At the king's residence, Kelvin said urgently, "Dad, Caspian's return to Diatoran with his million elite soldiers is detrimental to us!"
"What's wrong?" Jerry asked.
"We were planning to depose Caspian, but he has so many troops under his command now! What do we do if he decides to start a rebellion?" Kelvin's voice tremored with concern.
"That's right! Only around 100 thousand of the million elite soldiers are Caspian's subordinates. Besides, there aren't any guards at the king's residence.
"Plus, Caspian is the famous Diatoranian God of War. We're no match for him at all if things escalate into a confrontation!" Zane joined in.
Only then did Jerry realize the gravity of things, and he nodded. "You guys are right. We can't let Caspian bring his army into Dhord City."
"Yeah, especially not the armored soldiers and Phoenix Vanguard! Caspian trained them himself! If he rebels, they'll undoubtedly take his side!" Zane stated.
"Even if Caspian doesn't rebel, he might act brashly if we try to depose him. It'll be dangerous if that happens," Kelvin also voiced his innermost thoughts.
"I understand. I'll have Balthazar call Caspian right away."
Jerry went to Balthazar immediately after saying that. He wanted the latter to give an official order to Caspian.
Having spoken with Jerry, Balthazar soon made another call to Caspian.
Caspian dared not ignore Balthazar's call when he saw it. He answered immediately and asked, "Your Majesty, how can I be of service?"
"Things at the border aren't too stable now, Lord Caspian. Station the million elite troops and armored soldiers at West Aridlands. As for you, come to Dhord City without any troops. Just travel light," said Balthazar.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Caspian answered. He never intended to bring his armored soldiers back to Dhord City in the first place. After all, it was inconvenient to travel around with his subordinates.
Besides, the troops from West Aridlands naturally had to stand guard there. Caspian saw no reason to take them to Dhord City.
Sylvia approached Caspian after the latter ended the call. "Lord Caspian, has the king given you any new orders?"
"He's asked me to go to Dhord City without any troops. The armored soldiers must remain at West Aridlands in case of a sneak attack from enemy troops," Caspian replied.
"Lord Caspian, something feels off about His Majesty this time. Won't it be risky if you go to Dhord City alone?" Sylvia questioned.
"There's nothing to fear. I can only accept my fate if the king wants to dispose of me. The outcome will be the same, regardless of whether I bring the troops there." Caspian was unwaveringly confident.
Sylvia nodded. "You're right, Lord Caspian. Let's hope I'm merely overthinking things."
"I can't help feeling like something's wrong, Lord Caspian. Why don't you bring a few subordinates with you? I fear something might actually happen," Macy murmured.
"Don't worry, you guys. I know His Majesty well. We may have clashing opinions, but he won't do anything to me," Caspian assured them. He knew Balthazar wouldn't punish him because he had contributed significantly to Diatoran.
"The king may not do anything to you. Still, I'm worried someone with ill intent might lie to His Majesty and convince him to punish you," Macy insisted.
"But His Majesty has already given official orders that I shouldn't bring any troops back to Dhord City with me. If I do otherwise, someone will surely say I'm rebelling." Caspian shrugged helplessly.
Still, Macy persisted. "Lord Caspian, please let me and Phoenix Vanguard escort you to Dhord City. At the very least, we can ensure your safety."
"Alright, the king only said to station the armored soldiers at West Aridlands. I wouldn't be disobeying his orders if I brought Phoenix Vanguard with me." Caspian caved in.
"Thank you, Lord Caspian." Macy was over the moon. She didn't think Caspian would agree to her request without a fight.
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