Her Majestic Battle Cry

Yuvan and Harvey were escorted out of the city gates, with Wayne personally seeing them off,

Harvey had expected that once they handed over Yuvan, Wayne would order his release. But when the soldiers from the Capital Army moved forward to seize them, Wayne didn’t utter a word.

A wave of panic surged within Harvey. He struggled against his restraints and glanced at Wayne, his eyes screaming for an explanation.

Wayne gave him a small, reassuring nod, signaling for him to stay calm. Yet, something felt wrong, After all, Wayne had promised that only Yuvan would be handed over

So, why was Harvey being turned over as well?

Could it be… Could it be that they are going to abandon him?!

A sense of dread tightened in Harvey’s chest.

“I’m innocent!” he pleaded desperately, “I captured Yuvan. Release me!”

Thomas cast a cold, dismissive glance at him. “What a fool!” noveldrama

“Wayne!” Harvey’s heart plunged like it had fallen into an icy abyss. His expression shifted from anger to helplessness. “Wayne, you know I’m innocent! I never rebelled. Please, tell General Farrell the truth!”

Wayne lowered his gaze, his voice calm but firm. “I trust that our king will see through everything, Your Highness. He will know who is guilty and who is innocent. You needn’t worry.”

He placed special emphasis on the words “our king“, which gave Harvey a shred of hope for a fleeting moment.

Yes, once Clifford’s forces arrived, they would turn the tables. The Capital Army would be trapped in Valken, and he would escape. But why hadn’t Wayne warned him about this?

Despite his rising anxiety, Harvey tried to comfort himself. He knew that with everything they had done, if Wayne wanted to abandon him, Wayne could have just killed him. Why let him fall into Thomas‘ hands? Why take the risk of letting him talk about Clifford’s plan to surround the city?

Harvey glanced at Wayne again, who gave him a brief, subtle nod. This small gesture eased Harvey’s mind somewhat. After all, the Capital Army could never leave Valken. There was no reason to doubt Wayne.

After capturing them, Thomas quickly led his troops into the city.

Meanwhile, 18 miles from Valken, a fierce battle was already underway.

Clifford’s forces had fallen into an ambush. The troops had been arriving in small, seattered groups. They had only recently come together and were now marching toward Valken, where they intended to trap the Capital Army and wipe them out.

Clifford knew that Thomas‘ army was stationed just outside the city, so he had sent scouts ahead to monitor the situation. The main road remained open, with regular traffic passing by–no soldiers in sight, and no signs of an ambush.

Little did he know, just beyond Wandale, Chester’s forces seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. There had been no time to prepare, and the fighting began immediately.

Private soldiers were never as disciplined as regular troops, and the sudden onslaught shattered their morale. Chester gave them no time to recover. His forces had been on a successful campaign fighting bandits, and had been riding high on victory. Now, faced with the prospect of ambushing the rebels, the opportunity to gain glory

was too enticing for any soldier to resist.

As the fighting outside the city raged on, Thomas led his army into Valken.

Along the way, someone rode ahead and shouted, “By the king’s orders, General Farrell is here to apprehend the rebels! All citizens should return home immediately and stay inside! The rebels are ruthless and bloodthirsty! They will slaughter the innocent! All citizens, return home and remain indoors. Only after the rebellion is quashed should you come out.”

For days, the city gates had been closed. With the Capital Army surrounding the city, the entire Valken City had been on edge. Many citizens had stayed indoors, fearing the consequences of stepping outside. Even merchants had closed their shops.

Now, as they heard the soldiers‘ commands, those few still outside scrambled to lock their doors and secure their homes. They were worried the city might be engulfed in flames if the situation worsened.

This sudden shift took Wayne and the others by surprise.

He had thought that once they entered the city, they would sit down with Thomas and his men for a thorough discussion. They would clear up the matter about Yuvan being a traitor, gather evidence, and announce the truth to the world.

Although this seemed unnecessary, the court needed to gain the people’s trust, and for that, such steps were required–even if there was no evidence, they would have to fabricate some.

Now, Thomas and his men could enter the city and search for immediate evidence, identify those involved, and then capture them all. Yet, instead of collecting evidence, they started fighting directly?

However, Wayne wasn’t overly worried. Thomas‘ rush to take action wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Once Clifford’s forces arrived, they would catch Thomas and his men off guard.