Abe the Wizard

The dungeon in Lut Gholein palace was much bigger than Abel’s expectation. There was more decoration on the second floor down, and it was almost 10 times larger than the first floor.

Lut Gholein was located on the edge of a desert, and underground construction like this was very good for avoiding the harsh temperature.

It made sense, but Abel just couldn’t figure out why the Lut Gholein Palace needed a dungeon of this size.

Abel was already shocked at the wealth of Lut Gholein at the entrance. But that surface-level wealth was nothing compared to this.

The second floor was filled with all kinds of stunning art pieces. If there were no hell creatures, this place could be a museum.

Abel began to carefully wipe out the hell creatures around the place. He took it slow and did not move in a flash for no reason. He didn’t want to damage the art pieces here. He had already recognized them as his own.

After cleaning up all the hell creatures, Abel moved away from the art pieces. They were his spoils.

Abel had returned to his days of resting in the morning and fighting in the Dark World at night. He kept moving art pieces away as he killed more and more hell creatures. Soon, it became a stable daily schedule.

It was time for the mid-winter wheat harvest in the human world. The results were not good. The crops didn’t grow too well and came half a month late.

Wheat had the biggest decrease in Harvest, with only 30% of the normal amount.

The highest harvest was only 70% of normal. This was why so many duchies were having a food crisis.

Although they all had a food inventory, it couldn’t last for long.

Normally, a food inventory could only support a duchy for 1 session when a disaster struck, and they would replenish it the next session.

However, this was not the situation at hand. The once in a thousand-year famine was a reality. Their food production decreased since last year, so many duchies did not have much food left in their inventory.

When a huge food shortage struck, conflicts had broken out in the human world.

Maybe their conflict could be minimized if the orc empire kept their strength.

But the orc empire had lost so much during their attack on the Miracle Wall. Abel’s fury had taken the lives of 6 elite priests from them.

The orc empire had lost 7 elite priests and countless elite troops in a short period of time. Therefore, they had to build a wall to separate themselves from the human world.

That battle was supposed to be a glorious victory, but the aftermath it caused was not expected by any human.

The humans lost a mutual enemy, and it was very unlikely for the orc empire to recover in the next 100 years.

In this situation, the tensions between humans began to surface, and the food shortages just gave them a little nudge towards conflict.

June arrived. A team of knights from the Duchy of Tex was making their way towards Dejo City in the Duchy of Keyen.

That team consisted of 200 official knights and 3000 novice knights. No noble family could have a team of this size; only duchies could have this power.

Head Commander Joe was the leader. He was one of the 3 most powerful head commanders in the duchy of Tex.

The duchy of Tex was known for its mining industries. With wealthy natural resources, the duchy of Tex had flourishing amounts of metal, iron, ores, and mana gems.

Because of this, the duchy of Tex had become the most powerful Duchy of the 7 big duchies in the Kingdom of St Ellis.

Originally this title belonged to the Duchy of Keyen since they had a wizard union branched headquarters and more wizards than other duchies.

However, Abel had violently destroyed their wizard circle, and they had fallen to the weakest duchy of the 7 big duchies.

If a famine did not strike, they could regain their strength and rebuild their magic towers in 100 years, but the famine made that impossible. They looked like meat to be taken.

The 4 powerful duchies surrounding the duchy of Keyen looked at it with hunger. The only thing that worried them was an intervention from the Kingdom of St Ellis.

The Duchy of Tex also didn’t want to take risks, but the food crisis had given them a direct hit. They could no longer speculate how many harvests they would have the next season if they could even have any.

In this situation, the Duchy of Tex had to do something.

That’s why they had sent out a team of 3000 knights to unleash a massacre on the Duchy of Keyen. They moved fast, and by noon, they had already arrived at Dejo City.

“Knights, the Duchy of Keyen rejected our request to purchase food from them. They’d rather watch us die, so we’ll show no mercy! Dejo City is right in front of us, and we will fight for our Duchy, fight For our people!” Head COmmander Joe yelled.

“Fight for our Duchy! Fight for our people!” All the knights chant as their blood begins to fire up.

“My honor is my glory!” Head commander Joe took out his knight sword and yelled under the glistening sun.

“My honor is my glory!” The knights followed and yelled.

With Head Commander Joe upfront and 3000 knights following behind, the knights with elemental attributes had formed an arrow battle formation.

