The Valkyrie Returns and Slays (Raven) novel Chapter 176

Chapter 176 Arrogance Beyond Reason

At Raven’s words, everyone around her could only shake their heads in disapproval.

She had potential–had she stayed the course, in ten years she might’ve truly earned her place as a general.

But she was too arrogant, too reckless, and now she was destroying her future with her own hands.

She had no one to blame but herself.

Just as everyone thought Lorne would follow protocol and strip her of her military position, he let out a long sigh instead.

His gaze swept over the crowd before he spoke, his voice calm but firm. “I had originally claimed Raven was merely the new general’s trusted aide, fearing her true identity might provoke hostility from rival nations. But now that she’s chosen to speak for herself, I no longer see any reason to hide the truth.”

He straightened his back, expression solemn, then said clearly for all to hear, “Allow me to introduce her properly–this is Vyrdenia Military’s newly appointed general.”

The moment the words fell, the courtyard plunged into a dead, eerie silence.

No one moved. No one spoke.

And before anyone could react, Lorne, aware of the urgency, turned to Raven and got straight to the point. “Raven, since word of your departure spread, foreign nations have launched a full–scale assault. Our lines are crumbling. Were it not for the Sirius Pack still holding the front, Vyrdenia’s defenses would have collapsed already. But the onslaught is too fierce–they won’t last much longer. On behalf of the Vyrdenia Military, I’m begging you to return to the battlefield.”

Shock swept through the crowd like a storm. Even Benson’s face froze in disbelief.

“What? That can’t be true.”

“Sure, Vyrdenia’s younger generation isn’t that strong, but we haven’t lost a war in years. How could things unravel so fast?”

“Lorne’s blaming this on a single girl? No matter how talented she is, she can’t be the reason an entire war effort collapses, right?”

Suspicion flickered across every face as eyes turned toward Raven, their gazes heavy with doubt.

But Raven only smiled–cold, mocking, bitter.

Her voice was sharp as steel. “If the Sirius Pack can’t hold, then let them fall back to Vyrdenia, I’ll bring them into the Hundred–Man Unit, train them properly, strengthen them further. As for the foreign front… General Benson commands a million troops, has access to a mountain of military resources, yet he and his men have never

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Chapter 176 Arrogance Beyond Reason

stepped onto the battlefield. Now that our country is in crisis, it’s about time they did.”

Her words cut like a knife.

Everyone knew the truth, but no one dared to say it aloud–Vyrdenia’s military boasted nearly ten million soldiers, but only six million ever fought on foreign soil.

The rest? They cowered within the nation, hiding behind excuses of “military exercises.”

Among those four million were nearly all of Vyrdenia’s top commanders. They held the best ranks, hoarded the majority of resources… but when it came time to fight, they vanished.

Raven had tolerated it, thinking her victories came from the elite few she personally