Chapter 82: The Capture of the Dwarf King
Despite the victories on Arthur’s side being a great morale booster for the Human Soldiers and significantly dampening the spirit of the Dwarf Warriors, this effect was limited to a certain range.
In other locations, the defensive line composed of Human Soldiers was starting to crumble under the frenzied onslaught of the Dwarf Warriors.
A large number of Human Soldiers, overwhelmed by despair, rushed to flee.
Don’t be fooled by the fact that Humans are much taller than Dwarves; if it weren’t for some tricks played by the Humans, in a straight-up fight, a single Dwarf Warrior could easily take on two or three Humans of the same rank.
This inherent disadvantage placed significant pressure on the Human Soldiers, especially with many of their comrades falling on the battlefield, pushing their defenses to the brink of collapse.
All of this added immense stress to the Human Soldiers.
Arthur, the commander, was now completely engaged in battle with the Dwarf King and could no longer act as the strategist to coordinate the various fronts and help alleviate the pressure on them.
Thus, while Arthur battling the Dwarf King had its ups and downs, the upside was that some victories were already achieved, which influenced local battles, while the downside was that without his leadership, the overall battle became even more dire.
Though he no longer had personnel to send off, he could still help alleviate some of the pressure on the existing army.
For instance, merging nearby Human defensive lines into one.
Although this would lead to them being segmented and surrounded by Dwarves, leading to a slow annihilation, let’s not forget that Humans have reinforcements! Once those reinforcements arrive on both flanks, the surrounded soldiers could spring to life in the central area and deal a fatal blow to the Dwarf Warriors.
Of course, that was just one approach.
What Arthur was doing now wasn’t exactly wrong.
His actions weren’t out of place in this world.
This is a world that emphasizes personal strength.
If Arthur could directly slay the Dwarf King or defeat him, the effect would certainly be far better than the earlier scenario.
Facing a Dwarf King who was already at a disadvantage under his attack, Arthur began to ponder how to deal with the Dwarf King next.
Should he kill him on the spot, or capture him for the sake of Humanity—or rather, for some tangible benefits?
While the former could yield some benefits, those would just be rewards from the kingdom, merely leading to promotions and some gold and silver treasures, making his name more illustrious.
As for the latter, it would also enhance his reputation, and he could negotiate with the Dwarves to obtain some technology.
After some consideration, Arthur chose the latter in his heart.
Killing the Dwarf King might trigger a wave of mourning among the surrounding Dwarf Soldiers.
In contrast, capturing the Dwarf King seemed to present a greater benefit for him at the moment.
After all, a captured Dwarf King’s influence would surely drop drastically, meaning even if he were subsequently redeemed by his fellow Dwarves, he wouldn’t be able to retaliate further against Humanity in the short term.
Surely, the Dwarves wouldn’t be a solid block either.
After all, this was about the throne!
Having confirmed his thoughts, Arthur began to devise a strategy.
Since he aimed to capture the Dwarf King, he only needed to incapacitate him, maybe just knock him out.
This was quite simple for Arthur.
The current Dwarf King, having had his weapon destroyed by Arthur, was deeply trapped in self-doubt.
Because the fact is, Arthur didn’t just break his weapon; he shattered the very belief that was tied to him as a Dwarf King.
A weapon can be reforged, but what about belief?
That’s something that can’t just be fabricated; once lost, it might never return.
The developments in battle were beyond everyone’s expectations; although the Human center was being ripped apart by the Dwarves, Arthur had captured the Dwarf King.
Even when the center was reinforced, the Human Soldiers still had the left and right flanks racing over.
So, it was clear that the Humans would win this battle without a doubt.
The reinforcements from the flanks were more like a mop-up crew.
When the news of the Dwarf King’s capture spread across the battlefield, the impact was immediate: Human Soldiers’ morale soared, while the Dwarf Warriors were left demoralized.
If the Dwarf King had been killed, they might have surged to retaliate, but being captured? That was a result that left the Dwarf Warriors utterly unmotivated.
After the battle ended, looking at the unconscious Dwarf King he had captured, Arthur couldn’t hide his joyful smile.
He felt he was one step closer to achieving his goals.
At the same time, he thought about Airael, who had left him.
After all this time, though he still held some grievances about Airael’s abrupt departure, what occupied his mind more was her letter speaking of their reunion.
When that time comes, he would certainly give a certain careless Elven Queen a proper lesson!
First off, for a careless child, a little spanking was unavoidable.
Lost in happy thoughts, Arthur completely forgot his worries and eagerly looked forward to that day.
Inside the Avalon Royal Palace.
While reviewing documents in her office, Airael suddenly felt a chill run through her body.
She immediately halted her work, frowning as she contemplated the strange physiological reaction she had just experienced.
To her, this was extremely unreasonable; since returning to Avalon, she had mostly been in a “warm and cozy” state.
Her various abilities had also been steadily improving as a result.
This fact remained unaffected by her pregnancy.
Having never tested her strength, she didn’t know just how powerful she had become.
Furthermore, Airael thought that if it weren’t for her pregnancy, she would probably be even stronger.
Now, she could definitively sense that the life essence within her was gathering towards her lower abdomen to nourish the child within.
For ordinary pregnant women, maintaining one’s strength would be enough.
So how could she suddenly feel a chill under such conditions of continuous improvement?
And considering Avalon generally had a spring-like climate, with various spells cast within the palace to maintain a pleasant living environment…
In situations where scientific explanations fell short, Airael began to think along metaphysical lines.
She felt that perhaps someone was thinking of her.
“Your Majesty, the Grand Priestess requests an audience!”
Just then, a maid reported from outside.
Hearing that Linis was coming, Airael looked surprised, pausing for a moment before speaking, “Please let the Grand Priestess in.”
“Certainly!”
The maid bowed and retreated, and soon after, Linis walked in, nodding briefly before saying, “Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“Linis, there must be something very important for you to come here today,” Airael stated directly.
She understood that Linis wouldn’t visit without a significant reason.
