Realm of Kings

Jerome's Fear

Due to Jerome's kingdom being located along the way to the capital from Jax's side, Jax and his army had to pass through there.

However, he wasn't expecting his brother, Jerome, to be waiting for him with his two thousand legion of men.

Unbeknownst to Jax, Jerome only wanted to showcase his military superiority to his younger brother.

He wanted to relished the opportunity to demonstrate his power, as he felt he surpassed Jax in military might.

The moment Jerome caught sight of the small number of warriors accompanying Jax's carriage, he pointed at them, and his soldiers burst into laughter.

Even those with low morale, who had been standing on the road waiting, began banging their spears on their shields, laughing until their stomachs hurt.

The captains of Jerome joined in, making fun of the soldiers following Jax.

Some mocked the fact that they had no rides or mounts, It was common knowledge that riding a mount on a long journey helped preserve a soldier's stamina.

And given how Jax was utilizing his soldiers, they believed they would be incredibly exhausted by the time they reached the capital.

While Jerome's soldiers continued to laugh, the captain who had previously been defeated by Connor approached Jerome.

"Master, I don't think you should underestimate your brothers army at all!" the captain whispered to Jerome.

"Why do you say that?" Jerome asked almost instantly.

"I can't sense any of their Qi levels," the captain replied.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that my brother brought ordinary soldiers to guard him on the way to the capital and didn't even provide mounts for them? Isn't that just sentencing them to an early death,"

" as not only would they not be able to protect themselves from bandits, but they may even die from exhaustion" Jerome questioned, aware that ordinary warriors would struggle to survive such a long journey on foot since they lacked the Qi energy to reinforce their physical strength.

"No, my king, They all have strong energy fluctuations around them, the reason I can't read their power levels is because they are not releasing their Qi," the captain explained gently.

"What could cause this? Explain it to me in simple terms," Jerome inquired, his curiosity piqued.

As a king with numerous Tier warriors, he had not yet reached the Tier realm himself, as his cultivation talent was relatively weak.

So, instead, he relied on his wit to reach the level he was at now.

Being an ordinary king, he couldn't detect the cultivation level of Tier warriors unless they released their auras.

"No, my king, it means that they are all stronger than me to be able to hide there realms or there is a mage hiding it and we both know what is more acceptable," the captain clarified.

Making Jerome's expression instantly changed when he heard these words.

He vividly remembered visiting his brother's kingdom just a few weeks ago, not even up to two weeks, to be precise.

At that time, he meticulously assessed his brother's military power and discovered that those rugged-looking men accompanying Jax were all Tier 1 warriors.

This fact had shocked Jerome greatly, as Jax had managed to train a hundred Tier 1 warriors entirely on his own.

Such an accomplishment was remarkable, considering he didn't have the support of the capital or expert trainers who regularly conducted drills and provided guidance on cultivation methods.

Jerome couldn't help but feel envious of his brother's strong and loyal captain back then.

Yet now, he had come to learn that his brother's army was even stronger than he initially thought.

"Are you telling me that all those men accompanying my brother are Tier 2 warriors?" Jerome asked with a grim expression, finding it difficult to believe what his captain was telling him.

If the captain couldn't read their Qi levels and concluded that they were stronger than him, it meant they were all Tier 2 warriors and above if possible.

This number of Tier 2 warriors alone was sufficient to elevate anyone to the peak of a Tier 2 kingdom.

It didn't matter if he had two thousand soldiers; the small squad of warriors accompanying Jax would easily demolish anything Jerome was proud of without breaking a sweat.

This realization fueled his anger, causing him to clench his fist tightly.

However, he was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of marching approaching from Jax's soldiers. The noise grew louder, indicating they were swiftly gaining on them.

As he gazed ahead, he spotted Connor and a lady wielding a longbow, riding horses and leading the rest of Alec's soldiers.

He was taken aback to see that the warriors he had scorned during his previous visit to Jax's kingdom for their lack of proper equipment were now donning leather armor.

Although it was not as impressive as the iron armor he had acquired for his own army by depleting a significant portion of his saved funds, he couldn't help but wonder how Jax had managed to secure the necessary funds to outfit his warriors with armor.

Considering Jax's financially-strapped kingdom and absence of exceptional minerals, and there hadn't been any merchant caravans passing through recently.

This led him to realize that the armor must have been crafted rather than bought.

Yet, he was unaware of any armor crafters in the vicinity of this barren wasteland, apart from the esteemed one residing in his father's capital.

Even his father had to schedule an appointment to meet the respected armorer, as his father, King Jayden, held the Crafter in high regard.

In contrast, he had to rely on purchasing armor from reputable merchants who conducted business from that crafter's own workshop.

Despite this, he now found himself witnessing Jax's soldiers adorned in leather armor just days after he had ridiculed them.

The only plausible explanation he could muster was that Jax had a junior craftsman within his kingdom.

This craftsman must have had no ties to their father's kingdom, as all of that Craft Forger's apprentices in their father's realm were recruited exclusively by the Tier 2 Kings under their father's rule.

Even their eldest sibling, the strongest of all King Jayden's child, had been among those who accepted an apprentice in her kingdom.

However, it appeared that someone else had been honing their skills under Jax's roof, and a tinge of jealousy gnawed at him, sparked by Jax's seemingly good fortune.

The reality of Jax's progress struck him like a blow, even amidst his usual playfulness.

Glancing back at Connor, who led the army valiantly, he realized that he remained oblivious to the identity of the lady riding alongside him.

Nevertheless, based on what he had gathered from Jax, he was confident that she was another one of Jax's aces.

Releasing a resigned sigh, he decided to wait and see what surprise Jax had in store for him this time.