CHAPTER 231: CHAPTER 231

Cernunnos wasn’t like your typical city with a dense population, roads, intricate infrastructure, and the like. The beastmen were descendants of animals, so they liked to be free and roam the wild.

Their lifestyle reflected this.

Their buildings, while beautiful, were crafted with simplicity. No stone was used for their houses or other types of buildings besides the foundation. They lived in simple huts. What was impressive were the huts they crafted on top of trees, which were connected via rope bridges.

As for their church, it was more grand, and you could tell they put a lot of effort into honoring their god; however, it still wasn’t anything to tell stories about to your kids.

Because of their open lifestyle and the different types of beastmen, Cernunnos was a large kingdom, although most of the kingdom was just open fields with no population."

But currently, everyone was panicking. Why? Well, it’s simple. One moment, everyone was living the life as they had done for however long that had been, then suddenly, a massive yellow barrier made of energy encompassed the entire kingdom, shutting them off from the outside.

Touching the dome wasn’t harmful at all, but once attacked, the kinetic energy would rebound, striking back at whoever hit it in the first place. Because of this, no one was able to break it, not even the divine apostle.

"Are we being punished?"

"What’s going on?"

"Is this for a festival? I love festivals!"

While the people were confused about what was going on, the higher-ups in the kingdom had an idea of what was happening. Because of this, King Belwyn held a meeting with everyone of importance to prepare for what was coming.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice. I’m sure you’re aware of our current situation." He spoke to everyone in the hall he gathered them in.

"My King, do you know what is going on?" A birdkin asked. "I tried to fly out of that dome, but I couldn’t get past it. I even used my full strength, but I was pushed back as if I were as weak as a chick."

"Do you think he’s behind this? That Zion bastard?" A bearkin growled, slamming his fists on the table.

Belwyn shook his head and sighed. "I’m not sure. According to the information our informants managed to uncover, Zion only conquered Midgard. Alfheim joined them because their divine apostle lost their way, and Zion, alongside his patron goddess, helped them out. Because of this, they felt abandoned by Goddess Freya and started worshiping Goddess Luminera."

"This doesn’t mean he isn’t after our land!" The birdkin argued.

"I’m not ruling it off the table, Hollis, I’m just stating what I have learned. We have to tread carefully. If we accuse Zion of doing this, then he may get upset and take his anger out on us."

"And if this is him?" A Foxkin asked

"If it is, then I’ll have a talk with him and ask for the removal of his dome. We haven’t done anything to him, so I don’t think he wishes to harm us."

"King Belwyn, you’re too soft. I know the kid saved your life a year ago, but he’s completely changed. I heard that he is after the ancient relics and is now killing divine apostles! How do you explain that? Lord Sylveth, how does this make you feel?" A reptilekin asked with frustration.

Everyone turned to the wolfkin, who was sitting with his eyes closed. Slowly, he opened them and faced everyone. "I have spoken with our god. It appears that this is the work of Luminera’s Apostle. He claimed that he could feel a foreign divine energy in the land."

"See! It’s him!"

"We should prepare our army!"

"We can’t let him get the upperhand!"

"Quiet!" Belwyn shouted in a rage. He stared at all of them and wondered if they were all fools.

"I’ve seen the kind of power Zion possesses. He’s smart and doesn’t fight losing battles unless one is sprung on him when he didn’t expect it. He has trapped us in our home, not allowing us to call for any type of aid whatsoever. Now, let me ask you this. When and how was he able to do this?"

No one answered.

Belwyn turned to the birdkin. "Hollis?" He didn’t respond.

"Tymir?" Belwyn asked the reptilekin, but he too stayed silent.

"Moss, surely you have something to say?" But the bearkin kept his mouth shut.

"See, none of you could answer that question. This means that he had already infiltrated our land and prepared for this moment. We don’t have the upper hand. Readying our army will do nothing. I admit that I was negligent in this matter, but at this moment, our best course of action is peace."

Hollis was furious. "What?! Peace?! Rediculous!"

"With all due respect, my king, we can’t allow our home to be taken over. I refuse that option. Zion is the one who infiltrated our land with the intent to claim it as his own. I will never accept that!" Tymir shouted.

"I agree! It’s clear what his intentions are. We should prepare for war! He killed his own kind to annex them into his kingdom. What’s stopping him from doing that to us, especially when we aren’t humans?" Moss asked with rage.

Ryl, a foxkin who had been quiet this whole time, turned to Sylveth. "You have a plan, don’t you?"

The wolf nodded. "Zion is most likely here for the medallion of power. What he doesn’t know is that I have that relic in my possession. My King, if you wish for my honest opinion, I think you should ready the army and send everyone to their homes. We need to be prepared for an attack. I’ll lead them and use the power of the ancient relic to drive him away."

Belwyn nodded, accepting that option. "I will say this, though. I will have a chat with him and I will try to come to a compromise without shedding blood. You are my people, and I do not wish to see you fall."

"I understand, my king."

Ryl then asked a question directed to Sylveth. "If my memory serves me correctly, I had gotten information that Zion is in possession of two ancient relics. Do you think you can face him while only wielding one?"

Sylveth smiled. "Our God has given me the power to ensure our victory. Please do not worry and have faith."