh didn''t mind his bluntness, but her guards clearly looked displeased. They were about to speak up when she raised her hand, signaling them to hold back.
Aria stepped in, "Don''t mind him, Delh. He just doesn''t like talking much."
"Hahaha, I figured that out the first time we met. I''m fine... just a princess of a sinking kingdom, after all," Princess Delh replied with a bitter smile.
"Oh, is the situation that dire? Don''t worry, Delh. Aengus and I will help you achieve victory and teach that foolish Emperor a lesson," Aria said with growing determination.
Princess Delhughed again, though with a hint of doubt. "Thank you, Aria."
She didn''t fully believe it at all.
How could two B-Ranks make a difference among giants? She was unaware that they had now reached A and SS Ranks, respectively.
"Follow me, Aria, Ethan. I''ll take you to find General Leon. Captain Bill, you may go now."
"Thank you, Princess!" Captain Bill gave onest nce at Aria and Aengus, surprised by their familiarity with Princess Delh. He hadn''t expected the pair to converse with Princess Delh with so much familiarity.
Princess Delh led the way with Aria by her side, while Aengus trailed behind, keeping a vignt eye on their surroundings.
"Delh, have you seen Drake and Yona around here?" Aria asked with a hint of worry.
"Oh, yes! I saw your brother and attendant with the troops earlier. They seemed just fine," Delh reassured her.
Aria sighed in relief. "Thank goodness. I wouldn''t know how to face my uncle if anything happened to him. But I also don''t want to hold him back from growing."
Delh gave her a sympathetic look. "That''s something we all have to face, Aria. My brother..."
As the two shared a moment of understanding, Aengus tuned out their conversation, focusing instead on assessing the camp. His sharp eyes scanned the area, calcting the sheer scale of the forces around them.
The camp was massive, with over ten millions troops, spanning ranks from D to S—a truly terrifying scale. His own Legion was still capped at around 25,000, far smaller inparison.
Quietly, he decided that after the war, he''d retrieve the Ancient Dwarves, return to Darkwood Forest and increase his forces by turning the remaining beasts into part of his Legion—if only they still stay there.
As they reached a big special Tent, they saw General Leon, General Felix, and General Martining out of it.
They were following someone important at the front.
It was the King and Two Royal Princes, including the Crown Prince. Prince Mikail wasn''t one of them.
Upon spotting them Princess Delh quicklyposed her like a valiant warrior.
"Look Aria, Ethan, The Generalsing out and my Royal father and brothers as well." Delh informed.
Aria and Aengus gazed at them calmly.
General Leon quickly raised his eyebrows in surprise as he noticed Their presence.