Reincarnated As An Op Paladin - 31 Preparing For Battle

“Good Evening Paladin! I hope these past 5 days have been good to you and your companions!”, Rubin said.

Although he had a serious expression just moments earlier, he was back to his usual lighthearted behavior. It was clear that he wanted to change the subject.

“It’s been fantastic! We are grateful that King Rilo gave us the opportunity to become familiar with his home. All of my party members have been able to find what they wanted to do before our mission begins”, I said.

“That’s good! That’s what I like to hear! Hahaha! It’s good to enjoy peacetime while you have it!”, Rubin said.

Princess Ena slammed her fist on the table, irritated at Rubin ignoring her.

“Dammit, Rubin! Don’t change the damn subject! I want to join in the upcoming mission! I’m not a little princess anymore!”, Ena fumed.

“Ena! You are a royal Dragonbane! Please control yourself in front of the captains in here!”, Rubin said.

“I’m lvl. 230! Are you really going to tell me that I can’t fight? What’s the point of being a Princess Knight if I can’t fight in any battles!”, Ena shouted.

Princess Ena got up from the table and pointed at me.

“Paladin! You still owe me a duel! I’ll show you both what I’m really capable of!”, Ena stated.

As Princess Ena angrily walked out, Rubin let out a large sigh.

“Ugh. How did a sweet little princess turn into a bloodthirsty warrior? I remember when she wanted me to help her catch unicorns and bicorns. Now, she wants to fight Trirron and his lackeys”. Rubin sighed. He drank from his mug of beer and slouched in his chair. “Sorry about that, Paladin. She was trying to convince me to let her join our upcoming mission”.

“Is she not a good fighter? Judging from the duel and her levels, it seems like she wouldn’t be horrible to have on our team.”, I said.

“The problem isn’t her abilities. The problem is her personality. Princess Ena doesn’t like to follow orders from anyone except her father. She also decides to act without permission when it comes to conflicts. She’s desperate to prove to King Rilo that she isn’t just a cute princess. She wants to be a famous adventurer, just like her father and mother were”, Rubin said.

Rubin explained that Ena was always told stories about her parents’ conquests and adventures. As she grew up, she became increasingly interested in becoming a heroic adventurer as a result of that. Since Rubin was only a captain back then, he had more time to take care of Ena. Rubin and the King were good friends since Rubin was the 15-year-old rising star in the Ameran Army. 20 years ago, when Ena was born, Rubin was the knight assigned to help train her in basic self-defense. However, as she grew up, she desired more intense fights. Fueled by the stories of her parents, she wanted to be the best dragonbane ever and impress her parents. She felt that they were shielding her from the real world.

Before Rubin got to finish his touching story, Damaris ran into the Captain’s Dining Hall!

“All Officers! Prepare for battle! Our scouts just sighted 3 armies moving towards our Military bases!”, Damaris shouted.

As the Captains dropped their dinners and ran out of the Dining Hall, Damaris saw us talking to Rubin.

“Perfect! We were looking for your group! We need to run over to the War Room! C’mon!”, Damaris said.

As our group ran out of the dining hall and towards the War Room, we could see hundreds of soldiers gearing up for battle. Upon passing the barracks, we could see soldiers taking out a variety of weapons and armor that suited their classes. We saw scientists turning on their War Golems and waking up the modified creatures that they used for battle. Looking outside, we saw that the soldiers who were outside the castle were running in. This was due to an alarm that was being broadcasted directly to them through their status implants. The civilians, knowing the gist of the situation, began to clear the streets and run into their homes.

“If we had to guess how much time we have to prepare, I would say an hour. They are planning to attack 3 out of the 5 military bases that are outside of our walls. As I stated before, the bases are placed in a star-like fashion around Amera’s borders, so our army will need to be split into 3 groups. Luckily, we have a permanent magic teleportation spell installed in each of the 5 bases thanks to our advancements in Magic Technology”, Damaris said.

After a few moments, we arrived at the War Room where the mission’s planning and operation were about to begin. As the golems opened the doors, we saw Rilo, Draella, Ena, and 3 other generals in the room. We also saw another man who looked to be in his mid-20s. Upon further inspection, it seemed that his armor had the Dragonbane crest on it.

“Paladin! Perfect timing! We were about to start the mission planning for this unfortunate situation. Since this is the first time that you’ve met, I would like to introduce you to my son! It’s important to know who the heir to the throne could be one day! Hahaha!”, Rilo said.

The mysterious man with black hair, purple eyes, black facial markings, and what looked to be a mouth gas mask was the King’s son?

As he turned towards me, I could tell that he was exceedingly dangerous.

“My name is Prince Xernan, also known as the Sadistic Prince. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Paladin Brice”.