WebNovels

Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Counter Attack

Over the next three years after that, more and more strange things would occur. Monsters flooded every corner of the world, strange and supernatural phenomena tore societies one after another. Kingdoms collapsed, suicide rates skyrocketed, public safety had ceased to be and thousands of people would die with each passing day. And it only got worse and worse as the days went by, as more and more of these monstrous entities would come out of nowhere and wreak havoc on the world.

Nowhere was safe and nothing could be trusted, not even the food that once fed every belly alive. Soon, it got to a point where humanity was fast on the brink of extinction as fighting against these forces proved to be nearly impossible. Economies shut down and famines plagued even the mightiest of nations. This caused mass outrage and chaos, as uprising, protests and coups were staged everywhere. It seemed as though the end of days had finally arrived.

***

Blood and water mixed in the bathroom of the Dumont mansion as Matteo washed himself off after another training session. As he washed the blood off his face, a knock was heard from the bathroom door,

"Lord Matteo, I have your clothes ready at the door." One of the servants said.

Matteo got out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, where he let the servants dress him into his luxurious silk robes and style his long golden blonde hair. Once done, Matteo went down to the front entrance where he met his father Thomas and the two headed out to the Burciaga Palace for the king's very important announcement.

Once they arrived at the grand, larger than life Palace, the two of them went their separate ways. Thomas went to socialise with the other nobles while Matteo went inside and wandered around, waiting for the king to appear.

A few minutes after his arrival, Matteo was approached by two pretty noble girls who looked to be around the age of fifteen, just like him. One of the girls, who was small, petite and looked like she was nervous for some reason, spoke out to him first,

"Um… excuse me Lord Matteo. My name is Juliette Rabio of house Rabio, and… um… I would like to know if you're interested in… escorting me during this event?"

Matteo looked at her with a blank expression and replied, "Unfortunately i have no desire to escort you or anybody else, so no."

"O-oh… I see", Juliette replied, hanging her head. Matteo walked away leaving the two girls there. "Well, it seems I was unsuccessful this time around", Juliette reflected.

"Oh, do not worry sister," the other girl said, "I'm sure you will find another boy, one who will appreciate your beauty. The whole of Callistéa is gathered here after all".

"I know, but…" Juliette replied, "Lord Matteo is very handsome though. And he's the heir of the Dumont family, the most powerful family in the kingdom, second only to the royal family! The only men better than him would be General Dumont and King Burciaga"

The sister couldn't argue with that. "Alright, you make a good point. But, while Lord Matteo may be in the highest echelon of men in all of Callistéa, I still believe he is much too boyish for you, my dear sister. You need a big, strong and powerful man, a man who radiates masculinity with ease. A man who can protect you and make you the safest thing in the entire world, especially with it being the end of days."

"But Lord Matteo has a rare Spirit Seed, surely he would be able to protect me with that." Juliette argued.

"Oh, sister," Juliette' sister sighed, took her hand and walked away.

But then all of a sudden, all eyes were on the top stairway of the palace, as the royal family was finally about to begin their arrival. The entire palace went silent and soon, footsteps from above the stairway could be heard as the royal guards descended, followed by the royal advisors and finally the Burciagas.

The first Burciaga to descend the stairway was a young girl with golden brown skin, light brown eyes and long, wavy black hair. And once her figure became visible for all to see, the entire kingdom went wild,

"Is that princess Olivia?"

"How is she so beautiful?!"

"Her skin looks so perfect!"

"She's like a goddess!"

"Her body is to die for!"

"How does someone even acquire such beauty?! That is so unfair!"

"Prince Jusai sure is one lucky guy!"

As she walked down and waved at all her subjects, Princess Olivia was met with roars so loud, they seemed to echo across the whole kingdom. After her entrance, it was King Olivier who entered next and instead of the massive ovation his daughter received, he was met with very mixed responses, some cheering, others booing, but a majority of them were demands for answers.

It took the crowd a while to fully settle down, and once it did, King Olivier began speaking,

"Greetings to you all, my loyal subjects." He began, "Now, I will not waste any time with formalities like I usually do, as our meeting here today is not under the usual circumstances. I am sure that it is no secret by now that Callistéa, and the world as a whole, is falling apart. And it is falling apart at the hands of forces beyond our comprehension."

"We warned you years ago!"

"What do you think happened with the Black Meat crisis?!"

A few commoners complained, but the royal guard quickly silenced them. With the distractions out of the way, the King continued,

"I am aware that this has been the case for a very long time, and that before recently we chose to ignore this threat, and now it has risen to uncontainable levels. And as your king and leader, I apologize profusely for letting you all down and endangering you as my people." He took off his crown and bowed his head.

This took everyone by surprise, as none of them had expected such a response from the king of all people. He lifted his head and put his crown back on.

"However! As hopeless as our situation may seem, I say that it is not over for us! I have heard a lot of discourse about this being the end of our days, and to that I say… Have you all forgotten who we are?!

"We are humanity! For thousands of years all sorts of beasts and plagues have threatened our existence and for thousands of years those battles all ended with one outcome… humanity's victory!

"Now, it is time for us to do battle once more! At the end of the week, our military draft will take place, and those who are called will represent the might of not just Callistéa, but the entire human race!

"I, along with the leaders of all our kingdoms, nations and continents, have come united in our fight against these foul creatures. The treaty has been signed and all I ask of you, citizens of Callistéa, is to join us in our fight! Fight for yourselves, fight for your families, your homes, your kingdom, and most importantly for us! For humanity!"

Cheers and applause drowned the Burciaga Palace.