Although Dejo City was located on the border of the Duchy of Keyen, there were not many guards. For countless years, not a single war had broken out. The duchy had almost forgotten how vulnerable this place was.

Head Commander Nelson was the guards’ leader, and their team consisted of 10 knights and 150 warriors. The biggest battle they’ve done was just killing off some robbers from the mountain.

Anson was a patrol. Due to long years of peace, all he ever did in his job was looking over the city wall. Since he did not sleep well last night, and he was feeling a little drowsy.

Just when he was about to yawn, he suddenly felt the grounds shake. He lifted his head and was stunned by what he saw.

Under the beaming sunlight, a team of fully armored knights was charging forward with thousands of horses following. Dust flew out from their steps. The whole thing looked like the end of the world.

“An attack is coming!” He yelled with a shaky voice as he struck on the alert bell.

Head Commander Nelson was just enjoying his aromatic beef salad with a beautiful glass of wine.

The sudden alert bell made his handshake, and he poured the wine all over himself, but he no longer had time to care.

The alert bell was not struck for no reason. It was life and death. No one would strike it as a joke.

He didn’t even have time to put on his armor as he sped out of his palace in casual clothes in his warehouse.

The alert bell had also woken up the napping vice-captain Nigel. His office was on the city wall, so the first thing he saw was the charging knights as he opened his eyes.

“Lock the gate!” Vice-Captain Nigel yelled as he frantically put on his clothes.

The city gate was made with a strong, stable 30 meters thick piece of wood wrapped in metal secure with iron nails.

It was extremely heavy. It would take a few minutes to close even with 20 men.

Both head Commander Nelson and vice-captain Nigel felt their heart shake as they heard the rumbling footsteps. Closing the city gate might be familiar, but all of a sudden, it seemed a lot harder.

Head commander Joe saw the City Gate slowly closing. He grew desperate.

He did not expect Dejo City to react this quickly and close the gate as their first priority. He investigated Dejo City before this. Their military had not been in war for many years.

If the city gate was shut, his men would be greatly affected.

You would need some large scale weapons to invade a fully guarded city, but if the duchy of Tex did so, it would ruin their speedy attack tactic.

Combat qi flashed on Head Commander Joe and soon engulfed his warhorse. He fully ignited his charge.

His war-horse turned into a flash of lightning speeded forward with his man falling behind.

“Quick, quick, close the gate!” Head Commander Nelson yelled.

The gate was only 2 meters from closing. Just when vice-captain Nigel was about to let out a breath of relief for blocking that huge team of knights, a flash of light penetrated the tiny gap of the gate. He wanted to yell, but it was too late.

His body felt weak, and to his surprise, his body had been separated into two.

Hand Commander Joe had combat qi in his sword. All of a sudden, he stood next to the city gate.

“My honor is my glory!” Just when Head Commander Joe was about to reopen the City Gate, he heard a yell. Head Commander Nelson was charging towards him with a sword in his hand.

This charge was suicide. Still, the bravery was admirable. A head commander with only a sword in his hand without armor and shield against a fully equipped one with combat qi fully ignited. The result was clear.

Just like a wave slamming against a giant rock. Head commander Joe gently flicked his sword, and head commander Nelson flew off his horse and landed on the ground. A long cut in his chest had killed him.

Head Commander Joe did the strike carefully, ensuring he didn’t damage head commander Nelson’s body. It was respect towards another knight.

The 3000 knights rushed in after the gate was open. Dejo was completely defenseless. This city had defended the Duchy of Keyen for many years, but not anymore.

After the massacre, head Commander Joe left 200 knights in Dejo City to make sure the news leaked out as his team proceeded to the next city. He needed to get as much as possible.

Fafu City and Dona City had also been penetrated in 2 days. When Head Commander Joe attacked Lola City, he realized all of its defense was ignited.

Head Commander Joe stopped his horse. The relentless attacks these past few days had exhausted his men, so he decided to settle outside the city for a night.

In the Kingdom of St Ellis palace, Eldest Prince Derek stepped up to Emperor Ambrose and reported, “Father, the duchy of Tex is attacking the duchy of Keyen. They have already taken control of 3 cities!”

The Duchy of Tex moved quickly with their lightning tactics. They didn’t alert their opponents before the attack, which had violated the rule of knights.

Also, the duchy of the tex investigation department had disrupted the reporting system; even the Kingdom of St Ellis had gotten the news 2 days late.

“Your Majesty, the duchy of Tex, is picking a fight with the Kingdom. I think we should send out troops immediately to teach them a lesson!” A Lord lowered his voice.

