Alex snorted disdainfully. But he had to admit that these sayings weren't all dependent on weakness.
Other countries had a huge weakness against the Dali Kingdom and that was that they couldn't receive any information regarding the higher-ups of the kingdom. The reason was simple. The higher-ups of the Dali Kingdom of were mainly Dragons,Necromancers, Vampires, Death Knights, Dark Elves, Fallen dwarves, demi-humans, and others who were capable of reading and manipulating minds. Vampires could extract information from the blood of their preys. The Necromancer could exploit every intelligence from the brains of the dead. Dark Elves had a unique spell to judge if the other party was lying. In this dark country, they would use these skills almost without any moral restrictions and no one would despise them for it. The Dali Kingdom was a formidable nation and as long as one was capable, one would be right no matter what one did. Even if one wasn't strong enough, one could still be made use of as long as one was loyal. But those who weren't strong and were always daydreaming would become the prey of others.
It was due to this that it was harder for people to gather intelligence in such a country than climb to heaven. Even if they could get their hands on thought-provoking artifacts or had immunity against mind-reading spells, they would still be captured by the Undead Creatures and locked up for research as soon as they were discovered. When that happened, not only would they not attain any intelligence, but they would also reveal absolute classified information after the Undead Creatures extracted them from the blood and brain.
Because of this that there were basically no countries on the Mainland that dared to send spies into the Dali Kingdom. The best that they could do was to send Humans to mix with the underclass. But there was limited information in those places and it wouldn't be effective. On the other hand, many nobles and high officials in the Mainland were willing to betray their souls and intelligence to the Undead Creatures in exchange for false, eternal lives.
Unable to receive accurate intelligence meant that one couldn't have accurate judgment of their enemies. Therefore, many people judged the Dali Kingdom based on what they had done. But everyone knew that this sort of evaluation wasn't reliable.
Alex shook his head after reading the regent's report. The Dali Kingdom feel like a country Bahamut and his lackey would love, maybe they created it from the shadow.
The Black Prince felt all of this was liking playing in historical dramas and he could learn from this, learn from their mistakes while playing Bahamut's clone game.
The days went by.
The harsh winter appeared to go by extremely slowly for Alex. He felt that this winter was incomparably long as though it lasted a decade. He was clear that if the Dali Kingdom were to launch an ambush on the Kingsley's Kingdom, winter would be the best time. Their Undead Army wouldn't be affected by the harsh weather conditions and the severe winter could even be their best camouflage. The Dali Kingdom definitely wouldn't wait for spring. They weren't any upright gentlemen who would announce the start of a war before they attacked.
The huge snowstorm fluttered wildly and dark clouds covered the sky densely almost everyday. Goose feather-like snow descended and enveloped the surface into a silver-whitish place. Winter had become the main melody of this world.
Night fell.
The pitch-black night sky devoured every inch of brightness. The thick clouds concealed the high-hanging moon and spread the shadows of darkness like slow-moving dark ink and venom.
★★★
The snow continued to flutter about.
"This goddamn weather."
The guard captain gazed at the snowy scene from his tent, but he wasn't in the mood to admire the magnificent view. He picked up an alcohol flask placed on a brazier, opened the cap, and gulped the warm content down. He let out a comfortable shiver.
"Those bastards from the parliament actually made us suffer in this border wilderness. I would've been having fun with wifey if I were home! I don't understand why must we be in this ridiculous place. When are we going back!"
"Alright, alright, cut the crap."
His companion curled his lips and passed another alcohol flask to him.
"We're here to put up a show anyway and we can go back after those guys finish speaking their piece. Alright, shut your mouth and get ready to patrol. Be prepared to stay here even longer if the chief hears your complaints. Look around you, damn it. It's just night duty, so cut the crap and save your energy. Drink a little less. There's not much alcohol left!"
"I know, I know. I was just complaining. Those bastards… Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
"That's strange…"
The guard captain knitted his brows and listened carefully to the surrounding. He shook his head.