***

Still at the Burciaga Palace, hours after the king's speech, Princess Olivia entered her father's office where she found him in the middle of a discussion with his Royal Advisor. She decided to wait for their talk to conclude, but luckily for her, she did not have to wait that long.

"Olivia, is there anything you need?" King Olivier asked.

Olivia rubbed her forearm and said, "Well… yes there is father. You see, I was very motivated by your speech earlier, so much so that I still think of it now."

The king smiled, "Well thank you. If my words managed to motivate you then it means my speech was a success. These are very difficult times, but like I said, I believe in us."

Olivia smiled back.

"Now, what did you wish to talk about?''

Olivia held her breath and said, "I was just about to get there. You see, I was so moved by your speech that I wanted to ask… if I could also join the fight for humanity?"

The king's smile faded. "Are you serious?"

The princess stood firm, making her intentions known, "Yes father. I want to get drafted this week as well. I want to fight too."

"No.'" King Olivier said sternly.

"But father-

"No!" the King said again.

"Why not?" She demanded to know.

"I do not have to explain myself to you. I am your father, and what I say is final."

"Well, I reject your final say." Olivia retorted, louder than she intended to. "Surely you don't expect me to just sit on the sidelines while the entire world goes to war?"

"Yes I do. You are a princess, Olivia. It is not your job to go to war."

"Well then what exactly is my job if not to lead and represent my people?"

"Look here", the King paused for a moment, "Your job as princess is to bring prosperity to our nation. Our talks with Repitora are almost finalized. They have been put on hold while we deal with this disaster, but once we do, you and Prince Jusai the 17th will marry, and the people of Callistéa will reap the benefits of that marriage. If you want to represent and support your people then that is how you will do it, not by getting yourself killed in battle."

Princess Olivia clenched her fists, " So in other words, the only thing I'm useful for is being a tool that you can sell away for a few extra resources?"

"You wanted to know your job as the princess, well there it is" the king said in a tone of finality.

"Is that really all you see me as? Just the princess? What about Olivia, your daughter?"

"I am making this decision precisely because you're my daughter".

"No you are not! Because if you did then you would know the true meaning of what I am asking of you!"

"I know exactly what you're asking of me" the king continued, not allowing Olivia to shake up his judgment. "You're asking me to let you throw your life away because you see this as your opportunity to try and emulate your mother."

"Well then if you know how much this means to me, then why deny me my opportunity?"

"Because… your mother became who she is now because she was an impulsive fool who almost got herself and her companions killed by her own recklessness!"

"So then why don't you let me be a fool like her? Why don't you let me go and fight just like her?"

"Because like I said earlier Olivia, you are a princess and you have responsibilities. Your mother was just a rebellious commoner when she did what she did. Do you have any idea how many times she almost got herself killed for her actions?" Olivia kept quiet so he carried on,

"And what she did was nowhere near as crazy or foolish as what you are trying to do!"

Olivia cut in immediately, "So then what about the billions of people from all around the world who will be fighting for us, are they foolish as well?"

King Olivier was taken aback at that reply, and took a moment before answering, "No, they are not. They are fighting for our survival, each one of them will be noble warriors".

"But when I want to do the same, suddenly I'm a fool?"

King Olivier sighed and turned to his advisor, "Clement, please assist me here".

Clement hesitated before responding, "Well, my apologies your highness… but I agree with the Princess."

"What?!" King Olivier was now beyond stunned. "Why?!"

"Well… because I believe she can do it, your highness", Clement explained. "These are dark times and we need all the help we can get if we want to win this war. Plus, I also believe that this would be a good chance for her to carve her legacy.

"You know better than anyone how much she adores Queen Emilia, I believe this is a good opportunity for her to finally try and fulfill her ambitions."

"But!-

"But, you also make a good point, your highness. Princess Olivia, you are a princess and even if you disagree with it you do have certain responsibilities that you have to handle, responsibilities that are far bigger than yourself. That makes your safety a top priority." Clement added, then he finished with a suggestion,

"But, out of respect for you I would also like to see you accomplish your goal, which is why I have a suggestion. I suggest that Princess Olivia be allowed to participate in the battle. She will be given the freedom to do whatever it is she wants to do, but if her efforts bear no fruit then as her father, you will be allowed to stop her whenever you feel like it. How does that sound?"

"That's perfect!" Olivia exclaimed.

The king sighed and after a lot of internal struggle, he finally decided, "Fine. You will be added to the draft list this weekend, and you will be assigned as leader of your own cohort."

"Thank you, father", Olivia bowed.

"But be warned, Olivia", the King added one last time, "You better prepare yourself for what's to come. Once you step out onto that battlefield, you won't be Princess Olivia anymore, and you will receive no special treatment either. You will be just another soldier among the billions of others, and you will be thrust into constant battle more brutal than anything you've ever faced before. So I ask you one last time… do you understand what you are getting yourself into, and can you handle it?"

Olivia looked deep into his soul and answered with utmost confidence, "Yes, father… Yes, your highness."

"Very well."

Olivia exited the room after thanking Clement.

***

Over the next few days after that, all the governors of Callistéa held constant meetings, deciding on who to draft as well as all other logistical issues.

***

And so came the night of the military draft, where the entirety of Callistéa waited anxiously for the draft results, once they were out, the streets flooded with a variety of mixed reactions, celebrations for those who were undrafted, determination for veterans who've been in similar situations, and extreme fear and dread from all the rest who realized that their lives were essentially over. Nobody slept that night and many people ended up dying either from heart attacks from the shock, or simply letting fear overwhelm them to the point of taking their lives.

Unfortunately, the days kept on passing by one after the other, and soon, the day the entire world dreaded was finally upon them.

It was time for humanity's counter attack.

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