When A Mage Revolts

The mages immediately started smiling.

Benjamin arrived later than expected, and the situation at hand was already temporarily resolved. However, it was relieving to see Benjamin return without any hiccups.

Though…. It seemed he did not intend to return the General to the soldiers…

Benjamin flew down from the sky and landed in front of the mages. He was shaking his head.

"No. These men cannot leave either." His tone was definitive and solid – leaving no room for negotiation.

The crowd was bewildered. The soldiers who heard the exchange cast wary looks at Benjamin and the mages.

"What happened? Why can’t they leave?" The king frowned, obviously confused by the sudden turn of events.

"It’s a lot more than a simple "what happened"." Benjamin’s words were grim. "Here’s the latest news: Icor attacked the borders of Carretas without warning just a few moments ago. Now, it is highly probable that the border has fallen."

"Wh-What?"

Everyone was stunned.

What… What was going on?

The mages froze as if they were on the receiving end of a Binding Spell, and the villagers at the side had to pick up their jaws off the floor. The soldiers, on the other hand, had eyes as wide as saucers as they looked at each other in utter bafflement, completely confused by the news.

Icor…. Had launched a surprise attack?

This was too sudden, right?

The king suspected that he might have misheard Benjamin. He sought reaffirmation from Benjamin, which caused the latter to repeat it all over again.

"Unfortunately, I’m not pulling anyone’s leg."

"This….. Where did you get this news from? Are you sure that it’s real?" Still, the king refused to believe the news.

"Miles told me so." Benjamin’s face was serious. "I caught the news when I was rushing over here. He was very sure of the issue; there shouldn’t be any room for doubt there."

The king could do nothing but take in much-needed oxygen with some sharp breathing. He was trying very hard to digest this shocking piece of information.

Scarlett… Has finally led her army here.

Why would things turn out this way?

From the king’s point of view, he agreed that she never saw eye to eye with him after she lost her right eye – no pun intended, and became a real Queen. However, the king never imagined that this sister of his would one day command a formidable army to attack the lands of Carretas.

Would Carretas collapse soon?

"Please remain composed, Your Majesty." Benjamin patted the king’s shoulder when he saw the latter’s state. "In the face of a national crisis, you will only be able to defend your kingdom if you have a cool head."

"I….. I….." The king was shaken. He could not speak for a while.

Benjamin shook his head subtly.

He turned to look at the ten mages. The mages were also still working hard to accept the news, but they were obviously much more accepting of the news than the King.

"Why would the Queen choose to invade at this particular time?" Tony asked with a frown.

Benjamin turned the question on its head and asked Tony, "How could the Queen not launch an attack when the situation has come to this?"

Tony paused, and soon realised the rationale behind his statement.

That’s true….

If the Queen had always watched Carretas carefully, she would most definitely notice the internal turmoils that had been happening within this kingdom lately. An imposter for a king, wanted hooligans, strange blockades, and the rumour of a plague…. So many things have happened. The Queen would surely start to feel that Carretas was on the edge of falling apart even if she had only caught wind of one or two of the events.

And today, the Church’s siege, which comprised of quite a formidable army, was pushed back by a bunch of refugees. She could easily hypothesize that it would probably take quite a while for the military to get back on its feet.

Was there any other chance more perfect than this one?

There were border guards by the borders of Carretas and Icor, but no one knew what had happened to them. However, the Queen had planned for this attack for a long time, and with her mage army, it was almost a given for her to succeed in her surprise attack.

Tony could not help but inhale sharply as he put the pieces together. He felt a chill run up his spine.

Icor’s preparation must have been extensive if their attack was done without leaving a trace – so much so that even the Church was not even aware of it.

Was the Queen’s ambition that great?

"Wait…. That’s not right…." The king suddenly perked up and said, "Ferelden had just experienced such a rapid change. A General has taken the crown and is governing the country! If Scarlett wanted to attack an area, she should’ve chosen Ferelden. She would have a perfect reason to do so. Why would she invade us?"

"I’m not sure about that. You should probably ask your sister." Benjamin spread his arms and shrugged helplessly.

The king looked pained. He held his head in his hands and went silent once again.

At the same time, Benjamin turned and looked at the soldiers at the entrance of the village. "Icor has launched an attack towards Carretas which is basically an act of war. As soldiers, will you remain here, afraid of standing on the wrong side of this issue, and let your reluctance stop you from saving your country?"

The soldiers were speechless.

"We…. How do we know that you’re speaking the truth?"

Benjamin shrugged. "I can’t prove it to you, but you can wait, and I’m sure the news from the kingdom’s borders will arrive after a few days. When that happens, I hope that you will not behave like you did today, as if you’re terrified of everything."

Someone from the ranks retaliated angrily, "We’re not afraid!"

But Benjamin grit his teeth and stopped taking notice of them altogether. He turned to walk back to the King’s side. Then, he patted the king’s shoulders.

"Your Majesty, you need to stay strong." Benjamin glanced at the mages as he spoke to the king. "This is a matter of utmost importance. We must have a detailed discussion about how to handle it. Let’s talk inside the house. Bring General Rexton along."

The ten mages nodded in agreement.

Just like that, Benjamin led his people into the chief’s house under the baffled stares of the soldiers. The apprentices who were hiding in different corners of the streets emerged from their hiding spots. They had orders from the mages to prepare to launch an ambush from all around the village just in case something happened. As a result, they had hidden for half a day without doing anything. In the end, they followed Benjamin into the chief’s house and sat around the yard.

The soldiers had absolutely no idea what to do as they stood around at the entrance of the village. They looked at each other, entirely helpless, and the villagers around them returned to their own homes too, discussing heatedly all the way home.

The news just now was too shocking for them.

Foreign invaders….. Is it true?

Both soldiers and the villagers had a vague feeling that their lives were about to take a drastic turn for the worse.

In the chief’s house.

"Teacher Benjamin, you’re not acting, right? Are the soldiers of Icor really here?" Lara could not help but ask. She had probably spent too much time with Benjamin a learnt all his little tricks by now.

"I wish it was so." Benjamin smiled bitterly. "However, Miles said that he is currently trekking the mountains just west of Carretas. He witnessed the fleeing refugees with his own eyes. I doubt that it is fake…"

As he was speaking, the Transmission Woodpiece in his bag shone once again.

"There’s news." Benjamin frowned as he took the Woodpiece out and activated it with his spiritual energy.

Varys’ voice immediately rang out from the Woodpiece.

"Bad news, Teacher Benjamin. Icor has sent their soldiers to invade Carretas. Apparently, the borders are no more; refugees are just pouring in from the west!"

The room turned dead silent.

"Well, I guess it’s confirmed then." Benjamin shook his head helplessly. Then, he spoke to the Woodpiece and gave a brief reply.

"I’m sorry to say but you’re not the first one to give us this news."