A letter?

Alaric calmly opened the letter.

He skipped the first few lines of pleasantries and went straight to the real message.

Upon reading the message, he let out a chuckle.

It seems like the Astanian Emperor is getting impatient.

With an indifferent tone, he instructed the messenger. "Write me a letter and send it to the Astanian Emperor."

Hearing this, the messenger quickly took out a brush and a piece of parchment. He then looked at Alaric as if waiting for him to dictate what to write in the letter.

"Tell him that I will head to the Enchanted Woodlands as planned after my child is born. In the meantime, he must prepare for our journey..." Alaric dictated.

Yskaela was already six months pregnant. In a few more months, she would give birth to his children, a pair of twins.

He didn’t expect to become a father of two so soon. The thought of it filled him with a mixture of anticipation and excitement.

"Is there anything more that Your Majesty wants to add?" The messenger cautiously asked.

Alaric shook his head. "That would be all."

"Use our fastest messenger bird to send this letter." He added.

"I obey your commands."

Alaric waved his hand and turned his attention back to the ongoing battle.

The messenger took his cue and left in a hurry.

The young warriors led by Beom Baek-ho stood their ground against the monster horde. They used the battle formations they had learned from their instructors.

"He evenly distributed the combat power of his troops to minimize the casualties. It’s a smart decision to use against the monster horde." Alaric commented, praising Beom Baek-ho’s commanding ability.

Among all the members of the Heaven Sword Knight Order, Beom Baek-ho was only second in terms of combat prowess, but his commanding ability was beyond that of his peers. He already possessed the critical thinking and judgment comparable to seasoned generals.

Other than Beom Baek-ho, a few more young warriors exhibited remarkable combat skills. However, the most notable among them was Pyeongeom Min-ho.

With the strength of a Knight, he overwhelmed the beasts with his exceptional sword techniques.

"If he fully masters that long sword, he might surpass Ludwig in the future and become the strongest in all of Veronica."

The heirloom of House Pyeongeom was a weapon owned by their founding ancestor, and it has been passed down through generations to the most promising young talent in the family.

"It might not be as good as my swords, but it’s one of the best in the whole desolate region."

At this moment, one of the Disaster-grade beasts has been taken down. It was slain by Beom Baek-ho’s small team using a series of tactics.

"Let’s go and help the other teams!" He roared to his subordinates. He then pulled the reins of his horse, urging it to rush toward the next target.

Beom Baek-ho’s subordinates roared as they followed him.

The Disaster-grade beasts were taken down one after another. With their deaths, the remaining monsters were swiftly eliminated.

From start to finish, the battle only took about an hour, but to the young warriors, it felt like a long time had passed.

A bloodied Beom Baek-ho approached Alaric on horseback. He clasped his hand and reported. "We have completed the mission, Your Majesty."

Alaric nodded. "What are the casualties?"

Beom Baek-ho’s face was sullen as he responded. "No one died, but more than seven hundred are wounded."

It was an outstanding result, but Beom Baek-ho felt that he could have done better.

Everyone was wearing the best battle armor provided by the imperial family. Their weapons and equipment were also of high quality. Given their arsenal, it was basically guaranteed that they would win. However, even with such formidable equipment, some of them still ended up injured.

Alaric smiled faintly when he saw the man’s dissatisfied face. "You have done well. You executed the battle formations splendidly and timed them at the right moment. However..."

Alaric suddenly frowned and said. "Some of the officers weren’t able to properly relay instructions to their subordinates. Their mistake created a flaw in your positioning, and it gave the beast horde a chance to push through your right wing. If it weren’t for your high-quality equipment, many of your guys would have perished."

Beom Baek-ho clenched his fists and hung his head low.

"Raise your head. You did not fail your mission. You just need to perform better next time." Alaric clapped his shoulder.

Beom Baek-ho’s face eased up. "I will heed your advice!"

"Good! You may return to care for your wounded subordinates." Alaric waved him off.

The young warrior clasped his hand at him. He then urged his horse to turn around.

Alaric watched the new knight order clear up the battlefield. Cleaning up the aftermath was part of their job. They couldn’t just leave the bodies to rot because it would cause a plague to spread.

"Splendid! They performed better than I expected. They just need more experience."

His job as their main instructor was done. Although there was still plenty of room for improvement, Alaric wasn’t worried about leaving the new knight order. They had Beom Maeng-ho, a veteran Mythical Knight, and a group of seasoned Trascendent Knights to instruct them.

After relaying a few instructions, Alaric left and returned to the capital on his own.

It was time for him to prepare for the trip to the Enchanted Woodlands.

Upon his return to the capital, he immediately summoned Bellator and the high-ranking military officers of House Silversword.

In the war room of House Silversword’s mansion, more than fifty warriors gathered. They sat quietly on their respective seats, waiting for Alaric to start the meeting.

As soon as everyone arrived, Alaric rose from his seat and cleared his throat.

He scanned the people inside the room and opened his mouth. "Everyone, the time has come."

Hearing this, the warriors revealed a look of excitement.

"As you may know, we have decided to explore the world beyond the Enchanted Woodlands..."