“Your Majesty, I am also disgusted by the behavior of the duchy of Tex, but we just cease some of their domains as punishment instead! ” another lord stepped up and said.

“Were you bribed by them? Why are you making excuses for them?” The first lord looked at the second lord with his eyes wide open and yelled.

“Are you the only one allowed to speak in the Kingdom, are all lords with a different opinion bribed?” The second lord did not get angry and replied.

The Duchy of Tex actually bribed him. All he needed to do was to say some good stuff about the duchy of Tex, and he would receive large amounts of wealth. Anyone would be tempted.

“Ok, stop arguing!” Emperor Ambrose waved his hand and said.

He was sure that sending a team of knights out was not possible at this moment. They needed large amounts of food to support a battle, and the kingdom did not have enough for it.

Originally, the kingdom had more food in their inventory than any Duchy, enough for a few years. But they had used up a lot during the battle of the orcs.

During that battle, they moved large amounts of knights and horses. A lot of food was used to feed the horses and knights for their recovery.

During the battle between the human and the orc empire, all 3 kingdoms used half of their food inventory.

The stock volume of the kingdom’s food inventory was kept secret, so the lords did not know. However, Emperor Ambrose knew very well.

“Send an ambassador to the Duchy of Tex, and demand them to retreat and give up some of their domain!” Emperor Ambrose lowered his voice.

The Kingdom of St Ellis’s ambassador received a warm welcome from the Duchy of Tex, but they did not proceed with the demand immediately. Instead, they dragged the time out by saying their men were too scattered.

The Duchy of Tex was testing the Kingdom of St Ellis. Emperor Ambrose’s limits. Ambrose was softer than they expected, only sending out an ambassador. It didn’t show the vigor a kingdom should have.

Emperor Ambrose’s action was like a match on oil; soon, the duchy of Koror, the Duchy of Laka, and the Duchy of Larvid also sent out their troops as the Kingdom was caught up with the duchy of Tex.

It was a duchy consuming party. If the Duchy of Tex were the only ones attacking, the Duchy of Keyen would still hold without sending wizards.

But, with 4 duchies attacking at once, the duchy of Keyen was helpless. Only a few cities were left standing in a few short days, and all the other ones had been wiped out.

In the palace of the Duchy of Keyen, King Kenneth looked on a map with a frown. Most of their land had been taken by other duchies,

Their Duchy had survived countless generations, and now it had just become a few cities under him.

But there was still a ray of hope. The Kingdom might resolve this with time, or the wizard Union might get involved. Both of these scenarios would help the Duchy of Keyen avoid this catastrophe.

But all of this can only be achieved in one condition, and that was if the Duchy of Keyen could protect Bayli City.

Nobles and their soldiers had retreated to Bayli City. Normally, Nobles would not retreat during a fight because they wouldn’t be affected, no matter what side won.

But this time was different. The invaders needed food, not land.

This was novel in their history. All the resources in the land had been taken, nobles were forced to retreat, and all the unnecessary citizens were kicked out.

The only ones remaining were farmers. Because of this, Bayli city was filled to the brim with nobles, warriors, and knights.

There were also countless helpless civilians making tents outside of Bayli City. Luckily, it wasn’t winter, so shelter was not that much of an issue.

But the food shortage was getting serious. Anything edible had been eaten. There was nothing left a few miles from the city.

The atmosphere grew tense in the Kingdom of St Ellis.

“Father, send out the troops. If we don’t, the Kingdom will fall!” Eldest Prince Derek Bagged Emperor Ambrose.

The Emperor gazed at his son. He didn’t know what to say.

If the duchy of Keyen disappeared, it would mean the Kingdom have lost sovereignty over their land, a huge hit to the royal palace’s power.

Once the Kingdom lost sovereignty, the civil wars would continue until an ultimate battle.

The Kingdom of St Ellis was not free of enemies. Both the Kingdom of St Pierrt and Kingdom of St Anwall would not show mercy.

The only problem was the food. If they had enough food, all they needed to do was send out troops to all 4 duchies and demand them to retreat.

None of the lords in the palace made a sound. The King’s hesitation reflected one thing: the Kingdom could no longer support a battle.

None of the lords, no matter their rank, had a solution to this puzzling situation. But if they didn’t do something, the Kingdom would be in big trouble.

“Derek, I heard you said the Duchy of Carmel is not having any food problems. Is it true?” The Emperor turned to his son and asked again.

