Chapter 62: The Eruption of War on Silnas Island (Revised)
After spiraling through a whirlwind of thoughts, Domiya returned to the subject at hand, looking at Airael, and said, “If Your Majesty wishes to repay Krul in some way, in my opinion, helping him govern Silnas Island would be the best approach.”
“Mm!”
Airael nodded gently.
Since Krul’s brother was such a notorious criminal, she couldn’t really help him return.
“If Your Majesty has no other questions, I will take my leave.”
Airael smiled, “Teacher Domiya, I have no other questions now, thank you for clarifying things for me earlier.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
Domiya stood up politely, said a quick farewell, and turned to leave.
Airael watched her depart and couldn’t help but shake her head with a mix of emotions.
She never expected that such a great figure as Krul would have such an unsightly brother.
The key point being he seemingly attempted a crime against a female.
Even without considering his faults, his abilities were pretty subpar.
Such an elf couldn’t be entrusted with significant responsibilities.
The day after the funeral, Airael settled into the castle of the former lord Krul, under the pretense of trusting the lord of Silnas Island.
The castle had already been tidied up by the maids, and any traces of the past owner were nearly wiped clean.
As she walked through the freshly cleaned castle, Airael felt a melancholic reflection rise in her heart.
It indeed felt like the saying about a person’s departure leaving the tea bitter behind.
However, she wouldn’t forget Krul in her heart.
After familiarizing herself with her new castle, Airael received several of Krul’s former subordinates in the castle’s council hall.
Sitting on her lord’s throne, Airael looked down at the four elves who were bowing respectfully.
They were the castle’s steward—Robel, Krul’s deputy, Lof, and his two naval captains, Mohas and Nason.
As for their capabilities, they were all of tenth rank or higher.
No need to mention Mohas, who had successfully advanced to eleventh rank and slain one of Alexander’s favored champions in the previous skirmish.
Moreover, Krul’s deputy, Lof, was also an eleventh rank warrior.
He had been left behind by Krul to lead a regiment of ground troops stationed on Silnas Island.
After Sally and Airael’s arrival, the island’s elven army had transformed into two regiments and a battalion, resembling a conventional legion.
Facing Airael’s gaze, the four distinguished elves bowed their heads slightly, showing their respect and loyalty.
After appraising them for a while, Airael finally spoke, “From today onward, I will manage this land on Krul’s behalf. I don’t know much about this land yet, so I will need your help moving forward. I hope we can work together to govern it well.”
As Airael’s words fell, Lof, the unwitting leader among them, spoke up, “Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. We will certainly do our utmost to assist you.”
The other three elves nodded in agreement, showing their support for his statement.
Airael’s earlier words had given them a sense of reassurance.
Though they were all confident in their abilities, the change in leadership inevitably brought some worries regarding how they would be valued by the new leader.
In truth, they were overthinking it.
Despite being the elven queen, Airael was currently little more than a figurehead with no one truly capable beneath her.
Thus, these elves were treasures in Airael’s eyes.
She had no doubts about their loyalty.
Regarding Krul’s character, Airael held a strong admiration.
Krul was a truly noble elf.
Thus, it was reasonable to trust that his subordinates were of quality as well.
Moreover, she was the rightful inheritor of Krul’s legacy.
Therefore, Airael believed that as long as she was genuine with these elves, they wouldn’t betray her.
The reactions of the four elves pleased Airael greatly.
She immediately declared that they would continue their duties as is for the time being, with no personnel changes planned in the near future.
After reassuring her new subordinates, Airael sent them on their way.
Once they had left, Airael, sitting on the lord’s throne, let out a huge sigh of relief.
Though she had only said a few words, this was Airael’s first experience doing such a thing, and she had been quite nervous.
Fearing that her performance might leave a bad impression on her subordinates was weighing heavily on her.
As their leader, Airael felt it was crucial to maintain both the respect due to her position as lord and her status as a queen.
However, before she could relax for long, she felt her nerves spike again.
According to reconnaissance reports, the human and sea tribe coalition was rapidly approaching Silnas Island, with a full-scale assault imminent.
War was about to cast its dark shadow over Silnas Island.
The elves on the island sprang into action immediately.
Oh, and let’s not forget those treemen allies coming to support the elves.
The entire Silnas Island was gearing up for battle.
With the human race gaining support from the sea tribe, the elves had effectively conceded the seas, focusing instead on necessary defensive measures.
Such as securing the route from Silnas Island to the elven homeland of Avalon.
This allowed various reinforcements from Avalon to reach Silnas Island.
What puzzled Airael was how the previously neutral sea tribe suddenly turned to help the humans.
What benefits did the humans offer the sea tribe?
In the western sea of Silnas Island, the attacking humans had no intention of circumventing the island to disrupt the elven maritime supply line. Their goal was clear: seize Silnas Island quickly and force the elves into negotiations.
Cutting off supply lines was a strategy for encirclement when no other options remained, totally unsuitable for the current needs of the human army.
Faced with the current military requirements, the humans’ primary move was to gather overwhelming forces to swiftly capture Silnas Island.
Thus, delegating forces to sever the elves’ supply line was meaningless.
This would weaken their own strength for the island attack, and any divided forces would face enormous risks. All in all, under the command of Prince Victor, a grand battle for the island began.
Unlike last time, the humans weren’t about to play around with probing attacks; they were all in from the get-go.
The reorganized human army’s three legions launched fierce assaults on the various landing points of Silnas Island.
In the offensive, the human forces used their usual old tricks.
On the surface, it looked like the human army was rapidly closing in on the island while, unbeknownst to the elves, the sea tribe’s forces had already stealthily positioned near the island.
After the human forces were ready, the sea tribe took the initiative to launch a surprise attack on the elves.
The elves had also set up their formations at each landing point, eagerly preparing to welcome the human onslaught.