"Why do I hear some 'swish… swish…' sounds like the waves?"
"Have you drank too much? There isn't any river around, not to mention an ocean… Argh. It's freezing. How can the weather be so cold. I'm about to freeze to death… Damn it. My armor has frozen together! Why is this winter…"
Boom!
At this moment, a soldier barged into the room from the snowstorm.
"R-R-Reporting, Captain! We've been attacked! Ambush! Ambush!"
"Calm down! Where're the enemies?!"
The guard captain berated and drew out his sword. He strode out of the tent was instantly stricken into silence.
A steady stream of white waves whizzed in like waves that engulfed the land. The strong snowstorm was as though powerless breezes that weren't worth any mention. In this vast white ocean, vague, greenish-white radiance resembling candle flames could be seen dancing in the distance.
The guard captain felt his blood freeze up completely.
"Undead Army…"
''Shit!"
The unexpected happened.
°°°°°
Boom!
Alex pushed the doors to the meeting hall open and gazed at everyone who had gathered around the round hall. Not only were his subordinates present, but even the representatives of the Church, and Merchants were also here. Everyone gazed worriedly at the young overlord because they didn't know why he had gathered everyone in the middle of the night. Cecilia, Alice, Anne, and Madeline looked on with calm expressions.
Alex sensed the doubt and curiosity in everyone. He walked to the center in large strides and looked at everyone sternly.
"I know everyone must be feeling strange as to why I've gathered you here. Time is pressing. I will cut the nonsense and get straight to the point."
He paused and gave them some time to mentally prepare themselves.
"I've received news that the Undead Army has crossed the border and is heading toward our Fortress under the Dark Dragon's protection. There are about 30,000 of them in total."
"———!"
Everyone was rooted in their place. They gazed at one another blankly as they were confused and disoriented by this overwhelming news. After a few moments, they broke out into panic discussions and even Alice and Cecilia were pale in complexion. The two young ladies had discussed with Alex regarding the chances of the Dali Kingdom dispatching their army. But back then, they believed that the Dali Kingdom wouldn't take actions so quickly. And now, the truth had given them a tight slap and left them speechless.
"Quiet. I hope everyone can keep quiet."
Alex's voice pierced through the clamors in the hall. At the same time, an invisible, ice-cold chilliness enveloped the hall, which shut their mouths instantly. They turned to Alex altogether and felt a firm sense of security from his expressionless face.
Even though they didn't know what this young overlord had in mind, it seemed that he did have some tricks up his sleeves.
"You guys should know what this means. The Undead Army is only 40 minutes away from us and we have to get everything ready by then."
Alex turned around and roll called one by one.
"Miss Madeline, get all the soldiers ready for Category A battle. Also, set up defenses, seal off the entrance doors, and pull up the drawbridge. Minerva, you're in charge of preparing all the alchemical armor and weapons. I want everyone equipped in the shortest time possible."
"Yes, Sir."
Minerva their alchemist stood upright and responded with a trembling voice. On the other hand, Madeline pondered in silence and nodded slightly before letting out a yawn. It seemed that she really hadn't woken up yet. Alex turned to the others upon hearing their affirmations.
"Joe, from now onward, the Fortress will be sealed off entirely. Anyone is prohibited from heading out unless granted permission. I want you to lead your men to patrol the area. Johnson, I request that you gather your Cavalrymen to maintain order within the city in the quickest time possible and ensure that there is no chaos among the people. I will get a group to assist you on that. If anyone creates trouble or wreaks havoc, kill them without hesitation! Also, dispatch a squad out of the Fortress to gather the villagers and prepare them for evacuation."
"Yes, Sir Overlord!"
"Got it, my Lord."
Johnson replied urgently and even Joe, who usually put on a cheeky smile put up a stern expression. Time was of essence now and Alex wasn't in the mood to care about such details. He even felt that giving commands were a waste of time. It would have been easy if this was online game and he was being a monitor, he could just click and get done with it.
'Well, this is fun!'
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