“Yes, Father, that’s the report I’ve gotten from the investigation department. Although they have a limit on how much food they sell, they never had a shortage in supply according to the few big wholesalers from the Duchy of Carmel!” The prince replied.

“Do you think we can buy some from the Duchy of Carmel?” The Emperor asked hesitantly.

Although Emperor Ambrose had a mighty amount of power as the Kingdom’s emperor, he couldn’t do much to Abel. He could only do some business with him at most.

He was more clear than anyone what Abel had done in the battle of the orcs. He had single-handedly wiped out elite orc fighters.

Just thinking about what happened made him shiver. He could not use force on Abel no matter what.

“The Duchy of Carmel had always been a supplier to us in regards to food. Even after Grandmaster Abel had become King, and the food shortage had occurred, they did not decrease their supply. They did not even ask to replace it with gold coins or other resources, so I don’t think they are having any food problem.” Prince Derek explained.

Prince Derek was the head of the Kingdom’s investigation department. His information was the most trustworthy.

“Derek, go to the Duchy of Carmel on my behalf and ask if the Kingdom can buy a batch of food. You can tell grandmaster Abel everything that is happening!” The King lowered his voice.

“Father, I’ll be on my way now!” Prince Derek knew they were running out of time, so he bowed and left.

In the Duchy of Carmel’s Bakong CIty, Abel met up with Prince Derek privately in the side palace. Other than Butler Burbridge, no one was around.

“Grandmaster, you have heard about the Duchy of Keyen’s invasion, right?” PRince Derek asked bluntly.

“Yes, I have” Abel nodded.

As he continued to rule over the Duchy of Carmel. His investigation department grew bigger. Since the duchy’s wealth attracted many powerful figures, the investigation department had gotten even more resources.

Abel never liked the Duchy of Keyen. Abel destroyed their wizard circle, which was also why the 4 big duchies were so confident in attacking them.

Without wizards as guards, the duchy of Keyen was an easy target.

“Grandmaster Abel, if the duchy of Keyen fell, the order between duchies will break. Then the human world would fall into chaos. We can not let that happen!” Prince Derek lowered his voice.

“Derek, I am only the king of a duchy. I do not have the power to stop a battle between 5 duchies. It is beyond my power. The kingdom should be the one maintaining the order of the duchies!” Abel shook his head.

The kingdom collected resources from duchies every year. The duchy’s power dictated the amount. The duchy of Carmel had sent food back to the kingdom each year.

Because of this, the kingdom of St Ellis has the responsibility to protect the Duchy of Keyen from attacks.

“Grandmaster Abel, please see reason. The Kingdom has used the food in the inventory to support the last battle with the orcs. We no longer have enough to support another battle!” Prince Derek said helplessly.

To stop the 4 duchies, the kingdom had to send out a team more powerful than the 4 duchies combined. This would need large amounts of food.

“Derek Majesty, what did the King demand?” Abel asked directly.

“The Kingdom wants to buy some food from you with the current value in the Holy Continent. Please help us, and the kingdom will repay you!” Prince Derek begged.

The current value of food in the Holy Continent was not the value of food in the Duchy of Carmel. The duchy of Carmel had always maintained their food at a stable level so all citizens could afford it.

Abel didn’t want the human world to be in chaos, and it would be good for him to maintain a good relationship with the king. He just never had a reason to sell his food.

Although he had a lot of food, it could only support about 2-3 kingdoms. If he sold all of it, it could cause unnecessary attention.

He wasn’t afraid of war, but it was best to minimize trouble. His duchy was still not as powerful as he wanted.

“Ok, majesty, give me a number. I’ll tell my lords to prepare!” Abel thought for a moment and nodded.

“Grandmaster, your help will be appreciated by the kingdom!” Prince Derek replied with excitement.

Back in Bayli city of the duchy of Keyen. Knights, warriors, and stronger civilians had been organized into the city war. Countless defensive and resources have also been carried up to the city wall. Under this crisis, the nobles in Bayli city have never been this united.

Outside of the City wall, the troops of the 4 duchies have arrived. Their target was this last bit of wealth from the Duchy of Keyen.

Just when everyone thought a huge battle was unavoidable, a team of 20,000 knights set off from the kingdom of St Ellis towards the Duchy of Keyen.

The action of the Kingdom shocked all 4 duchies. According to their investigation department, the Kingdom couldn’t send out troops.