Chapter 59: The Mortal Wound of Alexander (Revised)

Chapter 59: The Mortal Wound of Alexander (Revised)

In these days on Silnas Island, Airael’s time was mostly consumed by training, eating, and sleeping, yet she still made a deliberate effort to learn about Silnas Island and the Elven Lord Krul.

Just as this island served as a barrier for the Elven homeland of Avalon in the east, Krul, as the mightiest warrior of the Elven Race, was the guardian deity of all Elves.

Now, with this guardian missing, or perhaps even worse, it would undoubtedly deal another blow to the Elven Race.

Meanwhile, on the island where the battle had taken place earlier…

In a room, the atmosphere was tense, devoid of the joys that follow victory.

The Human Emperor, Alexander, lay unconscious on the bed.

His complexion was ghostly pale; he looked as if he would slip away any moment now.

By the bed stood Alexander’s teacher, Suratu, and his son, Victor.

Victor, just back from chasing down the Elven rout, was still clad in his armor.

Seeing his father in such a state, he was shocked and turned to Suratu, asking, “Grandfather Suratu, what happened? How could Father end up like this?”

Suratu closed his eyes and sighed, “Your Highness, His Majesty was gravely injured during the battle against the enemy.”

“Who did this?”

Victor remained astounded.

In his heart, his father was the strongest warrior.

Everyone had little hope for this battle, yet his father had persisted, waiting for a chance at victory.

And now, this powerful figure appeared so weak before him.

It wasn’t that Victor couldn’t believe it; it was just that this realization felt utterly surreal.

“It was the Elven Admiral—Krul!”

Suratu replied.

“But he is already dead!”

As soon as he said this, he noticed Victor’s face grow a hint of fear and quickly added.

Victor couldn’t fathom the level of power needed to injure his father like this.

At least he was dead.

Since he was gone, he posed no threat to them, meaning he was indeed weaker than his father.

After all, his father was merely injured, while the other was dead.

What Victor didn’t know was that it was the result of multiple attackers converging on Krul.

If Alexander had truly fought Krul one-on-one, the outcome would be hard to predict.

Suratu observed Victor’s expression intently.

He chose to say nothing more on the matter.

Being well-versed, he recognized that Victor’s reaction, although seeming irrational, was quite reasonable.

Though they were father and son, their relationship lacked depth.

Alexander’s heart was not in Victor, his heir, but entirely consumed by his own ambitions.

Thus, no matter how hard Victor tried to catch up to his father, a deep bond was difficult to foster.

Moreover, the royal family’s cruelty knew no bounds!

This principle applied universally across any world, any race.

After reassuring himself mentally, Victor suddenly recalled that as a son, he didn’t yet know how serious his father’s injuries were.

So he turned to Suratu and inquired, “Grandfather Suratu, how severe are Father’s injuries? When will he recover? Will it impact the upcoming war?”

“His Majesty has been wounded in the heart. If not properly treated, he may face life-threatening dangers!”

Suratu’s response left Victor momentarily stunned.

His father could die!

This revelation packed a punch.

It hit Victor like a bombshell.

After what felt like an eternity, he managed to shift his gaze back to his father, who lay there frail and diminished, lacking his usual imposing presence.

Thinking about his father potentially dying, two tears fell from Victor’s eyes as he asked, “What can be done to heal Father?”

Suratu shook his head, saying, “With our current human medical knowledge, it’s impossible.”

He had already had the military physician check, but alas, they were powerless, only able to sustain Alexander’s life at best.

“What about races other than humans?”

Victor quickly thought of other races.

“Exactly!”

Suratu nodded.

“Which race?”

“The Elves. As long as the priests of the Life Temple are willing to perform high-level healing magic on His Majesty, combined with medicinal treatment, there’s hope for his recovery.”

Victor’s mouth dropped open, momentarily at a loss for how to reply.

The Elves!

How could this race, currently at war with them, possibly help heal his father? Those guys would be lucky if they didn’t make things worse.

In fact, he should have considered this answer.

After all, Elven medicine had always been renowned, and with the unique healing magic of the Life Temple, there was simply no other race that could compare.

But given that they were at war with the Elven Race, he had subconsciously overlooked them.

Suratu continued, “Your Highness, at this point, we can only hold on. I will have someone stabilize His Majesty’s condition, while we must quickly defeat the Elven Race and force them to provide treatment. Furthermore, His Majesty’s condition must remain confidential; we cannot let this information spread.”

Victor nodded in understanding.

But then he frowned and asked, “So how do we quickly conquer the Elven Race next?”

The situation for the Humans wasn’t looking too bright either!

The worst part was that his father, Alexander, was gravely injured and close to death.

“We just need to proceed with the plan to attack Silnas Island. At that point, we can pressure the Elves into negotiations.”

“But what if we can’t take it?”

With his father incapacitated, Victor had little confidence in the upcoming battle.

“Your Highness, we must win under the current circumstances! And we still have a good chance! We possess powerful siege weapons manufactured by the Dwarves that can help us capture Silnas Fortress.”

“Additionally, with His Majesty injured, we still have you; if the treasury is empty, we can raise taxes domestically; if our military strength has dwindled, we can recruit more troops from the mainland and even hire mercenaries. We might even consider using foreign soldiers to fight, like we are currently doing with the Sea Tribe!”

Suratu said sternly, outlining a plethora of solutions to their current predicament and giving Victor an overall analysis of the situation.

Victor was taken aback.

It was the first time he’d seen Suratu be so strict.

In his memory, Suratu had always been the kind, grandfatherly figure.

“I understand now.”

Victor nervously swallowed, replying.

“Your Highness, I will draft an edict from His Majesty, temporarily transferring command of the army to you. So, from now on, it will rely on you.”

“Am I really capable of that, Grandfather Suratu?”

Victor replied with a lack of confidence.

Although he could manage on his own now, becoming a legion commander and a tenth-tier warrior, he had mostly operated under Alexander’s wing.

In fact, he had always lived in Alexander’s shadow.

Comparing himself to Alexander left him feeling quite insignificant.

“Your Highness, please believe in your abilities; you are quite capable.”

Suratu’s expression softened at just the right moment.

This gave Victor some degree of reassurance.

After watching Victor leave, Suratu sighed inwardly.

This was truly a gamble involving the fate of the empire.