Chapter 445: 463 The Last Fortress_1
Tamora Fortress, the westernmost military stronghold of Felton.

Located between two peaks, it blocked the only passage in the valley and was also the only route from the Western Empire to Felton.

In the beginning, the fortress was primarily used to guard against the Western Empire.

Although Felton nominally served as a vassal state of the Western Empire, it did not mean that they would have no precautions against their powerful neighbor.

But now, this military stronghold that was once used to defend against the Western Empire had become the last line of defense.

The setting sun cast its bright moonlight upon the city walls.

Countless people dressed in different styles of armor stood anxiously behind the city walls. From the emblems and patterns on their clothing and armor, it could be seen that they were all from different families and forces.

Ironically, not many of the original garrison here belonged to the Tamora Fortress. Among them, one could even find knights bearing the Feliton Royal Emblem and well-dressed aristocrats.

However, at this moment, they had already lost their previous arrogance and splendor. Their faces were filled with dirt and grime, and their eyes were full of exhaustion and despair.

Compared to the royal capital, the conditions in Tamora were extremely harsh.

There were no soft beds, delicious wines, or graceful beauties here.

If it were not a last resort, these distinguished lords would never have been willing to come to such a remote place where birds didn’t even lay shit.

Not long ago, the city of Felton had been breached, and the entire army of terrifying monsters was gathered below, along with the heavily bearded Nord people dressed in leather or chainmail.

Damn Nords, those barbarians, those uncultured fools, had actually betrayed the sacred covenant and even joined forces with those evil, ugly monsters.

Yes, they hated the treacherous Nords even more than the monsters in the Soaring Dragon Legion.

Despite how much they cursed the Nords inside, it couldn’t change the desperate situation they were currently facing.

Kari was currently the highest-ranking officer in the Tamora Fortress, having recently assumed power.

Before this, Kari’s identity was the chief knight of the Feliton Kingdom Knights, who served only the King of Felton.

Unfortunately, having lost the King of Felton in the battle in the royal capital, Kari could only lead a small number of elites to protect the young Feliton Prince and flee to Tamora.

Once he entered the fortress, his status became the highest, apart from the young and ignorant Feliton Prince.

Despite facing some troubles during the process, he eventually managed to obtain the highest power rather smoothly.

Although it sounded quite good, the power came with great responsibility.

Looking down at the monster army setting up camp below, as well as those despicable Nords, Kari clenched his hands around the city wall and took a deep breath.

Because of the tremendous force, his knuckles had already turned white, and he didn’t even realize that his fingernails were being broken against the hard stones.

No one inside the fortress understood their dire situation better than Kari.

Due to the sudden influx of a large number of fleeing soldiers, the supplies in Tamora were completely depleted.

Under normal circumstances, the garrison here would only have about a thousand soldiers. But now, including refugees and injured, nearly ten thousand people had been forcibly crammed in.

Not to mention that there wasn’t enough food, there was a serious lack of accommodation as well.

None of the nearly ten thousand people there, except for Kari and the Feliton Prince, were entitled to have their own separate room.

There were still some poor soldiers and refugees who slept in corridors even though every room was filled with mattresses on the floor.

Some of the most unfortunate fellows even had to sleep on the streets. If this situation continued for too long, it was believed that Tamora would start to fall from within.

But who knows, maybe Kari wouldn’t have to worry about this problem tomorrow.

Because the monsters and Nords gathered below would definitely launch an attack once the day breaks, it would be a problem to hold out for a few days with his remaining forces.

Upon thinking of this, Kari’s face darkened, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Grinding his teeth, he quickly called upon his personal guards.

Looking at the veteran who had followed him for many years, recalling his past glorious achievements, Kari sighed and then asked with a cold face, “Has there been any news from the Empire?”

Looking at Kari, the guard opened his mouth slightly but ultimately remained hesitant to speak, until the end, not being able to say a word.

Seeing the guard’s reaction, Kari leaned on the wall behind him in a somewhat powerless manner.

Even without saying anything, this kind of performance itself could reflect a lot of issues.

But even though he had already figured out the answer in his heart, Kari still couldn’t help but ask bitterly, “Didn’t the Empire promise us reinforcements for Tamora before?”

Indeed, the document where the Empire agreed was still on Kari’s desk.

At this moment, the guard said with a bitter smile, “Sir Knight, just now, the messenger brought back the Empire’s latest response.

The reinforcements… won’t be coming…”

“What on earth is going on?”

Although Kari had some mental preparation, it was still difficult for him to accept the reality at this point.

The guard didn’t dare to delay and said directly, “Yesterday, the Eastern Empire declared war on the Western Empire! I think the Empire won’t have the energy to help us for the time being.”

“It actually…”

After hearing this piece of news, Kari felt dizzy, and his body began to shake violently.

Thankfully, his physical condition was not bad. After biting his tongue tip hard, he forcibly sobered up.

After remaining silent for a moment, he walked down the city wall silently.

Now that he had seen the reality that Tamora was beyond saving, his ideas suddenly opened up, and some choices that he would never have considered before became the best options.

“It seems that there is only one way left now…”

Kari walked into his room with a bitter smile, propped up his chin with his hands crossed, and sat behind his desk.

In a short while, his loyal followers and confidants stood devoutly before him.