6000 Knights.

  That was not a small number.

  Unlike the Goblins who were unified under 1 person without quarrel, human nations were a bit different.

  Even though the Verdan Kingdom had one singular King, and was lawfully unified under one person, the situation wasn’t always so black and white.

  There were many different factions, and people with their own agendas trying to further their own goals irrespective of the nation and their King. But this was normal, and the King, was aware of it and even allowed it to happen.

  Of course, he could always move against those individuals either in the dark or in the light, but as King one had to always weigh benefits against cost.

  Sure, moving against someone plotting in the dark might get rid of a problem, but if that person was the head of the Merchant Association in the Kingdom, then it might cause other not so easily dealt with problems.

  Especially, when there were hundreds of thousands of citizens that needed to be kept relatively happy. Even though the King was strong enough to practically nuke the nation himself and quell all discontent in one fell swoop, he knew that history wasn’t kind to tyrants.

  At least not ones who played their hands so openly.

  All of which is to say, that unlike Goblins who could all be ordered to fight down to the last one without issue or complaint, the same wasn’t the case for the Kingdom.

  There were only 7 Royal Knight Companies in the entire Kingdom. 6 of which were headed by Tier 7 Knight Commanders, while the 7th and final was headed by the Head Knight who boasted power of the Eighth Tier.

  Now there were far more Knight Companies in the Verdan Kingdom that just the 7 Royal Knight Companies, but they were in hands of the nobles of the Kingdom.

  It wasn’t so easy to call them to arms without favors, deals, or the Kingdom was facing true war.

  So for the King to lose 3 of the Knight Companies he had under his direct control as the King was no small loss.

  Replacing those companies would not only take years, since Tier Seven people didn’t just grow on trees, but it would also place a heavy toll on the Royal Coffers.

  All of this, every bit of it, was known in detail to Minister Franc.

  Who was still breathing despite the injuries he sustained from the blast with Rick. Which were not necessarily light since he was suffering from internal bleeding, a few minor broken bones, and a couple other things, but they weren’t heavy for someone of his power either.

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  Yes, Rick hadn’t managed to kill the Minister.

  Rick was strong. Remarkably strong.

  Strong enough to consistently bridge the gap that is supposed to exist between realms, and fight above his weight class. It could even be argued that within the same Tier, he was mostly undefeatable.

  But he simply wasn’t strong enough to critically injure someone of Minister Franc’s strength.

  Minister Franc though was not a happy man.

  Despite having just faced off against multiple Tier Seven Goblins and even their King and made it out alive, there was nothing here to celebrate.

  He knew full and well the type of cost that was just paid by the kingdom and he nothing to show for it.

  Nothing.

  Decades of work, decades of planning, decades of patience.

  All of it.

  Gone.

  ‘I should’ve waited…maybe then we would’ve found out about their forces and I could’ve done more.

  ‘No…that wouldn’t have done anything for me. Verdan was only a few months away from launching an attack against the sub races. I needed to break through before then.

  ‘Curses…’

  Minister Franc allowed himself to wallow in self-pity for a few moments longer before he finally decided to plan his next steps.

  ‘I have to return. There isn’t any other option. Staying away will not only cut me off from the Kingdom but will also guarantee my death in the eyes of the King if his shadows found me.

  ‘Returning now, will at least give me a chance…the report will be everything. If all else fails, I will escape south to Dalor. That brat owes me a favor and Verdan wouldn’t chase me that far south at least not immediately.’

  With his plans finalized, Minister Franc spent another half day nursing his injuries as best as possible before carefully making his way back to Verdan.

  It wouldn’t do well to be spotted before first meeting with the King.

  Unfortunately for Minister Franc, the shadows he spoke of earlier had long since caught wind of his failure, and they were aware of the fact he lived.

  Needless to say, when the Minister had reached the outer the edges of the Kingdom, there were already present and waiting for him.

  He was in a forest in the dark of night when he sensed something shift in the surroundings.

  “You will return with us. Do not resist. You know the consequences.”

  That was the last thing he heard before he reluctantly laid down his weapon and accepted the bindings placed upon him.

  Of course, meeting the shadows of the King wasn’t a part of his plans, and would be cause for immediate escape, but the fact that they only asked him to return, and didn’t immediately come for his head, shifted his plans.

  If the King wanted him dead, they would not have made their presence known.

  Before long, he was again meeting the King of the Verdan Kingdom. Only this time he wasn’t meeting him as a Minister or General of his armies. No…he was meeting him as jailed prisoner in deepest darkest Dungeon of the Verdan Kingdom.

  “Why shouldn’t I kill you?”

  Minister Franc who was currently kneeling, looked up at the man before him and answered calmly.

  “Information.”

  “Oh…Information I cannot receive on my own?”

  “It would come at a cost.”

  “A cost?”

  The walls of the prison cracked and shook under the strain of the King releasing just a small piece of his presence upon the world.

  “You dare speak of cost when 6000 Knights have died under your command?”

  Baring the brunt of the anger placed upon him, Minister Franc didn’t wave for a moment.

  “Their King is protected by at least 6 Goblins of the Seventh Tier.”

  That gave the King of the Verdan Kingdom pause.

  6 Goblins of the Seventh Tier? That wasn’t normal.

  “…Is that all?”

  “No…the Goblin King, he was of the Sixth Tier but had power that rivaled the Seventh.”

  Of course, Minister Franc could have said far more than that, but he had to be careful of what he said. His life still hung in the balance, and saying too little or too much could just as easily tip the scale in the wrong direction.

  The King studied him in detail for a few moments before speaking one last time.

  “You will live a bit longer.”